Rainy Sundays can be great. This past weekend I had the rare opportunity of sitting still for an entire movie, Catch and Release, on HBO. It was entertaining enough, but one scene in particular caught my attention. In it, a somber Jennifer Garner visits her self-storage unit to rifle through a box to find a photo of her deceased fiancé.
It should have been a moving scene, but I was a little miffed by the setting, frankly. Garner found what she was looking for easily enough, because her unit was hugely spacious. In fact, it was so big she could change her clothes into her wedding dress and then relax gracefully on a couch that had not even a single box on it. What was wrong with this picture?
Instead of keying in on her emotions, I was thinking that this poor girl, who was barely making ends meet, had been misguided by a manager into renting a unit that was probably three times bigger than she needed. What kind of schmuck would do such a thing? Where was he when self-storage smarts and customer service skills were doled out?
OK, I know it was only in the movies, but let’s get real. How many self-storage managers take the time to ask prospective tenants about their storage needs, what they will be storing, so that they can figure out the best and least expensive space to rent them? It’s really self-storage customer service basics, I would think.
Many storage websites post tips and guidelines for the general public to figure out what size unit will work. Do you? If not, try a Google Search for “what size storage unit do I need” and see what the competitors are doing. Then do your tenants the favor of giving them what they need.
Of course, don’t forget to visit the ISS website for all kinds of other suggestions for improving your customer service. (Below is a list of suggestions.) A little kindness goes a long way.
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