The why
With a fleet of over 2,000 vehicles operating across New Zealand, Cross Country Rentals manages a complex rental operation serving individuals, businesses and large organisations, including the Ministry of Education.
Behind every booking are multiple moving parts. Different vehicle categories, rental rates, availability, insurance options, extras and pickup and drop-off locations all need to work together.
Cross Country already relied on Rental Car Manager (RCM) as its core booking system, alongside several other platforms supporting fleet operations, payments, vehicle handovers and accident reporting.
As part of a wider brand refresh, Cross Country wanted to modernise its digital experience, making it easier for customers to book vehicles online and giving trade customers a dedicated platform to manage their rentals.
The challenge was to bring these systems and complex business rules together without making the customer experience complicated.
The Solution
Two connected platforms, built around the business
Hello Better designed and developed two digital platforms that work alongside Cross Country's existing rental management infrastructure.
A new website and booking experience
We built a new customer-facing website to bring Cross Country's refreshed brand to life, with a fully integrated vehicle booking experience.
The platform connects directly with RCM, allowing customers to search vehicle availability, select rental locations and dates, compare vehicle options, and configure bookings with the appropriate insurance and extras.
Behind the scenes, custom business logic handles different vehicle types, rental rates, availability and one-way transfers, including rentals between the North and South Islands.
Trade Connect — a dedicated B2B booking portal
For business customers, we developed Trade Connect, a dedicated online platform for managing vehicle rentals.
Trade Connect provides a central place for business customers to manage their bookings, with workflows designed around the needs of organisations that regularly rent vehicles.
Both platforms are supported by a custom integration layer that connects Cross Country's digital experiences with its core rental and operational systems.
This includes integrations with EROAD for telematics, WeCapture for vehicle handovers and accident records, Windcave for secure payments, and insurance-related workflows.
Rather than replacing the systems Cross Country already uses, we made them work better together.
The Results
A connected digital foundation for a growing rental business
Cross Country now has two purpose-built digital platforms supporting both individual and business customers.
The new website brings together the refreshed brand and online booking experience, while Trade Connect provides business customers with a dedicated way to manage their vehicle rentals.
By connecting RCM and the wider operational systems through a custom integration layer, we've created a more joined-up experience without disrupting the core platforms the business depends on.
Complex rental requirements, from vehicle-specific pricing and insurance to availability and inter-island transfers, are handled behind the scenes, keeping the experience straightforward for customers.
The result is a flexible digital foundation that supports Cross Country's nationwide rental operation and provides room for future improvements as the business evolves.
