Background

• The company is EquipmentShare.
• A high-growth Columbia, MO-based equipment and digital solutions provider for the construction industry.
• Recently raised $290M in funding
• 2022 opened 32 rental locations. 
• Total 150 locations in only 8 years in business

Results

• Unlocked ability for our users to advertise their business to a whole new customer segment.
• 50K/mo of new revenue from many one-off smaller customers.
• Better cash flow from up-front paying customers.

The process

#1: Identify the problem 🥷

EquipmentShare was building a platform for construction rental companies to manage their orders. From close research with our user base we discovered:

The biggest challenge our customers were facing was the unrealized potential revenue and cash flow from walk-in customers. 

These smaller, often one-time users, represented a lucrative segment that was slipping through the gaps. The primary issue was the lack of a streamlined and trustworthy payment process for these customers. 

Our users needed a way to verify customers, capture up-front payments, and store credit card details. 

#2: Set our philosophies 🧪

Scalability: Recognizing that one size doesn't fit all, we aimed to create solutions that could cater to a range of construction rental companies, from large enterprises to smaller local businesses.

Lean approach: We adhere to a minimum viable product (MVP) methodology, aiming to deliver the most basic version of the solution quickly to users, gather feedback, and then iterate.

#3: Understand the customer needs 🍬

Map the current process

‍We worked closely with customers, to gain an understanding of the existing order management processes, highlighting pain points, inefficiencies, and potential areas of improvement.

Identify the ideal process

We identified the 'dream state' or ideal workflow users wished for so that we can create a product as close to that as possible.

#4: Design sprint 🏃

With the customer and their needs clear, we bring in product people and developers to brainstorm a solution. We use design sprint workshops, to brainstorm many ideas and align on one that's testable, technically feasible and meets customer needs, all in a matter of days.

A close connection between the product and the users is the secret sauce for delivering delightful products and features efficiently. Instead of relying on internal evaluations (which product teams do more than they'd like to admit), we took the designs back to the users. We gathered real-world feedback, understood usability issues, and made tweaks all before development began.

#5: Build, measure and iterate 🚀

The design process never ends with a launch. We established to feedback channels to collect, monitor, and act on feedback from users. 

This dynamic approach ensures the product evolves along with user needs and industry changes.

Results

• Unlocked ability to advertise their business to a whole new customer segment 💸
• 50K/mo of new revenue from many one-off smaller customers 💸
• Created a system to eliminate the risk of staff charging incorrectly or missing out on cash collected 💸

These results are from a case study with one particular customer. Gathered from monitoring the success of the first iteration of this feature.