Flex Rental Solutions | Review & Overview

July 22, 2020
5 min read

Looking for an inventory management system? We’re going to explain why we chose Flex Rental Solutions, what we were looking for when shopping around, and the most important factors that influenced our final decision.

We’ll also discuss something you should consider when setting up your own inventory with Flex and suggest areas where we wish they would improve.

Quick Answer: We use Flex Rental Solutions as the software is excellent value, has fantastic support, and delivers a cloud-based, well-structured inventory solution that lets us add our branding to the entire inventory ecosystem. 

Why Do We Use Flex Rental Solutions

When the time came for us to look for a new inventory management system, there were a few key features we were looking for.

  • Predictable pricing structure
    Flex has flat-rate pricing with add-on modules, such as QuickBooks integration. The pricing has been predictable and fair, with advanced notice of any increases. Overall, they offer excellent value.
  • Cloud-based
    We wanted inventory management software that we could use on multiple platforms, including Mac, PC, tablets, and phones. We needed the ability to keep on top of things while on the ground at events too.
  • Branding
    Branding is essential to us. From our quotes to the barcodes on our cases, we want our branding to be visible everywhere. Flex allows us to make these items our own, which helps Kettner Creative to stand out from the crowd.

Flex Vanity Names & Accessories

We take advantage of the ability to create vanity names in Flex Rental Solutions. Why? Many of our customers don’t know the difference between an SM58 and an SM57, and they don’t care either.

Vanity names in Flex allow us to simply have “Wired Microphone” on the quote instead. We can expand this to show a full breakdown of the microphone model, supplied cables, and accessories with one click for clients, like production companies, who want to know specifics.

Flex can also be set to prompt you with various accessories for each inventory item, helping you to consider what a client might need for their specific use case. This is managed by creating a parent/child relationship for items/accessories.

Flex Parent/Child Structure

The parent/child structure of flex works really well for us. In 10,000 events, we’ve only ever had 2 trucks drive back for more equipment. Both of those were because clients added items at the last minute, and instead of using Flex, we just took what we thought we’d need.

This feature requires an initial effort to set everything up, but by creating a relationship between an item and everything you might need for it at an event, you create a bulletproof system for your warehouse.

Flex Rental Solutions Contact & Task Management

Flex does what it’s supposed to do in terms of contact management. We can add a company, manage multiple points of contact, and set a discount rate unique to them which is automatically applied.

Flex also allows us to set tasks for our warehouse team on top of their standard packing and shipping jobs. It keeps communication organized and on one platform, which we prefer to sending emails.

RFID

We haven’t invested in this feature due to the cost of RFID tags, but this is a feature available in Flex. It’s the way of the future, so it’s great to see Flex already supporting it.

Imagine the post-event time savings of being able to roll a cable trunk containing up to 100 items through an RFID scanner and have them all automatically checked in.

Flex Rental Solutions Set Up – Serialized & Non-Serialzed Inventory

One of the major things to consider when setting up your inventory with Flex is whether you want items to be serialized or non-serialized.

  • Serialized
    Serialized items have their own unique serial number and barcode, allowing us to track each individual item.

    We serialize most of our equipment right down to cables.
  • Non-Serialized
    Non-serialized items don’t have a unique ID; we use this when it’s not practical to put a barcode on an item, e.g., drapes.

    We non-serialize drapes, drape hardware, and consumables like batteries and gaff tape.

The Cons of Flex Rental Solutions & How It Could Be Better

Even though we chose to use Flex for our inventory management, there are some cons and things we wish it would do better.

  • Initial time/labor cost
    This is true of any inventory management software, but you should be prepared for the time cost of creating your initial inventory. It took 3 of us 10 days to enter and barcode 800 items.
  • Lock-in
    Creating an inventory on Flex and barcoding your items is a considerable investment, meaning it’s not going to be easy or convenient to switch to a new system.
  • Interface Design
    We wish that Flex had a better sales dashboard. We’d love to log in and see all of the most important metrics on the initial screen.
  • Flash vs HTML5
    The desktop version of Flex still uses Flash. It was a problem when we first started using Flex in 2014 and, with some browsers phasing out Flash support, it’s a bigger problem now. 

Flex Rental Solutions Tech Support

The support offered by the developers of Flex is amazing. We’ve contacted them during business hours and at 1 am. No matter what time, they have always gotten back to us quickly and walked us through solving any problems. 

Equipment Used To Make The Accompanying Video

Why We Use Flex Rental Solutions Topics

  • 0:00 Introduction
  • 0:32 Why do we use Flex Rental Solutions
  • 1:00 Predictable pricing structure
  • 1:25 Cloud-based
  • 1:46 Branding
  • 2:39 Vanity names and accessories
  • 4:07 Parent/Child structure
  • 6:05 Contact Management
  • 6:28 Task Management
  • 6:57 RFID
  • 7:37 Exports to Quickbooks
  • 7:45 Serialized and Non-Serialized Inventory
  • 9:34 Cons of Flex
  • 11:09 Things that could be better on Flex
  • 12:53 Flex Support
  • 13:49 Final Thoughts
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