Over my many years in the self-storage industry, I’ve faced floods, fires, earthquakes, power outages, tornadoes, lightning strikes, hurricanes and even a tsunami, all of which impacted facilities I managed. Based on those experiences, I know we should all have a plan for emergencies. However, it’s also critical to have strategies in place that allow us to maintain operation during times of crisis, such as this coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

At the time of this writing, there isn’t a federal stay-in-place order, but nearly every U.S. state has enacted one and declared a state of emergency. As research for this article, I called self-storage facilities in COVID-19 hot spots. All 10 sites I contacted were open for business, even in Detroit, New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle. I also learned that some operators in New Mexico have been warned by local police that they can’t open.

Self-storage is still considered an “essential business” in many areas, and operators must address a variety of business issues. If you plan to stay open during this crisis, consider the following guidance to overcome common challenges.

Establish a Continuity Plan

If you don’t already have one, you need to create a business-continuity plan to ensure your company can function at a high level even in the worst scenario. It should outline steps you’re taking now and obstacles you need to overcome. Below are important questions to answer:

• Are you able to keep the business open with your current staff? As an industry, we’ve hired many older people, who may be more vulnerable to COVID-19.
• Can you operate with fewer employees?
• Can a customer rent a unit at your property without ever interacting with an employee? As an industry, we’ve been trying to become more reliant on technology. Customers should be able to rent directly from your website or a kiosk without ever entering your management office.
• How can you streamline the move-in process? For example, if a customer purchases a lock during the online rental process, you could simply leave it inside the space for him.

To successfully function during this crisis, you need to have a continuity plan in place and work to resolve any issues that prevent you from minimizing interaction with customers.

Keep It Clean!

There are several things you should be diligent about during this coronavirus outbreak. One of the most important is cleaning. If your office is open to customers, sanitize the countertops, point-of-sale keypads and bathrooms after each person leaves. Also, clean the following several times daily:

• Gate keypads
• Doorknobs
• Kiosks
• Pushcarts and dollies
• Elevator buttons (inside and out)
• Water-cooler and refrigerator handles
• Coffee machines
• Office pens
• Keyboards or tablets
• Stair railings

Also, offer hand sanitizer in areas where customers may touch surfaces such as carts, keypads, kiosks, etc.

Embrace Communication, Caution and Compassion

Everyone is facing this health crisis together, so be transparent about what your business is going through. Customers can empathize with your situation if you communicate with them properly. For instance, let tenants know the variety of ways they can make a payment without having to come into the office, which will help protect them as well as your staff.

Now’s the time to practice leniency, so consider forgiving late fees. Auctions, whether online or in-person, should be delayed for the next 90 days. Cancel any upcoming rate increases for at least the next 60 days. This may require you to turn off the rate-management function in your management software. It might sound crazy, but these are unprecedented times!

Be Flexible With Staff

With the country slowly moving toward total lockdown, you’ll need to be flexible with your employees. Some may have to leave unexpectedly if their child’s daycare or school closes. Try to be as understanding as possible when something comes up and have a contingency plan in case you suddenly become short-staffed.

These are challenging times, and we all need to do our part to endure them. Think about what you can do to help your self-storage business, customers and staff in the weeks and months to come. Following these simple operational strategies in this coronavirus crisis can relieve some stress and provide guidance on how to react.

Carol Mixon is the owner of SkilCheck Services Inc., which provides self-storage auditing, mystery shopping, development and operations consultation, and sales training. She’s managed more than 30 storage locations in the West and is a frequent speaker at industry tradeshows. She’s also written more than 100 articles for various publications and has served on state and national self-storage association boards. For more information, call 800.374.7545; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.skilcheck.com.

The William Warren Group (WWG), a privately held real estate company that operates the StorQuest Self Storage brand, recently unveiled a seven-story mural at its Oakland, Calif., facility urging people to care for the earth. Titled “Love Me Before I’m Gone,” the artwork at 2227 San Pablo Ave., facing Interstate 980, is intended to urge the community to help heal the planet, according to a press release.

“This mural is a reminder for all of us to come together to conserve and sustain the beautiful world we all share,” said Michelle Bakva, vice president of marketing and sales.

As on another recent StorQuest mural celebrating NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, WWG again partnered with local street artist Ruben Rojas and community art project Beautify Earth. Rojas is known for his “love” signature, which is showcased on murals throughout Southern California and now in the Bay Area.

“Change will come when we take responsibility for our actions, when each individual chooses to make their difference in the world. The sum of those choices will shift humanity as a whole and help us heal our planet,” Rojas said.

StorQuest is also asking community members to spread the word about healing the planet by using the hashtag #RootForTheFuture in social media posts. The company is committed to corporate responsibility and doing its part to protect the environment and the local communities it serves. It plants one tree for every storage rental, and has contributed to 15 reforestation projects, with more than 50,000 trees planted nationwide in the past year.

Founded in 1994 and based in Santa Monica, Calif., WWG acquires, develops and operates more than 165 self-storage facilities in 14 states.

 

Customer experience (CX). You hear and read about it at tradeshows, online, in magazines and among colleagues. But what does it actually mean? More important, what does it mean for self-storage operators?

Decades ago, the self-storage CX was pretty simple. Customers would search for a facility in the Yellow Pages. They probably wouldn’t have a lot of options, but they’d pick one, go into the office to rent a unit, pay for it, and eventually move out. That isn’t a very memorable series of events.

Today, CX requires more wow factor. Thanks to an evolving market filled with things like websites, social media, online reviews, mobile apps and other technology, CX is more important than ever. In fact, it’s become the center of what drives modern enterprise.

An emphasis on CX has affected every industry you can think of, from grocery stores that now offer order pickup and delivery to e-commerce clothing shops that offer free at-home fittings. Even at massive corporations like Amazon, executives are obsessed with prioritizing the CX over every other facet of the business.

Creating the ultimate CX that attracts customers and meets their expectations means developing and offering six things: an engaging brand, an approachable Web presence, digital content that’s relevant and helpful, streamlined communication, friendly service, and user-friendly technology. Here’s what it all means and how you can focus on CX to grow your business.

Service vs. Experience

You might be thinking, “I already know how to deliver a great customer service.” It’s an easy mistake to make, but service and experience aren’t the same. They’re related in the sense that service is part of CX, but it’s just one piece of that pie.

Customer service is about the interactions your team has with potential and current tenants in person, over the phone and via e-mail. It always involves human interaction. CX includes every way and place a person interacts with your business, even when there’s no person involved. Think about your website, social media pages and physical facility features. The self-storage CX consists of everything from finding and renting a unit online to entering the gate to opening the unit door. There are many opportunities for it to go right, and as many opportunities for it to go wrong.

Here’s a scenario: Alex is a new customer who finds your facility via a mobile search. He reads some reviews about your business on Yelp, looks at your Facebook page, then jumps over to your website and reserves a unit. He next comes to your management office, where you greet him and answer his questions about a moving truck and tenant insurance. While you’re assisting another customer, he uses one of your convenient tablet rental stations to complete his rental. You shake his hand, give him a coupon for a discount on moving boxes, and thank him for his business. He goes to his unit, which has one of those cool new smartlocks and opens via his phone. Later in the day, he receives an automated text welcoming him on board and inviting him to write an online review.

Sounds like a great CX, right? Yes, there was some human, friendly customer service involved, but again, that was just one piece of the pie. All the touchpoints—the places where Alex learned about and interacted with your company—worked together to create a positive experience.

Implementing CX

Now that you have a better understanding of what CX is, it’s time to put that knowledge to work. Let’s break it down.

Branding. Your company needs a logo and color scheme that’s universal from store to website to social media platforms to print materials. Your business name should be consistent everywhere it appears. If you rebranded an existing facility, look for any places where the old name and logo still exist, as this will confuse customers. Keep your logo and colors uniform so people always know they’re in the right place.

Web presence. This is key when focusing on CX. Your website should be easy to find (hello, search engine optimization!) and easy to use. If images take several seconds to load or your platform isn’t mobile-friendly, it’ll have a negative effect. Create a website that’s easy to use for tech-savvy and technophobic customers alike.

Content. This includes your blog posts, social media, landing pages, FAQ pages, video and everything else that relates to your business and lives online. Yes, content is crucial for SEO, but don’t just think about the robots when you make it. Rather, create content that’s helpful to your customers, such as a video showing different sizes of storage or how to properly pack the space.

Communication. This is all about continuing the customer’s journey with your company, even after he’s signed the lease. Give tenants the option to opt-in for text messages. Send e-mails containing news, announcements and other important information. Don’t hassle or upsell; just tell them about the necessary stuff like holiday office hours, discount coupons for loyal tenants, and digital copies of lease and insurance documents.

Service. You’re likely already a pro at customer service, so keep at it. Answer the phone quickly and use a call center to avoid missing calls. Greet customers with a friendly smile. Be professional and polite over e-mail. You know what to do!

Technology. This will be the most important aspect of CX moving forward. We’ve already talked about one key component: your website. Others include any automation you use, security and access tools, digital signage, and property-management software that facilitates online rentals and autopay. Customers expect technology that’s easy to use, available around the clock, nice to look at and engaging.

If you’re up on industry trends, you already know automation is critical to CX. It might mean adding a self-service kiosk to your lobby, installing app-based access control, or some new innovation that doesn’t exist yet. Customers want tools that allow them to rent units, purchase products, make payments, access of update account information, and get help when they need it.

Evolving to Meet Expectations

Take a cue from Amazon and put yourself in the customer’s shoes. In fact, do an exercise with your team in which you pretend to be potential renters. Is your company easy to find online, and what information is available? Is your website easy to read and use? Is all content up to date? Walk through the experience of renting a unit, visiting the site and accessing the unit. Was anything surprising? Confusing? Alarming? Go about this drill as if you’re someone who knows nothing about the industry and see how easy it is to navigate the process of looking for, renting and using self-storage.

This might feel a little silly, but it’ll be illuminating. Make notes and see what you can do better. Promise to repeat this exercise until you’ve created a CX in which you can be proud. Your business will thrive, and your customers will thank you.

Krista Diamond is the content team leader for Tenant Inc. Headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., Tenant Inc. develops real estate property technologies, creating a seamless user experience. Its open platform is designed to create customizable prop tech solutions. For more information, visit www.tenantinc.com.

OpenTech Alliance Inc., a Phoenix-based provider of self-storage kiosks, call-center services and other technology, is helping self-storage owners achieve touch-free facility operation during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by accelerating delivery on some of its kiosk products, offering low-rate financing and providing a trade-in option. The first 25 customers to order an INSOMNIAC 120 kiosk by May 2 will receive expedited delivery. In addition, the company is offering 0 percent interest and accepting trade-ins on its 120 Series. The goal is to make it easier for self-storage businesses to limit person-to-person contact, said chairman and CEO Robert Chiti.

Purchases that quality for accelerated delivery will arrive within four to six weeks, according to a press release. The INSOMNIAC 120 is an indoor/outdoor, weather-resistant kiosk with up-to-date hardware and cloud-based software. It allows customers to rent units, make payments, sign their lease, purchase tenant insurance, access remote support and more.

Buyers taking advantage of the payment plan will enjoy 0 percent interest for the first 22 months, with no pre-payment penalty. “Many operators have begun to limit capital expenditures to safeguard cash reserves,” Chiti said. “Yet many are in dire need of self-service solutions that will allow them to remain operational. We are continuing to look for creative ways to not only help operators respond to today’s challenges, but also strengthen their organization for the future.”

Via the trade-in program, self-storage operators can upgrade from the 120 series kiosk to a higher model so long as they do so within 18 months of the original order date. They can move up to the 220, 720 or 920 model, applying 70 percent of the cost of the original hardware against the new purchase. The plan requires $516 down and $242 a month for 22 months. Lifetime-protection services are required, the release stated. The larger models offer the same functionality as the 120 but with additional features such as the ability to dispense locks, accept cash, scan driver’s licenses and print receipts.

Many self-storage operators are gravitating toward contact-free rentals in the wake of COVID-19. This approach has allowed storage businesses to remain open while maintaining social-distancing guidelines. In addition to using automation and mobile technology, they’re offering online and phone-based rental and payment options.

OpenTech provides several models of INSOMNIAC self-serve kiosks as well as a range of self-storage rental solutions including the INSOMNIAC Live! Call Center, INSOMNIAC Online Web and mobile applications, LiveAgent! software products, and the INSOMNIAC ILock Security System, all available through the company's self-storage cloud.

The spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has quickly created challenges for all businesses, including self-storage operations. Government leaders across the country are issuing executive orders to close “non-essential” businesses, while allowing “essential,” life-sustaining ones to remain open. The question for self-storage operators is whether your facility falls into the “essential” category.

During a national emergency, federal law gives state and local governments the power to decide what is and isn’t essential. To assist in making this determination, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, issued an advisory list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” on March 19.

Several states have incorporated this advisory list, while others have created their own definitions of “essential business” within their own orders. As such, it’s imperative to look at the specific language in each state to determine where self-storage falls.

We reviewed all the state executive orders issued as of March 24. A few states specifically include “storage” or “storage facilities” as essential businesses. Several don’t specifically list it as essential but provide an allowance that may permit a storage facility to remain open. Some states don’t include self-storage in their definitions at all and, therefore, don’t provide a clear path for facility operators.

There are a few states in which the language isn’t clear, and arguments can be made on both sides. For example, the orders in Kentucky and New Jersey refer to retail businesses, and one could clearly argue that self-storage doesn’t qualify. In Massachusetts, self-storage isn’t listed, but essential services does include “workers who support moving and storage services.”

Follow the Law

It’s important to understand that several statewide shelter-in-place orders have enforcement mechanisms in the way of fines and even imprisonment. However, it’s uncertain at this point how and if these orders are being enforced. What’s clear is there’s no consensus among the states as to whether self-storage facilities fall into the category of essential business.

Additionally, many locales are beginning to institute their own shelter-in-place orders that affect businesses. Many are more specific than—and may be even be in conflict with—their state order. These laws are coming out incredibly quickly, and most are likely being enacted without the oversight usually given to such things. This can result in conflicts between state and local orders. There’s even a conflict with the CISA list issued on March 19—and used by several states—and another CISA position on critical infrastructure that some states are using.

These clashes highlight the need to pay particularly close attention to the language in each state's executive order. During this frenzied time, our recommendation is to comply with the strictest law that applies to your facility, which will typically be the local law of your community.

Open or Close?

Even in states where self-storage facilities are allowed to operate, it isn’t mandatory to do so. You may be able to close your office and allow tenants to enter the facility through a gate or remote access system.  You may choose to be flexible and provide access on a case-by-case basis or make the decision to cease operation entirely.

The true intent of shelter-in-place orders is to stop people from moving around and limit the spread of the virus. Self-storage is arguably not life-sustaining or critical to infrastructure, so it’s important to consider your role in your community and whether you’re best serving it and your employees by staying open. It may be that even though you’re allowed to operate, it’s better to temporarily close. Remember: You have the right to refuse facility access during emergencies, such as hurricanes, snowstorms, etc.

If you’re forced to close or decide to do so, let your tenants know. Post signage on the gates and provide a number to call. Post a notice on your website. If you’re allowed to stay open and choose to do so, comply with your state and local ordinances, along with any other social-distancing recommendations.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, things are going to change rapidly. Thus, it’s critical to stay current on any new laws enacted by local government. While your state, city or county may not currently have a shelter-in-place order, one might be coming very soon.

Ashley Oblinger is an attorney in the Atlanta law firm of Weissmann Zucker Euster Morochnik & Garber, P.C., where he specializes in business and self-storage law, advising operators nationwide on all legal matters, including lease preparation, lien enforcement, tenant issues, tenant-claims defense, and employment policies. To reach him, call 404.760.7434; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.wzlegal.com. 

The coronavirus pandemic may have forced us to postpone the 2020 Inside Self-Storage World Expo until July, but that doesn’t mean industry professionals have to forego education! Hundreds of seminars recorded at our past expo events are available as on-demand video in the ISS Store. If you’re keen to spend your quarantine learning about self-storage development, investing, marketing, facility operation, technology and much more, instant gratification is a mere click away.

Our streaming solution allows you to access expert insight immediately upon purchase. For your convenience, the recordings include live footage of each speaker as well as his or her PowerPoint presentation. The videos are viewable through an embedded player directly inside your ISS Store account, and you can watch them anywhere, on any device with an Internet connection, so your collection is always at your fingertips. Plus, you have the power to pause, fast forward, rewind and rewatch. ISS World Expo on-demand sessions are available going back several years!

Of course, if you prefer a hard-copy product or wish to buy in bulk, all videos are also available in DVD format, individually or as part of a discount package. Visit iss-store.com for full product details and titles. Let binge watching self-storage content be part of your stay-in-place survival pack!

The Self Storage Association (SSA) has launched a program that will connect facility operators who are willing to donate free storage space with organizations in need that are fighting the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). SSA Cares will serve as a “hub to help self-storage groups across the country donate vacant units to aid responders, healthcare groups and volunteer organizations directly involved in responding to the coronavirus pandemic,” officials said in an April 6 newsletter to members.

The goal of the program is to quickly find storage for health, safety and emergency-related supplies within the next 60 to 90 days. “Throughout the country, members of our communities are committing their resources to help meet a broad scope of critical needs,” said Tim Dietz, president and CEO. “Our expertise lies in real estate and, specifically, properties well-positioned to help with last-mile readiness.”

Self-storage operators who are association members can sign up for SSA Cares by filling out a unit-donation form online. Requested information includes a company name and contact, a facility address, and number of units available for donation. Applicants may also share a synopsis of things they’re doing to support their local communities during the pandemic.

The SSA represents about 22,000 U.S. and international member-affiliated self-storage facilities, according to its website. It’s allied with several state and international self-storage associations and has about 6,000 members.

Source:
SSA Magazine Weekly 4/6/20, SSA Cares: Helping COVID-19 Responders, Groups and Volunteers

Customers call your self-storage facility every day, at all hours. Is someone answering, and if so, what quality of service are they receiving?

According to a 2017 Demand Study conducted by the national Self Storage Association, 34 percent of all first contacts to self-storage businesses occur via the phone, and nearly 60 percent of all customers rent from the first facility they’re able to reach. It may be more shocking to learn that, per the study, approximately 40 percent of calls to storage properties go unanswered! In an industry dependent on the ability to capture and retain rentals, it’s imperative to ensure your phones are covered.

These statistics help make a case for the use of a third-party call center to manage your inbound and outbound calls. It’s important to consider if outsourcing is right for your business. The following will help you identify the advantages of using a call center, provide insight to how it works, and explain how to choose a partner. You’ll also read about service types and tools available.

The Advantages

As a self-storage operator, you have three primary options to manage your inbound call flow: handle all incoming calls at the facility level using onsite staff, leverage existing tools and software to establish and manage your own internal call center, or outsource your calls to a third-party vendor. Third-party call centers offer numerous advantages:

• Reduced staffing cost: Typically, you’ll pay only for the call-center staff time you use. Standard overhead costs are shared among all clients, reducing typical labor costs for each.
• Scalability: An outsourced call center will have greater flexibility to ramp up and down based on your business needs, so you’re not paying for downtime. During the self-storage busy season (May to September), call volume increases 20 percent to 40 percent.
• Specialized knowledge: Call centers, particularly those specific to one industry, handle tens of millions of calls and develop strategies from working with thousands of clients each year. You get the benefit of their consultative knowledge.
• Exceptional brand representation: Call-center agents are trained to handle various scenarios while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction, completing hundreds of sales presentations each day and offering additional services such as bilingual agents.
• Data analytics: With each call, you’ll learn something about your customers and business. A call center should have the tools to capture and unlock actionable insights to help transform your processes and customer relationships.
• Cost management: The business model for most call-center providers is based on costs per transaction, meaning they’re skilled at managing cost per call. Additional rental income can make a huge difference in property valuation. To gauge return on investment for outsourcing, ask yourself how much 10 to 20 additional rentals per month would add to your site’s total value.
• Service levels: Call centers make it easy for customers to rent a unit or reach out with questions 24/7, whether by phone, Web chat or texting, creating an enhanced experience.
• Access to advanced technology: The internal costs associated with creating, maintaining and adding integrated telephony platforms with multi/omnichannel capabilities are extremely expensive. Purchasing a fully integrated call-center solution can easily cost six to seven figures for just the one-time hardware and software fees, not including labor or software licenses. Outsourcing gives you access to the technology at a much lower cost. It’s also more practical for a service provider with multiple clients to keep pace with the rapid technological change than an in-house operation.
• Quality control: A good call-center partner will have established key performance indicators to monitor results for all clients. It’s extremely difficult for in-house centers to track these critical measures of quality. An exceptional partner ensures prioritization of high-quality performance at every interval.

Today’s digital consumers expect to interact with a live representative at any time on the channel of their preference. Outsourcing to a call center allows your onsite managers to service their customers with less disruption and can reduce the need for management hours when combined with other customer-automation tools.

How It Works

Self-storage operators spend sizably to get their phones to ring, and every call is vital. Third-party call centers provide agile, affordable coverage to ensure you never miss another call.

The call center you select should have systems in place that integrate with your property-management software. This’ll ensure agents have immediate access to your real-time inventory, pricing and facility details, including benefits, pictures, directions, specials, promotions and more. Your partner should work with your managers from day one to ensure they’re educated on the service offered, how the call center operates and how to best leverage it to rent more units and improve facility operation.

Choosing a Partner

Here are some useful criteria for choosing your third-party call-center provider:

• Come to the conversation with each vendor prepared with your average monthly sales volume and details of what you need the center to do to meet your business needs.
• To achieve the best integration with your business, ensure your provider has a direct API (application programming interface) with your facility-management software.
• Look for a provider that offers multiple channels including VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), e-mail, SMS (short-message service) text, Web chat and social media engagement.
• Seek a company that tracks and is transparent with metrics related to call volume and quality assurance, from standard call-completion and refusal rates to more focused metrics like average speed of answering, average handle time and customer patience (more on this below).
• Get quotes from at least three companies and compare their terms and conditions.
• Evaluate company reputation. Read reviews and customer testimonials to see who other storage operators are using.

Available Services

You’ll benefit most from a call center that offers customizable solutions based on your business needs. Make sure the vendor you choose can accommodate your expected growth and is prepared to grow with you. Whether you’re looking to outsource your calls to a third party or leverage existing tools to run your own call center, there are a variety of service options available. See the accompanying table for a breakout.

Customer Patience: A Final Case

How many rings are you willing to wait when trying to call a business? Customer patience refers to the amount of time people will pause before abandoning their contact session (in the case of the phone, hanging up). My company did a study of more than 1.4 million self-storage calls received in 2018 and analyzed customers’ level of patience by queue. The following shows the average amount of time, or approximate number of rings, people waited.

• Sales/reservation: 19 seconds or three rings
• Service: 22 seconds or three rings
• Payment: 41 seconds or seven rings
• Spanish-speaking: 46 seconds or seven rings

Customers need service fast in this industry or they’ll call the competition. Remember, 60 percent rent from the first facility they reach. How many new rentals and opportunities for increased revenue have you missed because another task prevented your staff from answering the phone?

If you’re not responding to your prospective customer within seconds, you’re losing revenue, net operating income, valuation and customer loyalty. Consider outsourcing to a call center to ensure that every time the phone rings at your facility it’s answered promptly, professionally and consistently in the manner you expect.

Dan Scaman is vice president of strategic planning and analysis for OpenTech Alliance Inc., a Phoenix-based provider of self-storage kiosks, call-center services and other technology. He has 30 years of experience operating large call centers, including 20 for Fortune 500 companies as a senior-operations leader managing multiple U.S. call and distribution centers. For more information, call 800.481.7459; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.opentechalliance.com.

Extra Space Storage Inc., a publicly traded self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT) and third-party management firm, is responding to the urgent and growing medical needs created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by donating emergency supplies and offering free storage to hospitals and first responders, according to a press release. The company had previously created emergency kits for its employees in hurricane-prone areas, each of which includes an N95 respiratory mask designed to filter out airborne particles. Staff from hundreds of Extra Space facilities volunteered to donate more than 10,000 masks to hospitals in need.

“One of our guiding principles is to ‘do the right thing.’ This one is clear and simple. We’ll be donating masks and we’ll restock the hurricane kits when supplies aren’t in high demand,” said Gwyn McNeal, chief legal officer and head of people.

Additionally, the company is offering two months of free storage to first responders, hospitals and hospital staff at any of its 1,800 locations nationwide. “When a hospital in New York City reached out to one of our stores about the cost of renting a unit to potentially store less critical hospital equipment to make room for COVID-19 patients, it was clear we could help,” McNeal said. “We’re hoping by opening up two months of free storage to first responders, we’ll be helping them mobilize and taking one concern off their plate right now, so they can focus on what matters most—caring for COVID-19 patients.”

In addition, Extra Space facilities are operating without physical contact between customers and store managers. Business is being conducted through a “no contact” lease process, with all management offices being closed and rental agreements being processed online. This allows the storage portion of each facility to be used with minimal risk.

“We talk about our company values often, and it’s times like these where we put those values into practice,” McNeal said. “We hope these donations provide some relief to healthcare professionals in our communities during this time.”

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates 1,817 self-storage properties in 40 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. The company’s properties comprise approximately 1.3 million units and 140 million square feet of rentable space.