RTO Education Resources - Rental Training Online Courses

APRO’s Rental Training Online Virtual University was designed to provide basic, specialized training for store-level RTO employees. The program is very flexible and allows students to learn at their own pace, when and where it is convenient for them and their companies. The cost per course is $29.95, except for the course “Introduction to Rent-to-Own,” which is $19.90. APRO members who set up an account receive a 50 percent discount on all courses. Each course takes an average of two to three hours to complete. Below is a summary of each course available.

Introduction to Rent-to-Own

This course will introduce students to the rent-to-own industry and the rent-to-own transaction. It provides a brief history of the industry and explains how RTO transactions operate in the marketplace, who uses RTO and what distinguishes rent-to-own transactions from retail transactions. Students will also receive an overview of the rules and regulations that govern rent-to-own transactions, knowledge about what products are typically carried in rental stores and information on the different careers found within the industry.

Upon completion of this course, students will understand:

• The rent-to-own industry and the rent-to-own transaction
• A brief history of the rent-to-own industry
• How rent-to-own transactions operate in the marketplace
• Who uses rent-to-own transactions
• What distinguishes rent-to-own transactions from retail transactions
• The rules and regulations that govern rent-to-own transactions in general
• How rent-to-own products are priced
• What products are carried in rental stores
• The qualities of successful rental employees

Course lessons include:

• Lesson 1: Introduction, history of rent-to-own and customer intent
• Lesson 2: The rent-to-own application and agreement
• Lesson 3: Delivery, installation and management of the rent-to-own account
• Lesson 4: Communicating with customers; rent-to-own service and termination of the agreement
• Lesson 5: Collections in rent-to-own
• Lesson 6: Rent-to-own pricing and regulations
• Lesson 7: Rent-to-own products, customers and employees

Customer Satisfaction in Rent-to-Own

This course will teach what it takes to satisfy the needs of today’s rent-to-own customer. All successful rent-to-own companies, through their employees, work hard each day to satisfy the needs of their customers. This course shows how the RTO customer service professional is called on every day to match products, services, programs and policies with the needs of the customer. Its primary focus is on the “sales” part of the rental- purchase transaction; however, the student is shown how to apply the course concepts to the delivery and collection stages as well.

Upon completion of this course, students will understand:

• What creates customer satisfaction and why it is important to search for win-win situations when meeting customer needs
• Who “typical” rent-to-own customers are and how to build valuable relationships with them
• How companies build value for the customer and what role a company’s reputation plays in its success
• What role customer satisfaction representatives play in making a winning environment possible for the customer, the company and themselves
• Different ideas and ways to create ultimate customer satisfaction

Course lessons include:

• Lesson 1: Customer satisfaction
• Lesson 2: The rent-to-own customer
• Lesson 3: The rent-to-own company
• Lesson 4: The customer satisfaction representative
• Lesson 5: The satisfaction process

Rental Delivery and Safety

Let those units out,” is a very familiar call heard in most rent-to-own stores. A key component of that call is getting the merchandise to the customer’s home and set-up safely and in a professional manner so the customer is completely satisfied. This is not the “delivery guy’s” job, but the duty of all employees in the rent-to-own store. This course is designed not just for the store employee who makes deliveries, but for any employee tasked with providing ultimate customer satisfaction.

This course is designed to help employees:

• Recognize the role that proper delivery, set-up and demonstration plays in customer satisfaction and the continuation of the rental relationship
• Identify the key components of a proper pre-delivery audit
• Identify proper techniques and concepts critical to delivering product to the customer
• Recognize safety’s importance throughout the delivery process
• Identify important concepts in providing technical service of the products offered through the rental-purchase transaction

Course lessons include:

• Lesson 1: Customer satisfaction and the delivery
• Lesson 2: The pre-delivery phase
• Lesson 3: Delivery or drop-off?
• Lesson 4: Safety and the rental agreement
• Lesson 5: Service after the sale

Communication in the Rent-to-Own Workplace

What are you communicating right now? Even if you aren’t speaking or writing words—you are communicating through your current and past actions, your expressions, your body language and the way you dress. Wouldn’t you like to improve your message? This course is designed to provide rent-to-own store-level employees with communication skills that will allow them to effectively interact with customers and co-workers. The development of these skills will allow individuals to grow as employees and have a greater impact on their stores’ growth and profit.

Students will learn:

• The difference between verbalizing and communicating
• The role listening plays in becoming an effective communicator
• How credibility as a communicator translates into the “trust factor” critical for an RTO employee
• How to listen for feeling as well as fact; the message of body language and voice inflection
• How to increase rentals by more effective rapport with customers
• Communication and its impact on your future in RTO

The lessons in this course include:

• Lesson 1: The essence of communication
• Lesson 2: The power of listening
• Lesson 3: Communication and closing the transaction
• Lesson 4: Establishing credibility as a communicator
• Lesson 5: Non-verbal communications
• Lesson 6: Communications in the workplace
• Lesson 7: Communications and customer complaints

Account Management in Rent-to-Own

Every rent-to-own store employs a varying number of men and women who are referred to as account managers or account reps. They are every company’s front line link to customers and product, charged with the sometimes tough job of maintaining customer accounts. Since customers do not obtain any ownership rights until they have made the specified number of renewal payments, account management is critical to the success of every rent-to-own store. Although every store employee must communicate with customers for various reasons, the ongoing daily maintenance of most customer accounts falls on the shoulders of the account manager.

This course will challenge participants to:

• Understand the critical nature of customer relations in a rent-to-own store
• Relate that understanding to overall daily store operation
• Develop the skill set required to maintain customer accounts

Account management is a broad term that can include:

• The explanation of the rent-to-own program of service
• Delivery and set-up of the rented product in the customer’s residence
• Repairing the rented product or switching it out with a replacement unit
• Maintaining direct contact with every customer who fails to make the required renewal payment to keep their agreement active

Course lessons include:

• Lesson 1: Managing a customer’s perceptions of the store, the company and the program
• Lesson 2: Delivery and set-up of the product
• Lesson 3: Renewal of the rental agreement
• Lesson 4: Service and maintenance of the product
• Lesson 5: What happens when the customer fails to renew the agreement on time
• Lesson 6: Repairing customer relationships when they go wrong
• Lesson 7: The importance of consistent excellence in account management

If you need more information or have questions about APRO's Rental Training Online program, contact Shelley Martinek, APRO's education director, by e-mail or by calling 800/204-2776, ext. 109.