Why We Started Offering Rentals
One of the things I've learnt since buying Mobility Plus is that customers usually tell you what your business should do next.
You just have to listen.
Not long after taking over the business, I noticed a pattern.
People weren't always asking to buy equipment.
They were asking whether they could hire it.
Someone recovering from surgery.
Someone waiting for a hip replacement.
Someone visiting family.
Someone who only needed a walker for a few weeks.
At first, we didn't offer rentals.
But after hearing the same question again and again, I stopped asking why we didn't do it and started asking why we couldn't.
So we introduced rentals.
It wasn't about creating another income stream.
It was about giving people another option.
Sometimes buying makes perfect sense.
Sometimes it doesn't.
Only recently I spoke with a lady looking for a large shower chair. After talking through what she needed, it became obvious that hiring a shower stool would suit her much better.
She saved money.
She got exactly what she needed.
And that's a good outcome.
Another customer recently returned a walker because it wasn't the right fit.
She hadn't read our buying guide before ordering.
It reminded me that when something like this happens, the answer isn't to blame the customer.
The answer is to ask ourselves what we could do better.
Can we make the buying guide easier to find?
Can we improve the product page?
Can we explain sizing more clearly?
Every return teaches us something.
Every question helps us improve.
Running a business has shown me that the best ideas often don't come from sitting in an office trying to think of something new.
They come from listening carefully to the people you're trying to help.
Our rental range exists because customers asked for it.
I have a feeling many of our future improvements will begin exactly the same way.
You might also like
• Why We Answer the Phone
• What Customers Teach Me Every Day
• Walker Rentals
• Walker Buying Guide
• Wheelchair Rentals
Thanks for reading.
Until next time,
Kellie Chapman
Owner, Mobility Plus
From Kellie's Desk
Running a small family business means no two days are ever the same. These are some of the stories, lessons and little moments that don't make it onto a product page, but are part of who we are at Mobility Plus.