If you’re a self-storage operator who deals with customers, you may encounter situations in which a customer is unhappy and you’re in the spotlight to fix his problem. Knowing how to handle these difficult interactions takes a bit of skill, a dash of experience, a whole lot of understanding and the ability to see things from the customer’s point of view. Here are seven “deadly” circumstances you may face and advice on how to handle each.

1. You Made a Mistake or Must Deliver Bad News

You receive a call from a customer who was supposed to move into his unit on Sunday, but the vacancy lock was never removed, and he couldn’t do so. Yikes! This is clearly a manager mistake, one that might even result in disciplinary action. To reduce the negative impact on the tenant and business, the at-fault party needs to react—quickly.

The first step is to put your ego aside and evaluate the situation objectively. How would you feel if this happened to you? Apologize and let the customer know you feel terrible about the error. Being truthful and letting him know you also would be upset shows empathy and understanding.

Next, let him know you’re doing whatever is necessary to remedy the mistake, or that you’re willing to facilitate contact with the appropriate parties. Tell him when to expect a resolution. Then, whatever you do, make sure the problem gets solved!

In the example above, the answer is to remove the vacancy lock immediately and do what’s necessary to make the customer “whole.” Did he spend money on a mover or rental truck? You need to reimburse his lost expense or arrange to move him into the unit free of charge. Making the customer whole is key to gaining forgiveness when mistakes are made.

The same process applies if you must give a customer bad news. “I find that when you have to relay tough information, it’s just best to be honest and straightforward. I’ve had to do this with a flood and fire, and it is never easy,” says Tammy Hamrick, manager Vigilant Self Storage in Richmond, Va.

2. You Don’t Have an Answer

Have you ever faced a situation in which you didn’t have an immediate answer to a customer inquiry or issue? Maybe you were new and still learning. In any case, simply telling a customer you “don’t know” isn’t acceptable. A better course of action is to tell him you’re going to research the question and get back to him. No one can be expected to know everything, so this is reasonable.

However, it’s vital to follow through in a timely manner. If a bit of time goes by and you still don’t have an answer, follow up with the customer to let him know you haven’t forgotten him and are still working on a solution. Set yourself a reminder and reach out to the customer either way. A quick e-mail works great for this purpose and creates a paper trail of communication.

3. The Customer Demands a Full Refund

Sometimes there’s just no winning and the only way to resolve a situation is to give in. When you’ve tried everything and the customer insists on having his money back, the best thing you can do is give it to him.

Apologize and let the customer know you’re initiating a refund request. Tell him when to expect the refund and by which means (check, a credit to his bank account or credit card, or even cash). Your business needs an internal procedure for processing refunds efficiently. You don’t want to lose any goodwill you’ve gained in providing the refund due to sloppy and slow execution.

From a business standpoint, refunds aren’t ideal and can be distressing; but as a representative of a reputable company, you should be prepared to keep your word. Chances are, you’ll rarely need to make a refund of any type.

4. You Can’t Fulfill the Customer’s Request

One of a self-storage manager’s greatest fears is facing a customer who’s demanding the impossible. Most self-storage operators genuinely believe in good customer service and will do whatever it takes to make customers happy—within reason. In most cases, going above and beyond to give them what they want or need is the right thing to do. But occasionally, it just isn’t possible.

For example, let’s say a customer asks for an extension to pay his rent, but the auction process is already underway and there’s a hard, immovable deadline to pay the balance and redeem the account. Your hands are tied here because each state has specific lien laws that dictate what can and can’t be done. In this case, you have to tell the customer “no.”

Norma Taylor, one of my company’s co-founders, once told me, “’No’ is both a complete sentence and a perfectly acceptable answer.” With my kids, it’s easy to say; but with a customer, it takes a little finesse. First, tell him the facts, as best as you can, regarding why his request can’t be fulfilled. Then offer some compromises. Once you’ve explained the logic behind the situation, most people will understand and accept an alternative over nothing.

5. The Impatient Customer

It seems like hours pass in mere minutes in today’s fast-paced, on-demand world. It’s easy to get caught up in the “I want it now” mentality because almost everything is available in a snap. So, what do you do when something is taking the “normal” amount of time, but it still isn’t fast enough for your customer? Or, worse, what if the customer truly is being made to wait longer than usual?

The first thing to do is apologize, and then calmly and politely explain the reason for the delay. Clarify what’s happening and why, so the customer has realistic expectations. Even if the holdup is all in his perception, it’s best to talk it through. Hopefully, he’ll understand and be lenient in his assessment of your business. Perhaps he’ll even see that his impatience is a little unjustified.

If a desired outcome is going to take longer than the customer is able or willing to wait, take his contact information so you can alert him as soon as you have more information. Communication is important so he isn’t left waiting.

6. The ‘My Way or Nothing’ Customer

There are some folks who just want it the way they want it and will take nothing less. The old phrase “my way or the highway” comes to mind. When the customer believes he knows exactly what he wants, he may refuse to hear alternatives. This is especially frustrating when you know there are other options that may work better.

When someone is set in his ways, getting him to budge is difficult, but achievable. The first step is to hear him out. Let him know you’re respectful of his wishes. Politely tell him you can honor his request, or you can share alternatives he might find more enticing. Ask if you can explain these options. If he refuses, then do what you can to provide what he wants.

Allow him to decide how to proceed. It’s important to provide as much information as you can, but, ultimately, it’s the customer’s choice. If he chooses one of your alternatives, hooray! But if he sticks by his original demands—especially if they’re unreasonable or unachievable—the next scenario may apply.

7. The Angry Customer

I’ve faced an irate customer in my office, making wild demands, accusing me and the company of terrible things, and generally making me afraid of what he’ll do or say next. It can be a scary situation, one nobody wants to encounter! When a customer is really angry, it can be exceptionally difficult because emotions are running high and causing logic to slip. Sometimes the customer is so upset you can’t immediately respond.

The key here is to listen. It may sound silly, but when a customer is in the middle of an emotionally fueled ride, sometimes the only way to get back to logic is to allow things to run their course. Let the customer vent and listen to what he says. If you try to interject at this point, anything you say may add fuel to the fire. This is especially true if he’s complaining about an ongoing problem. Just let him talk and try not to take it personally. That last bit is hard, but if the customer is upset, it’s your job to be the logical one. Channel your inner Spock and try to hold back your emotional reactions.

Once the customer has explained his grievances, make sure you understand the situation by repeating them back to him. Say something like, “I want to make sure I understand you fully so I can best help. What I’m hearing is…” Sometimes, this simple act of repeating his words can be the thing he needs to see his argument or complaint is illogical. Then, he may come back down to a more rational level.

If his complaint has merit, this is when your clean-up begins! As always, apologize that the situation has occurred, regardless of who may be right. As the company representative, you must accept some responsibility. Let the customer know you understand he’s aggravated or frustrated. Speak slowly and calmly.

“It is easier to bring a customer back down if you are calm, and by just stating the obvious: that he is yelling at you and you are not raising your voice to him. Make sure you understand [his] complaint, but you don’t necessarily have to agree with [his] complaint,” says Quay Reeves, manager of Chateau Storage in Braselton, Ga.

Always remember, it’s not about you; it’s about the customer and whatever is going on in his life that brought him to use self-storage. Try not to fight fire with fire. Instead, focus on being the calm waters of reason and expertise. Getting angry is never the answer, as it’ll shut down any chance of coming to a mutually satisfactory conclusion. Even if you have to walk away and try again, it’s always worth the extra effort to defuse rather than allow destruction.

These are just some examples of difficult service situations you may encounter. There are many ways to handle each, and you may have some unique experience and techniques you use. However, there’s one sound piece of advice you can apply to every customer interaction: Listen, be honest and do what you can to make it right. No matter what you encounter when operating your storage business, one thing is for certain … It’s never boring!

Stacie Maxwell is vice president of marketing and training for Universal Storage Group, a provider of self-storage management, education and development services. With more than 18 years of experience in the storage industry, she oversees the branding, design and marketing programs for the company and its portfolio, as well as the company’s award-winning multi-phase training programs. For more information, call 770.801.1888; visit www.universalstoragegroup.com.

StorageAuctions.com, a provider of online self-storage auction services, has integrated with Storage Commander self-storage management software. As a result, Storage Commander Cloud customers will have a “direct path” to uploading delinquent units for auction and automating the lien-sale process on the StorageAuctions.com platform, according to a press release.

“We see this integration as a key to our company’s continued growth and development,” said Lonnie Bickford CEO of StorageAuctions.com. “Improving and perfecting the customer experience is at the forefront of [our] core values, and integrating with Storage Commander allows us to accomplish just that. We look forward to further expanding the scope of this integration.”

“The ability to manage and streamline the auction process for self-storage is important to any operator who intends to save time and money,” added Thomas Smith, CEO of Storage Commander Software LLC. “We couldn’t be happier to offer the experience and tools that StorageAuctions.com brings to our users.”

Launched in 2016, StorageAuctions.com is online platform for self-storage auction buyers and sellers. The site allows registered users to browse and bid on one or more live auctions from a desktop computer or mobile device.

Based in Murrieta, Calif., Storage Commander was launched in 1998. The company’s cloud-based, standalone software allows for online reservations and payments. It also includes built-in debit, credit and electronic-check processing as well as customized billing, a reports suite and more. The firm was acquired by Fullsteam, a holding company specializing in software and payments businesses, in February.

Deer Creek Mini Storage in Cabot, Ark., installed 80 solar panels on its rooftops this month, becoming the first self-storage facility in Central Arkansas with a solar-energy system. The operator partnered with energy-solutions provider Seal Solar to install the panels, which will produce nearly 40,000 kilowatts of power annually for the property at 12 Douglas Road. The system is expected to save the business $140,000 in energy costs over 30 years, according to a source.

To help cover project costs, Deer Creek secured several funding incentives, including a $16,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program, according to facility owner Alese Stroud. “Deer Creek Mini Storage has expansive rooftops, abundant sun exposure and eco-conscious consumers," she told a source. "Environmentally and financially, solar was the right choice [for the company].”

Stroud also opted to use LED lighting and energy-efficient insulation. After renovations, the solar panels are expected to power 90 percent of the facility’s energy needs.

Deer Creek also took advantage of government tax incentives, some of which will change at year-end. They included the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), a federal program that allows commercial and residential investors to deduct 30 percent of the solar-installation cost from federal taxes. The ITC incentive will drop to 26 percent in 2020 and 22 percent in 2021. In 2022, it’ll fall to 10 percent for commercial installations and will no longer be available for residential projects, a source reported.

“Thanks to state and federal incentives, including the 30 percent [ITC], solar is more affordable than ever,” Heather Nelson, co-founder and chief operating officer of Seal Solar, told a source.

The incentive programs have helped propel solar projects in the state. In 2017, Arkansas ranked 46th in the nation for solar installations, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Its ranking jumped to No. 18 last year.

Seal Solar specializes in solar-power projects for businesses, farmers and government entities. With offices in North Little Rock, Ark., and Ridgeland, Miss., it’s completed more than 250 projects since 2015, according to its website.

Deer Creek offers traditional self-storage as well as secure parking for RVs, boats, cars and jet skis. Facility features include 24-hour access, video surveillance, temperature-controlled and drive-up units, online billpay, 24-hour phone access, and mobile account access.

Sources:
Arkansas Business, Solar Companies Push Customers to Act Before Tax Incentive Declines
Arkansas Money & Politics, Seal Solar Installs Panels for First Solar-Powered Storage Facility in State
Deer Creek Mini Storage, Website

Get ready … We’re at the top of the self-storage real estate cycle. As competition increases, we’re starting to see markets soften, rents decline and advertising costs rise. Despite relatively steady demand, the surge in supply has left some facility operators struggling to turn a profit and surpass their competitors. To stay ahead, you’ll need more efficient ways to acquire customers.

Now’s the time to adopt new marketing technologies! You must turn your attention to building your brand, connecting with prospective renters and bringing them to your business. Luckily, you have immediate, front-row access to new customers through the Internet. Innovative technology is here, and blending it into your marketing can help you maximize SERP (search engine results pages) and SEO (search engine optimization), understand and directly target consumers, drive digital leads, integrate data-tracking artificial intelligence (AI) and advertise dynamically.

These strategies will ultimately reach and convert more self-storage prospects, helping you outpace competitors and build a positive presence. Even better, it can be done at a lower cost than what you’re paying to do now. Following are ways new marketing technology can help improve your brand positioning and increase marketshare.

Meet Customers on Their Terms

The buyer’s journey has changed. With endless amounts of information available at the click of a button, consumers now only pay attention to relevant, hyper-personalized and accredited information. Seventy-three percent of clicks originate on mobile devices, giving brands just nanoseconds to make an impression. This makes dynamic advertising vital to audience reach. Dynamic ads update and maintain campaigns in real time, customizing content for each user so he sees the most relevant ads first.

The self-storage audience is diverse. In the coming years, three demographics are expected to comprise a large portion of the industry customer base: Baby Boomers, Millennials and Generation Z. Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age and looking to downsize, while Gen Z is just graduating college and moving into trendy, urban living environments. With multiple generations seeking storage units, a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy just doesn’t work.

Digital advertising solves this problem by tracking individual data and automatically pinpointing with specificity the channels and media that result in the most efficient marketing spend. This helps you target the most qualified leads and avoid investing in advertising that misses half the audience.

Build Your Brand, Protect Your Reputation

Occupancy tunnel vision often makes self-storage operators forget that marketing is also about creating demand and building a brand. A hyper-personalized digital experience is what customers want and expect. It serves their need for relevance and immediacy and adds lifetime value to a brand’s online presence.

With mere micro-moments to appeal to a user’s interest, local, targeted advertising again comes into play. SERP entries with local ties can have an impact. Company reviews can show up directly on your Google My Business listing, with prospects placing increased reliance and trust on others’ experiences and opinions. Ninety-one percent of marketers agree that Google reviews have a major impact on local rank, with the power to destroy a brand’s reputation. Monitoring and engaging in the conversation surrounding your company can help identify problem areas and prevent damage to your public standing.

Adjust Dynamically

By leveraging smart technologies, marketing campaigns can be efficiently managed based on inventory, market and location in real time. According to 2018 Google research, more than 60 percent of consumers expect brands to provide them with the information they need when they need it. This starts with ensuring customers are always given the most up-to-date information. Outdated business listings result in a loss of trust, and old pricing quotes, if listed online, will mislead and ultimately frustrate prospects, resulting in lost business.

As the customer journey becomes more complex, AI and machine learning are expected to play a larger role in digital marketing. The use of such technologies provides the ability to efficiently connect and unify data from disparate sources, automate data models to scale and mature, and shrink optimization cycles. 

However, even the most applicable, hyper-personalized information can be dismissed with slow page speed. A Web page that takes five or more seconds to load is 90 percent more likely to be abandoned compared to one that loads in a single second. Companies must create mobile-first websites that load quickly and scale across devices. Regardless of generation, location or price, consumers expect instant information, and marketers are constantly under pressure to speed up website load time to reduce the risk of consumers bouncing to competitor sites.

Instead of mass producing and abandoning your digital advertising efforts, focus on meeting each customer in the mere micro-moments prior to click-through. To stay competitive in a market of unbalanced supply and demand, you need to be present at every touchpoint along the customer journey. Human efforts and interactions are no longer competing against advanced technologies for results. Instead, effective self-storage operators will focus on how to leverage next-generation tools to outpace competitors. 

Dan Hobin is CEO of G5, a provider of digital marketing solutions to the self-storage industry. It’s a predictive marketing software-as-a-service company that uses artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to help marketers amplify their impact. Through its Intelligent Marketing Cloud, G5 delivers performance and scalability through predictive analytics, hyper-personalized customer experiences and continuous spend optimization. Dan oversees the company’s strategic direction, execution and planning. For more information, call 800.554.1965; visit www.getg5.com.

The Arizona Self-Storage Association (AZSA), a trade organization that represents the interests of self-storage professionals in the state, has named its 2019 leadership team. In addition to naming officers and directors, the association elected three new board members and re-elected seven others.

The officers for 2019 are:

• President: Dave King, Wentworth Property Co.
• Vice president: Diane Gibson, Cox Armored Mini Storage Management Inc.
• Secretary: Jeff Gorden, Eagle Commercial Realty Services
• Treasurer: Martin Lorch, BPI Capital Management Inc.
• Conference chair: Poppy Behrens, Mini-Storage Messenger
• Education chair: Carol-Mixon Krendl, Skilcheck Services Inc.
• Legal and legislative chair: Richard Marmor
• Immediate past-president: Travis Morrow, Storelocal

Directors include Bill Alter, Rein & Grossoehme Commercial Real Estate; James Appleton, MiniCo Insurance Agency LLC; David Brown, Wentworth Property Co.; Matthew Hall, Stadium Properties LLC/Dollar Self Storage; Korey Hanson, Argus Professional Storage Management; Whitney Jurjevich, Ameripark RV & Boat Storage; Andrew Kelly, Sierra Self Storage Consulting; Ray McRae, Arizona Mini Storage Management Co./Storage Solutions; Belinda Rosthenhausler, Clear Title Agency of Arizona; Chris Rudel, The Rudel Co.; and Tarik Williams, TLW Construction.

The newly stated board members are Brown, Hall and Rosthenhausler. Re-elected to the board are Alter, Gibson, Gorden, King, Lorch, McRae and Rudel.

The AZSA comprises more than 600 member facilities owned by approximately 300 owner/operators and more than 100 associate members that are self-storage vendors. The association holds 25 events per year, including live and virtual education and networking opportunities. Its annual conference will be held at Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler, Ariz., Sept. 25-26. The AZSA Golf Tournament, Sept. 24, will be at the Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass.

“AZSA events are a great way to get involved and engage with our membership,” said executive director Anne Mari DeCoster. “Our events include five Phoenix networking breakfasts and five Tucson Tuesday happy hours or breakfasts.”

Founded in 1996, the AZSA was created to strengthen the self-storage industry in Arizona, promote professional standards and quality, and present a unified voice on issues affecting the industry in the state and in its communities. Services include legislative watch, legal resources, communications, facility and vendor search, an annual tradeshow and other educational events and networking.

Source:
Paradise Valley Independent, Arizona Self-Storage Association Announces Board Members

Westport Properties Inc. (WPI), which operates more than 120 self-storage facilities under the US Storage Centers brand, is supporting the Major League Baseball Compton Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., with a monetary donation. The company is also providing free space at one of its facilities for the storage of baseball equipment, according to a press release.

WPI and its general contractor, Damato Associates Inc., each donated $1,000 to the academy to replace recently stolen equipment and help fund costs for the 2019 season. Diamond Sports, a supplier of sporting goods, donated 120 baseballs to the organization.

“Community involvement is a core value of our company,” said David Kelly, director of development for WPI. “It is our practice to look for difference-makers in the communities in which we develop to offer a helping hand. Coach G and his organization came to our attention early on as one such organization. We are grateful for the help of our general contractor and Diamond Sports for their donations.”

Founded in 2006 and operated by coach Gerald Pickens, the academy is a nonprofit that offers low-cost and free baseball and softball training for kids during the months outside of Little League season. It aims to cultivate diversity in the game, provide a safe activity for urban youth, and prepare players for college and professional leagues, according to its website. Registration is free, but a $25 donation per child is suggested.

Founded in 1985 and based in Irvine, Calif., WPI is a real estate investment company that acquires, develops and operates self-storage facilities and provides third-party management services. Its portfolio comprises more than 9 million rentable square feet in 15 states.

The Self Storage Association of the United Kingdom (SSA-UK) has issued a warning to facility operators about a phone scam designed to get businesses to call 0913 premium-rate numbers. “This scam works by having fake potential customers contact you through your website or by leaving phone messages after hours. The number they leave as a return contact starts with 0913. When you ring this number, you are then put on hold while they claim to find the person for you, and then leave you on hold. The call is then charged to you,” officials said in an e-mail message to members.

Call charges can range between 10 pence and £1.53 per minute or call from a landline serviced by BT Group PLC, the United Kingdom’s largest telecommunications provider. Other providers sometimes charge up to £2.60, the e-mail stated.

“It would be very unlikely that a genuine customer inquiry would use a 0913 phone number,” SSA-UK officials said.

Premium-rate numbers were allocated in the U.K. beginning in 2001, according to Wikipedia. They include phone numbers that begin with 0911, 0912 and 0913.

The SSA-UK is the trade association for the self-storage industry in the United Kingdom. Its mission is to support member operators and vendors, promote best business practices, and raise public awareness.

Lock Stock Self Storage, which operates 16 container-based self-storage facilities across Mid and North Wales, is sponsoring the East Parade Bowls Club in the Welsh resort town of Rhyl. The funds will help the team train qualified coaches and maintain its three greens on the seafront, which are owned by the Denbighshire County Council. In exchange, Lock Stock will receive advertising at the bowl sites, according to the source.

“We’ve got great people here and we’re all working hard to improve the club; but it is also important for clubs like ours to attract other funding, and we’re very grateful to Lock Stock for their support,” said Don Cornes, chairman for East Parade. “It is a challenge to keep the greens in good condition so close to the sea because the wind whips the sand up across the greens, but we work hard and we’re always looking for new members.”

“I was so impressed with what they have been doing and the fantastic facilities they have and, hopefully, our support will help them introduce local youngsters to the game and ensure that the club goes from strength to strength,” said Craig Morris, manager of the Lock Stock Rhyl location.

Lock Stock also supports Johnstown Bowling Club in Wrexham, Wales, and other local organizations and causes across the country, the source reported.

Founded more than 100 years ago, East Parade was the first bowls club formed in the town, its members claim. Today, there are three leagues comprising seven teams and more than 70 members.

Founded in 1999 by brothers Nick and Shon Powell, Lock Stock offers 2,900 self-storage containers across its properties. The family-operated business offers 24-hour access and the sites have video surveillance. It also provides moving services through its “Take Stock” van fleet.

Source:
Rhyl Journal, Green Deal as Rhyl Bowlers Land Sponsorship With Top Storage Company

“My mother died.” “I just lost my job.” “I have health issues.” When it comes to monthly self-storage rent, these are just a few of the excuses customers give in their ploy to pay late or get out of a late fee. While facility operators can be compassionate about their tenant’s plight, the fact is they’re running a business, and collecting rent keeps the doors open. Still, resisting the human urge to give in to these sob stories can be tough for anyone.

In a recent thread on Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community, members are sharing their customer tales of woe and how they react in these emotionally charged situations. How can you show empathy while sticking to your operational policies? In what instances should you bend a little? Read what others advise and add your own opinion.