Seneca Partners, a U.K.-based investment-management firm, has backed Smart Storage Ltd. Managing Director Mike Wilson in a management buyout of the self-storage business from Bridges Ventures. Wilson will remain managing director of Smart Storage, which is based in Liverpool, England. Tim Murphy, a director at Seneca, will join the company’s board as a non-executive director, according to the source.

No financial terms were disclosed, but assets controlled by Smart Storage are believed to be worth £5 million, the source reported. Funding was also provided by National Westminster Bank, according to a Smart Storage press release. Founded in 2004, the company operates five storage facilities in Northwest England.

Wilson joined Smart Storage in 2007 and became managing director last year. “The self-storage sector is still significantly underdeveloped in the U.K. and offers a variety of opportunities within the commercial and domestic markets for a growing business like ours to increase scale and profitability,” he said. “We are delighted to be working with Seneca, who share our vision and expansion plans in order to maximize these opportunities, developing the business to the next level.”

“Smart Storage has an exciting future, and we are delighted to have secured this investment,” Murphy added. “It’s exactly the type of opportunity that Seneca works to identify on behalf of our investment funds. We are looking forward to working with Mike and his team in developing what is an ideal platform for growth in an expanding sector.”

Founded in 2010, Seneca provides services to individuals looking for investment opportunities in new businesses. Earlier this year, the firm also purchased Liverpool-based Miton Capital Partners Ltd. for £6.4 million and Manchester, England-based corporate-finance business Acceleris.

Smart Storage operates self-storage facilities in the English communities of Bromborough, Liverpool, Preston, Warrington and Widnes. The company employs 16 people.

Many self-storage operators have turned a corner in their marketing efforts. Yellow Pages advertising, direct mail and door hangers have been replaced with digital advertising, search engine optimization and social media campaigns. Those who have completed this transition are seeing great success. Now it’s time for them to take the next step and reengineer their rental process, too!

For most storage operations, the rental process begins and ends with the person behind the counter: the facility manager. However, consumer preferences have changed greatly over the last several years, and the rental procedure needs to evolve as well. Face-to-face interaction is great for consumers who prefer it, but many are just not interested in that level of intimacy. Some may not have the time for a facility tour and formal lease signing. Others simply prefer an electronic copy of their documents.

Self-storage operators who have reshaped their rental practice to accommodate these types of customers are positioning their business to gain more market share, catering to a faster moving and unconstrained consumer. Your rental process needn't be broken to require a redesign. An update will accomplish many things such as increasing net profit, reducing risk, lowering expenses, simplifying tasks, boosting employee productivity and improving customer convenience.

By using a bit of forward thinking and embracing some new technology, facility operators are finding ways to increase their market share and achieve their ideal performance level. Here's how you can do so, too.

Start With a Strategy

Your rental process is a critical part of your operation, so as you consider changes, make sure they align with your overall strategy. A process plan should make it easier for you to run your facility and consumers to do business with you. Buyer habits are shifting, and while many operators center their focus on customer service, very few give attention to customer convenience.

Customer service is based on the Golden Rule—"Treat others as you wish to be treated"—meaning you provide service based on what you would desire. Operating on this assumption is risky at best. In this scenario, all customers are forced to do business on your terms. They show up during office hours, greet you with a hearty handshake and tour the property. After agreeing on the best available unit size and rate, they sign the required paperwork, move in, and leave the property pleased about your high level of customer service.

Customer convenience, on the other hand, is based on the Platinum Rule: “Treat others as they wish to be treated.” This puts the focus on the consumer, gearing the process to be flexible and adaptive to his desires. It’s is all about offering ease and alternative processes so consumers can do business the way they want.

Many customers are in a hurry and would prefer a quick, efficient process to one that is “high-touch.” Today, millions of people choose to serve themselves online rather than travel to a brick-and-mortar store to make a purchase. Some like to talk or chat online with a customer-service representative before they make a decision. Some work during the day and want to shop after business hours.

Satisfying consumers today is not simple. It requires alternate approaches that meet different requirements. Ultimately, building your rental process around the Platinum Rule will allow you to win the battle for more renters.

Seek Technology Tools

Over the past decade, innovative technologies have been introduced to streamline the self-storage rental process. Your reengineering begins by implementing a sound infrastructure in the form of a modernized property-management system. The most efficient systems will interface with technology tools like onsite rental and payment stations, call centers, and website rental software. There are a number of tools that plug into your software to create new sales channels and improve process flow.

Kiosks are impacting self-storage much in the same way the ATM has modernized banking. Meeting with your neighborhood storage manager has taken on a whole new meaning at properties worldwide where a kiosk and two-way computer monitor are used to conduct business via video conferencing.

Call centers hosted by third-party vendors who specialize in the self-storage industry provide facility owners with a range of phone services. They can field all facility calls or just rollover and/or after-hours calls. They also assist with rentals, reservations, payments, inquiries, access and added customer convenience day and night.

Other phone-based self-service channels function as a filter for simple, recurring tasks that would otherwise end up with the manager at the counter. A pay-by-phone solution effectively routes callers through a custom-designed call flow based on facility needs and allows them to make a payment or balance inquiry using interactive prompts on the touch-tone keypad of any mobile device. This automated channel reduces collections by offering tenants a 24/7 option to make payments.

Website rental applications are another process-changer that gives operators the ability rent units from their facility website. Cloud-based software enables customers to rent a unit, purchase merchandise, get an access code and complete their rental paperwork, all online. Ultimately, the added technology allows them to complete the rental process from their mobile device or desktop computer.

Online chat technology is another tool that can be added to your website. It offers a unique way to engage customers you would not otherwise be able to reach. Most effective when using website rental software, an chat application gives your Web visitors round-the-clock access to a centralized team of storage specialists.

Getting Results

Your investment in change will need to provide almost immediate results to make a good trade. Any of the technology tools mentioned above represent an effective touch point that’s designed to compel potential customers to rent from your facility rather than a competitor's. They'll allow a you to generate incremental rental revenue, reduce costs, and improve customer convenience with additional rental and payment options.

Now that you've revamped your facility marketing, it’s time to improve your rental process. With a clear strategy of giving consumers what they want, you can leverage current technology to make your business more convenient, drive more profit, and allow your property to prevail over the competition.

Robert A. Chiti is president and CEO of Phoenix-based OpenTech Alliance Inc., a provider of INSOMNIAC self-storage kiosks as well as 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. For more information, e-mail [email protected]; visit www.opentechalliance.com.

A resident self-storage manager at A & A West Mini Storage in Springfield, Mo., was shot and killed by law-enforcement officers on Wednesday after she threatened them with a gun. Two Springfield police officers and two Greene County sheriff's deputies shot at Tracey Liniger, 50, after she brandished her weapon outside the office of the storage facility, according to police. It was not immediately known if she fired the gun at the officers.

Police initially withheld the woman’s identity, but another woman at the scene identified the body as her mother and told a reporter the deceased had lived and worked at the storage property. The daughter said Liniger had been battling cancer for four years and speculated her medical condition may have become too much for her mother to handle, according to the source.

The incident began around 2:45 p.m., when the woman allegedly fired shots at a man who fled the self-storage facility and took cover next door at KADI, a local radio station. The man told KADI employees that another man was trapped by the woman and attempted to wrestle the gun away from her. That man also fled to the radio station. Neither of the men were injured, the source reported.

Those inside the radio station reportedly heard shots fired about 3:15 p.m. Officers had controlled the scene by 3:45 p.m., according to the source.

“When officers arrived, they made contact with the female, who then entered the office area of the storage facility, refusing to come out,” according to a press release issued by Springfield police. “When she did exit, she brandished her weapon and pointed it at officers.”

Springfield police officers Jason Bohannon and Marc Stevens, and Greene County sheriff's deputies Justin Adamson and Sgt. Robert Pounds were the four officers who fired at Liniger. No officers were hurt during the incident.

Police Chief Paul Williams said the police and sheriff’s departments would conduct joint investigations, including one by Internal Affairs to examine if proper procedures were followed. The four officers who fired at the woman will be placed on paid administrative leave during the internal investigation, according to the release.

Remote Garage, a startup business specializing in valet self-storage services, recently launched in San Antonio. The company received a $25,000 investment last December from the Geekdom Fund, after initially being turned down.

The Geekdom Fund was designed to financially support members of Geekdom, a co-working concept designed to bring entrepreneurs, technologists and developers together in a collaborative, supportive environment. Geekdom has co-working space in San Antonio and San Francisco.

The funding group ultimately decided to support Remote Garage after co-founder Jaakko Piipponen impressed the group with his knowledge of the storage market and a beta version of the valet-style service, according to Cole Wollak, manager of the Geekdom Fund.

Similar to other recent startups like Boxbee Simple Urban Storage, MakeSpace Labs Inc. and Storrage Inc., Remote Garage offers customers pickup, delivery and bin-storage services through an online platform.

“They pay by the box,” Piipponen said. “We pick up, store their stuff securely and let them monitor it online, and they can get their things back whenever they want.” The company charges $7 per bin per month, with the average customer storing five boxes, according to the source.

The service is targeted at residents who do not have enough space to store their belongings but not enough items to fill a self-storage unit. Piipponen is working directly with apartment-leasing agents to reach his target customer and has formal agreements with 50 apartment complexes in San Antonio, the source reported.

“Its appeal lies in the fact that it does not require you to make a big commitment in terms of rental length or amount of space you rent,” said customer Mei Butler, a senior at Trinity University.

A proposal for a self-storage development in Texas Township, Mich., was unanimously rejected on May 12 by the town board following a recommendation by the planning commission. The Texas Township Board of Trustees denied requests from James and Rebecca Steele to change the master land-use plan and extend a conditional rezoning.

The Steeles own the property at 7589 S. 8th St., which is zoned for single-family residential and listed as such on the city’s master land-use plan. Currently, self-storage is only permitted in industrial-zoned districts. The property features an empty 1940s commercial building and has no electricity, sewer or water. It’s near a Boy Scout camp, a church and one residential property.

The Texas Township Planning Commission unanimously recommended the board deny the Steeles’ requests at its April 22 meeting, which included a public hearing. Eleven people voiced concerns about an increase in traffic, crime and noise, as well as falling property values should the storage development be approved.

During the meeting, the land owners touted the benefits of adding a second storage facility to the area, including a convenient service for local businesses and multi-family residents. James Steele also noted the town’s only other facility is at full capacity. He estimated the storage business would generate an annual increase of $42,000 in taxes for the town.

The Steeles offered two conditions for the rezoning, including adding no more than 80 percent lot coverage for buildings and asphalt drives and adhering to a planning commission-approved site plan.

Russ Wicklund, the township’s planner, told the source rezoning requests are considered for their consistency with the town’s master plan, surrounding land uses and timeliness.

The popularity of the reality TV show “Storage Wars” led two entrepreneurs in Bethel, Conn., to open a thrift shop, which recently expanded to a bigger space. Eugene Glouzgal and Brian Donahue opened Suite Connectors a year ago after becoming storage-auction hunters.

Donahue, who’s also a real estate agent, told the source he became “addicted” to “Storage Wars” as well as “Pawn Stars,” a reality show on the History channel. The shop’s selection of products come directly from the storage units purchased by the business owners. Most recently, Donahue won a unit containing Coca-Cola memorabilia. Other recent finds include antique toy trucks and photography equipment.

Business at the thrift shop boomed, and the store quickly outgrew its space. Suite Connectors recently moved to a bigger area in the same building on Stony Hill Road. The new storefront also included a merge with Danbury Action Sports Headquarters, a paintball supplier, which Glouzgal operates with his brother. The merge allows the two companies to share in the rental costs, something more business owners are doing these days, Bobbi Jo Beers, executive director of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce, told the source.

Launched in 2010 on the cable TV channel A&E, “Storage Wars” follows a cast of regulars as they bid on goods from tenants in default on their self-storage lease. The show follows the auction process and the “reveal” as auction winners are given access to their buys and estimates on their value.

Financial-services firm Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF), a commercial real estate advisory firm, will host a Self Storage Symposium, May 13-15, in Houston. The conference will highlight developments and emerging trends in the self-storage industry, and attendees will have the opportunity to meet industry leaders, institutional investors and venture capitalists through individual presentations and panel discussions, organizers said in a press release.

"The conference comes at a crucial time for market participants, as investors continue to be drawn to this growing field,” said David Toti, senior managing director and real estate investment trust analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald. “It will provide investors, analysts and owner/operators an open forum to share information and discuss the influences that are driving the industry today."

The event is designed to merge industry insight from public companies and privately held businesses, according to Aaron Swerdlin, executive managing director and head of the NGKF Capital Markets Self Storage Group, a division of NGKF. “The self-storage sector continues to draw a diverse and growing field of capital, and this event will put very granular data into context from an extremely well-performing asset class," Swerdlin said.

Participating companies include C-III Capital Partners LLC, Cantor Commercial Real Estate, CubeSmart, Extra Space Storage Inc., GE Capital Real Estate, Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC, Heitman LLC, Public Storage Inc., Simply Self Storage, Sovran Self Storage Inc. and W. P. Carey Inc.

Cantor Fitzgerald is a global financial-services group and capital-markets investment bank serving more than 7,000 institutional clients around the world. The company is one of 22 primary dealers authorized to trade U.S. government securities with The Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It has 1,600 employees in more than 30 locations worldwide.

NGKF offers investment sales, transaction management, debt placement, proprietary lending, and appraisal and valuation advisory services. Together with its affiliates and London-based partner Knight Frank, NGKF employs more than 12,000 professionals, operating from more than 320 offices on five continents. The company’s NGKF Capital Markets division launched its national Self Storage Group last year.

StorMan Software, an Australia-based provider of facility-management software for the self-storage industry, was acquired this week by Ezidebit, an Australian company that offers payment-processing solutions. Matt McGown will serve as the new CEO of StorMan, which will be based in Queensland, Australia.

According to an open letter on StorMan’s website from CEO Aaron Alsweiler, the company was approached by representatives of Ezidebit last year with an acquisition offer. Alsweiler said it was unexpected as StorMan was not for sale, but company executives believed Ezidebit would be able to expand the product. StorMan’s staff will continue under the new ownership and will work with customers during the transition.

In the letter, Alsweiler also thanked customers and employees, and said its software users can expect new products and features from StorMan soon.

Founder Stephen Davies also addressed the company’s staff and customers in an open letter on the website and thanked them for their dedication.

StorMan was formed in New Zealand in 1992, providing sales, support, training and consulting for self-storage software products. The company has sales offices in Europe, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Founded in 1988, Ezidebit offers payment processing through direct debit, BPAY (an Australian electric bill-payment system) and ecommerce-payment solutions.

U-Haul Co. of Boston has purchased the Stor/Gard Self Storage facility at 34 Broadway in Malden, Mass., and will rebrand it as U-Haul Moving and Storage of Everett Route 99. The four-story masonry building is comprised of 58,240 square feet in 323 interior and 22 exterior units, with 24-hour, drive-up access.

The facility will offer climate-controlled space as well as vehicle, boat and RV storage, U-Haul officials said in a press release. The company will also offer U-Box pods and warehousing in the future. Minor work on the building is being completed while the facility is open for business, company officials said.

"We are excited to bring the U-Haul name to this community,” said Matthew Pepin, marketing company president of U-Haul Co. of Boston. “We know our customers will appreciate the fact that they can now store at U-Haul as well as get our quality retail products and rent trucks and trailers."

Stor/Gard continues to operate self-storage facilities in Northboro and Walpole, Mass.

Established in 1945, U-Haul International Inc. has more than 40 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,000 owned and managed facilities throughout North America.