01 — The challenge
61 micro-processes, as many sources of invisible cost
For Hertz Baltics, the leading car-rental company in the Baltic states, the challenge wasn’t managing a breakdown or a poorly-maintained fleet. It was far more insidious : understanding why every rental cost far more than expected.
The realization came from a simple but revealing exercise : exhaustively mapping every step of a rental, from the first click to the vehicle’s return. The verdict : not one process, but 61 micro-processes, each carrying its own cost — invisible in isolation, but devastating at the scale of thousands of rentals.
Death by a thousand cuts
Queues, agent time, paperwork, data-entry errors, damage disputes, missing photos, cascading corrections — none of these seemed critical on its own. Together, they formed a structural financial sinkhole no one had ever really measured.
Inspection, a costly and imprecise ritual
Return damage inspection alone concentrated much of the problem : agents miss scratches, skip photos, give in to queue pressure. Customers dispute. Money evaporates.
An under-estimated cost per rental
As long as the cost structure stayed opaque, the rental counter looked like a customer-service point. Once the numbers were on the table, it appeared for what it really was : a cost center in urgent need of optimization.
02 — The Echoes solution
Automating what humans shouldn’t do.
Hertz Baltics’ transformation began with self-service kiosks and AI inspection gates — two early revolutions that reshaped the customer experience and drastically cut inspection costs. But they left one major friction zone intact : processing the vehicle return.
That’s where Echoes comes in, as the third pillar of the operational transformation.
Automatic data capture at return
At every return, Echoes automatically reports the exact mileage, fuel level to the litre, real-time border crossings, the return timestamp and vehicle-condition data — with no manual entry.
OEM data, maximum reliability
By connecting directly to manufacturer data, Echoes provides objective, indisputable information that removes fuel and mileage disputes at the source.
A minimal cost of adoption
A marginal investment against the potential of additional revenue generated (billing border crossings, recovering real fuel costs) and the savings on human error.
Exact mileageFuel to the litreReal-time borders03 — The results
From a costly counter to a frictionless process : every return becomes a friction-free operation.
Zero data-entry errors
Mileage, fuel, timestamp : everything is captured automatically. The manual errors that once generated corrections, disputes and lost billing are a thing of the past.
Better-captured revenue
Real-time tracking of border crossings and actual fuel level (in litres, not quarter-gauge) makes it possible to bill precisely what was previously lost for lack of reliable proof.
Teams freed from repetitive tasks
Staff spend less time on manual checks and corrections. Customers wait less. The cost to serve drops for everyone.
A view of the real cost per rental
For the first time, Hertz Baltics has a data point that was previously elusive : the real operating cost, per rental, in real time — a strategic as well as operational steering tool.
Our teams spend less time on repetitive tasks. Customers wait less. And we spend less to deliver the service. Everyone wins.
Andrius Kukta — Chief Operating Officer, Hertz Baltics
Do like Hertz Baltics : automate your vehicle returns.
Remove manual readings with OEM telematics and smooth out every step of the rental journey.