This report was an essay from my Management Information Systems class....
If not already doing so, I believe
an expert system would be very beneficial in making the rental process run
smoother and more efficiently.
There are several elements necessary before a car is even available for
rental and the best service providers make sure that their customers never know
this back office development.
First rule is if the unit is truly
‘available’ not just on the lot.
Each department’s responsibility would be to make sure that their part
of the knowledge base is accurate at all levels for the front line to issue a
successful rental.
For example, if Rule 1 was “Is the
unit available” a YES answer would mean that maintenance had checked all points
of vehicle safety and compliance, accounting would show no record of open
claims on the vehicle, DMV section would verify that all plate and registration
and proof of insurance issues were properly documented and fleet management
would validate the vehicle’s cleanliness, visual appearance and available
staffing of greeters and exit clerks were available for customer needs and
inquiries.
Any NO answer would mean that a
particular section’s unfinished process should never leave a customer
dissatisfied with at least one of the area’s represented prior. Where the system goes wrong in an
organization is when the greed factor kicks in and a vehicle that isn’t ready
is ‘made’ ready.
Another rule of fact that could be
set up for the rental car industry is one that offers extras. Renting the car is the main factor but
so are upgrades, offering additional insurance coverage, including additional
drivers to the contract and activating XM radio or GPS functions to aid in the
overall experience for the trip.
An expert system may encounter rule topics like, “Is this customer new
to this state or area?”, “Has the renter used our company before?” and “Is this
trip for leisure or business?”
An expert system has the capability to diagnose and reason according to
the scenarios necessary for building a working conclusion that would help give
the renter what they need before leaving the rental agency.
The future of expert systems does
have its necessities and its negativities, however. For the consumer, “the
possibility of selecting travel arrangements from information available on
in-home video and direct reservations for hotel and travel facilities”.
Where there will be advancements
and increases in the leisure industry, expert systems will ultimately replace
key figures in the organizational structure. “Displacement of millions of skilled workers…middle managers
involved in fact gathering…may be replaced by expert systems”.
The future of expert systems in the
rental car industry will expand only with companies that are preparing its
knowledge workers into knowledge experts/specialists. I would examine each level of the organization and begin
this process now with the sole intention of contending with larger agencies
that can purchase the luxury.
Works Cited:
Haag, S., Cummings, Maeve: Management Information Systems for the Information Age. 9th
ed., New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin 2013
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