Ascendance Truck Centers Transforms Idealease Operations with Flete

Executive Summary

Ascendance Truck Centers, a multi-location lease and rental operation, modernized its workflow by transitioning from manual, spreadsheet-driven processes to Flete's unified fleet management platform. Within just two weeks, Ascendance onboarded 12 main locations (34 rooftops) and approximately 35 initial users onto the platform. Since then, Ascendance has benefited from cross-location visibility and more reliable data collection & reporting. Their Idealease operations now leverage a standardized process across regions, creating a unified customer experience & simplifying back-office operations. With one solution in Flete, Ascendance is more effective at doing what they do best: serving fleet customers across the U.S.

Background & Challenge

Before adopting Flete, Ascendance faced significant operational hurdles:

• Fragmented Systems: Multiple Excel spreadsheets and paper logs led to inconsistent data and cumbersome reporting. Lease & Rental Manager Sam P. described their previous check-in/out process as "a huge pain," lacking uniformity across regions.

• Operational Inefficiencies: Manual data entry and consolidation consumed valuable time. Rental Manager Sarah J. noted frustrations with Excel spreadsheets: "Those can get changed accidentally or typed over. If you're out of the office, it's a pain."

• Limited Visibility: Scattered sources of data made it difficult for executives to obtain accurate, real-time insights across multiple locations. Their Senior VP of Idealease emphasized the difficulty in quickly generating regular performance reports.

• Error-Prone Processes: Reliance on manual systems increased human error risks and miscommunication across departments.

Solution Implementation

Flete collaborated closely with Ascendance stakeholders to deliver a customized solution addressing their unique challenges:

• Rapid Onboarding: Within just 14 days, Flete onboarded Ascendance's 12 main locations (34 total rooftops), approximately 35 initial users, and 500+ work units onto the Lot Check system. The VP of Lease & Rental emphasized Flete's responsiveness: "They really listen. They're really responsive and basically asked us what we needed."

• Unified Applications: Consolidating fragmented spreadsheets into one dynamic platform provided real-time reporting capabilities. Darren H. highlighted ease of access: "I can pull any kind of date range in any form I need—in just a few clicks."

• Streamlined Reporting: Users now generate detailed reports or view cross-location lot status instantly. Jordan P. praised mobile functionality: "It's also on your phone, so if I'm out in the lot, I can update things right there."

When Ascendance acquired an additional group (1 main location, 5 rooftops), Flete onboarded these new locations within just 72 hours—over a single weekend—integrating two additional users and 12 work units seamlessly into existing operations.

Results & Outcomes

The implementation of Flete delivered clear operational benefits:

Enhanced Efficiency

• Lease & Rental Manager Jordan P. reported that Flete "cut my time doing those kinds of activities in half," freeing up more time for sales development.

• Across Ascendance's operations, Flete users—including critical management roles—save up to 6 hours per week (24 hours/month) previously spent on manual operational tasks.

• Enhanced damage mitigation stems from check-in/out images shared with both Ascendance and renters, saving on repairs & improving the customer experience

• Eliminating manual compilation allowed staff to redirect attention toward strategic initiatives.

• Ascendance achieved annual savings of approximately $50K+ by consolidating tools and eliminating manual errors.

• Increased efficiency not only saves time but also reduces operational costs, improves employee satisfaction, and accelerates decision-making—boosting overall competitiveness.

Improved Visibility & Reliability

• Centralized data now provides real-time insights across all locations. A Senior VP noted the ease of generating strategic reports: "Everything is there at the touch of a button."

• Consistent reporting significantly reduced manual errors and miscommunication risks inherent in previous processes.

• Since implementing Flete approximately seven months ago, Ascendance has completed over 1,250 check-ins/outs and documented more than 100 reports of vehicle damage. Capturing these damage incidents—previously missed or undocumented—provides critical evidence for claims recovery from customers, representing substantial potential savings.

Growth Opportunity

• As a by-product of “full transparency across the fleet”, Darren H. highlighted the benefit of being able to “move & rent more trucks” each week.

Positive User Experience

• The intuitive interface and responsive support received praise from users. Sam P. highlighted daily operations improvements: "Our check-in/out process—getting away from the old spreadsheet—that's been a huge upgrade."

• High adoption rates minimized training time and resistance to change.

Powered by AI

• Flete is uniquely positioned to incorporate new technologies like artificial intelligence to move faster and with less cost than legacy solutions. This enables the team to pass on savings to its customers.

• Flete is also able to tailor certain experiences to fit each customer’s needs like Ascendance . On average, Flete can offer a more comprehensive management platform at one-tenth the cost of traditional Fleet Management Companies (FMCs).

Conclusion

By replacing outdated manual processes with a unified platform—and rapidly onboarding multiple locations—Flete empowered Ascendance Truck Centers to streamline operations effectively. This transformation not only enhanced day-to-day efficiency, but also positions Ascendance strategically for future growth.

Interested in transforming your rental fleet / Idealease / NationaLease / PacLease / Mac Leasing / Volvo Leasing Dealership operations? Contact Flete for a demo today.