Yardflow – United Rentals

The story

United Rentals asked us to build a voice assistant for the people who check in and sort returned equipment in their yards — so they can keep their eyes and hands on the machines, not on a screen.

Before

Yard staff had to stop inspections to type data in, often scribbling on paper first. Finding a machine meant checking ID numbers by hand, because the existing apps didn’t even show the brand or colour.

After

Yard checks done hands-free, just by talking

Hear it from Adam

What we did

What we built for them

01

Just talk to it

A natural, human-sounding voice lets staff do the whole job by speaking — no screen needed.

02

A team of AI helpers

One “supervisor” keeps track of the conversation and hands tasks to specialist helpers for returns and sorting.

03

A digital notepad

The assistant reads back what it heard for a quick “yes” before anything is saved — no more paper notes.

04

Snap a photo

Photos taken mid-conversation identify the machine and record any damage, without breaking the flow.

How we did it

How we got there

Every project is different. Here’s how this one came together.

Fast, reliable conversations
We built the system so replies come back quickly, even in a noisy yard.
Our own AI toolkit
We used our in-house tools to build, monitor and fine-tune the assistant in quick cycles.
Real-world hardware
Tested on the actual phones and Bluetooth headsets the crews use, with the screen locked.

In their words

Exceptional UX mapping, and a transparent, collaborative team

“Polar Stork brought a strong mix of product, UX, and technical expertise to the project. Their UX mapping was exceptional and helped uncover important edge cases while refining the overall experience. The team quickly demonstrated a deep understanding of our workflows, and their transparency and collaborative approach gave us confidence throughout the engagement.”

Adam Karger
Director of Strategy & Innovation, United Rentals