Product Updates

Fixed Amount for Booking Pre-Authorization and Pre-Charge

We have received feedback from rental companies highlighting the need for a feature that accommodates specific insurance rules. These rules often require rental companies to withhold a predetermined amount for every booking. To address this requirement and provide a seamless experience for our customers, we are introducing a new pre-authorization/pre-charge functionality.

To meet the needs of rental companies with insurance rules necessitating a fixed amount withholding per booking, we are implementing additional settings that allow administrators to configure and customize the pre-authorization/pre-charge process.

With the new settings, administrators will have the ability to define a fixed amount that should be pre-authorized or pre-charged when a booking is initiated. This ensures that the predetermined amount is securely withheld during the reservation period, aligning with insurance requirements and providing peace of mind for rental companies.

Task Rule repetition UX improvement

We have listened to the feedback of fleet managers who have faced challenges in creating monthly and yearly task rules, and we are excited to introduce an important improvement that addresses these concerns. The new enhancements specifically target the user experience (UX) surrounding the creation of monthly and yearly tasks, aiming to provide a more intuitive and streamlined process.

Previously, the UX for creating monthly and yearly tasks was counter-intuitive, making it difficult for fleet managers to set up their desired rules. While the old UX did offer fine control over the repeat behavior, the level of control proved overwhelming for many users. In response to this feedback, we have simplified the UX to create a more intuitive flow and removed functionality that was not widely used in practice.

One particular area of confusion reported by our customers relates to the repeat options for monthly and yearly tasks. The requirement to specify a day or month for repetition proved confusing, as users expected the task repetition to be based on their chosen first or next task date. To address this issue, we have made changes to the repeat options by removing the need for specific day or month selections. Instead, the repetition will be determined based on the first task date, similar to how it functions for hourly tasks.

This enhancement not only simplifies the task creation process but also aligns the functionality with user expectations, minimizing confusion and streamlining workflow for fleet managers.

Localize Currency Format

As part of our commitment to internationalize our services, we understand the importance of catering to the unique needs of our global user base. In response to the specific request from one of our customers and to better serve our non-EU customers, we are introducing an improvement related to localized currency display.

To enhance the international user experience, we will be implementing a change that ensures the display of currency follows the localized format. This means that currency values will be presented in a manner that aligns with the specific conventions and preferences of the respective regions and countries.

This improvement is particularly relevant for non-EU customers. By using the localized currency format, we aim to provide a more seamless and familiar experience for users from different regions, making it easier to understand and interpret pricing information.

Vehicle Categories improvements

In response to user feedback, we have identified a need to improve the clarity and distinctiveness of vehicle category images and names, particularly within the middle range. Some users have expressed confusion when determining the appropriate category for their vehicles. To address this issue and provide a more user-friendly experience, we are introducing a set of name changes for specific vehicle categories.

To enhance the differentiation of vehicle categories, we have made the following name changes:

  1. City/State: This category will be renamed as "City." By removing "State" from the name, we aim to eliminate any potential confusion and create a clearer distinction for vehicles in urban areas.
  2. Economy: This category will be renamed as "Subcompact." The new name better reflects the size and classification of vehicles falling within this category, ensuring users can easily identify and select the appropriate option.
  3. Fullsize: This category will be renamed as "SUV." The revised name aligns with common industry terminology, making it more recognizable and providing a clearer indication of the vehicle type.

User group registration link

We understand that customers like Deer have expressed the need for a registration link that allows users to be automatically assigned to a specific user group. This functionality is particularly valuable for public carsharers and rental companies who want to streamline the registration process and categorize users efficiently. By providing a registration link that can be easily shared on company intranets or student portals, these businesses can enhance their organizational capabilities and improve the user experience.

To address this request, we are introducing a new feature that simplifies the process of generating registration links for specific user groups. When the user registration feature is active, a dedicated button will be available in the user group details section. Clicking on this button will automatically copy the registration link for that particular user group to the clipboard.

With this enhancement, public carsharers and rental companies can effortlessly generate and share registration links tailored to different categories or groups of users. These links can be posted on internal platforms like company intranets or student portals, allowing users to easily access the registration page while ensuring their automatic assignment to the correct user group.

Improving Visibility of Business Trip Stops in Driver Logs

Understanding the time and distance details of merged business trips in the driver log can often be a challenging task. The current system only displays the starting and ending points of the entire trip, leaving users puzzled about the individual stops along the way. To address this issue and enhance the comprehension of merged trips, we have implemented a new feature that offers a comprehensive view of each leg of the journey, including the starting point of each segment. This enhancement significantly improves clarity and empowers users with detailed insights into their business trips.

Rental Map - Web deep link

Our rental map now features an integrated hyperlink, seamlessly connecting users to the web calendar booking process. With a single click, users can select a vehicle directly from the map, preselecting the time as well. This feature enhances user engagement with public car-sharing services, providing a streamlined gateway to initiate the booking process.

Car-sharing providers can enjoy this feature at no cost, with easy setup and significant benefits for users. By implementing this widget, providers enhance the overall user experience, simplifying the process of reserving a car.

Tablet usability improvement

The mobile app screens have been optimized for tablet usage, enhancing the user experience and catering specifically to administrative tasks. Furthermore, this adaptation unlocks a range of new potential use cases for the fleetster service within the logistics industry.

Warning when saving damages without a picture

In several instances, reports of damages have been made without accompanying pictures. This poses a significant challenge, especially when the affected vehicle is not in a central location or is not easily accessible. As a result, fleet managers must physically inspect the vehicle to verify the reported damage. To address this issue, a new warning has been introduced to discourage the submission of damage reports without pictures. Specifically, users who fail to provide a picture when reporting damage will now receive a warning prompt.

Instructions to find the key in the car

For customers who are new to carsharing, it can be challenging to locate the key. To minimize support requests and provide a seamless experience, users who book a car equipped with Invers will now receive a pop-up message informing them where the key is located within the vehicle. This feature will facilitate the process of finding the key, which may be stored in various locations such as the glove compartment or trunk.

User Group legal documents

Large mobility providers such as Deer frequently establish unique arrangements with local councils or businesses, which entail customized terms of service for their users in addition to the standard legal documents offered by the platform. Whenever a user is assigned to one of these exclusive agreements, a pop-up notification will appear. Prior to booking a vehicle, the user must accept these terms and conditions, which grants mobility providers the flexibility to include their own terms that are applicable to specific user groups.

Upload vehicle specific contracts per booking type

In the digital vehicle file it is now possible to upload vehicle-specific contracts under the documents. These can be user contracts, for example, which must be read and accepted by the user before booking. The contracts can be set per booking type. In the booking process, users must then confirm these contracts before they can complete the booking.

However, in addition to the contracts for booking types, vehicle documents and other documents can also be uploaded and do not need to be confirmed in the booking process.

Artificial Intelligence in Driver License Check

Over the past few months, our development team has trained an artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize and read driver's licenses. All data and computing processes remain on the same servers in Germany as before. The new feature is automatically available for all users and saves a lot of time when entering driver's license data and avoids input errors .

When creating the driver's license, users must enter all relevant driver's license data. This process can take a few minutes.Now, after users have photographed their driver's license, the AI fills in all the fields and suggests results. In our tests, we found that the AI makes significantly fewer errors than the users. Before saving, users have to check and approve the entries once again. Then they are sent to the admin.

Synchronization of contract and vehicle costs

When you upload a new contract or update an existing one, the costs in the digital vehicle file adjust. The system checks if the contract already exists. If not, or if the contract is older, the costs are adjusted based on the new contract. However, if there is already a contract with a newer date, nothing happens.

Quick booking creation from the admin area

This new enhancement allows creating bookings from the administrative calendar. This helps administrators to create past, current or future bookings directly from the administrative calendar, allowing the administrator to create bookings faster while keeping track of all other bookings.

Improving user-centered information

The driver's license interface has been improved to ensure that no information is missing from the driver's license check. If information is missing, a banner will appear explaining in more detail what information is required to complete the driver's license check, so check the driver's name, expiration date, and verify the driver's license class before approving.

Set visibility of logbook fields

With the new settings, administrators can now decide which fields of the logbook are visible and which are not. In this way, the logbook can be customized. The fields include reason for the trip, cost center, costs and whether a business partner is being searched for. Depending on requirements, these fields can be set to visible here. By setting the fields, the interface of the logbook can be adapted to regional requirements.

Fine Management "Handled" status

In order to have a better overview of all fines a new status was added. Fines can now be marked as handled. This will help the admin to keep track of the status of all fines.

Store multiple documents per booking type

The function for car sharing contracts has been extended to allow multiple documents to be stored for the same booking type, i.e. business, private or service bookings. This is helpful if different documents first need to be checked and accepted in the booking process prior to booking or in the registration process for new users.

Parking information in the booking details

Depending on the vehicle pool size, it can sometimes be difficult to find the vehicle in a large parking lot among many vehicles. For this reason, the location where the vehicle is parked can now be added under the booking details. If a user books the vehicle and starts the booking, he will find the parking space information in the booking details and can thus find the vehicle quickly and easily.