About Thompson Leisure
Thompson Leisure Ltd is a well-established motorhome and Campervan dealership based in Dromore, Co. Down, serving customers across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The family-run business provides new and used motorhomes, small campers, and van conversions, including their own VW campers.
Alongside their sales department, Thompson Leisure operates a full After sales & Service Centre offering habitation and mechanical servicing, a Parts & Accessories department, and a successful Rental Department, TLL Rent.
For this case study, we interviewed Sarah Metcalfe, Rental Manager, and Stephanie Girvan, Rental Advisor, from Thompson Leisure Ltd. Sarah has been with the company for 2.5 years and Steph for 18 months. Both oversee the day-to-day operations of TLL Rent, supporting the company’s growing rental operations and delivering a seamless customer experience.
The Challenge: Managing Growth and Complexity
Over the past few years, Thompson Leisure’s rental business has expanded significantly. Managing a growing fleet and multiple pickup locations increased the need for a more streamlined, reliable rental management system.
“TLL Rent has grown massively in the last 3 years. We now have a fleet of 50 vehicles for the 2026 season already in place. We have four different pickup locations situated throughout Ireland, both North and South,” says Sarah.
The team recognised that their previous system no longer met the operational demands of their expanding rental business.
Steph adds: “Having worked in the Rental Industry for 16 years, I noticed the Rental System being used here was not fulfilling the needs of Vehicle Rental. I had briefly used Prohire previously and knew that it could do so much more for us and make life easier and provide a much better experience from a customer perspective, ensuring all details are fully captured and accurate payment methods, in turn leading to fewer errors and accurate documentation.”
The Solution: Implementing Prohire
After evaluating several systems, the team identified Prohire as the most complete solution to meet their requirements. We asked Sarah about their journey choosing Prohire Software for their business and how they found this transition.
“After discussions with Steph and looking at different rental systems, we contacted Prohire, and I think within the first correspondence back to us, we knew this is a complete system that would work well for TLL RENT and 1 year down the line, I can confidently say we made the right decision to choose Prohire.”
From our initial contact with Prohire’s Sales Manager, Rachel, the transition to Prohire was very smooth and fully supported by the entire Prohire Team. They were able to answer any questions we threw at them and, to this day, are in the background if we need them. This gives us complete confidence in the event of any issues.”
The Results: Greater Efficiency and Accuracy
Prohire now supports TLL Rent’s day-to-day operations, helping the team manage bookings, customer records, and vehicle data more efficiently and accurately.
Sarah adds: “Prohire is a user-friendly system which holds all the information we need for a rental booking. The significant improvement in this system is the recording of all vehicle data, e.g., mileage, service due, damage, etc.
Payments through Prohire are safe, secure, and easy to use. Having all rental agreements electronically emailed to our customers is so much smoother; we operate a paperless system.”
Having quick access to detailed vehicle information has also improved operational visibility and decision-making.
Sarah goes on to say: “The most helpful part of Prohire is the data it holds for each vehicle, one click of a button and you have access to the vehicle’s service history, mileage, previous damage and the utilisation activity for each vehicle.”
One Year On: Positive Change and Continued Confidence
After a full year of using Prohire, we wanted to find out how Thompson Leisure sees the benefits of a more streamlined rental process, improved accuracy, and reduced administrative time.
They highlight: “The biggest change is less paperwork and time spent from the booking process to the rental check-in. Prohire has proved to be really user-friendly, with all the data and information you need at your fingertips with a few clicks. Our customers get an email direct from Prohire to confirm their booking, which gives all the information they need to make their rental experience simple and successful.”
The team values both the technology and the ongoing support that Prohire provides. At Prohire, we take pride in delivering exceptional customer service. We are deeply committed to our clients and the vehicle rental industry as a whole. Our in-house support team not only understands the industry but also has expert knowledge of our software, ensuring reliable and informed assistance every step of the way.
We were keen to learn if the team at TLL agree with this statement, Sarah adds: “Prohire customer service is excellent, from day one the team have always helped, no question was ever left unanswered and the team always follows up to make sure everything is running smoothy for me this had made the first year of using Prohire work so well for TLL.
After a year of using Prohire, we want to thank Sarah and Steph for their trust and for taking the time to share their experience. Their insights and feedback have been invaluable, and it’s been a pleasure supporting TLL Rent as their rental operations continue to grow.
As Sarah says, “If you’re looking for an all-inclusive rental system, Prohire is the system to go with.”
