By David Wilhite

In any given year, during the months of June through November, an average of three hurricanes will strike the United States. In 1995, hurricanes accounted for more than 100 deaths and caused billions of dollars in damage. National Weather Service experts agree that science will never provide a full solution to hurricane safety. The question is: How can self-storage facility owners operating on vulnerable coastlines protect themselves and their business operations from harm?

Since coastal areas are vulnerable to storms, facility owners in those areas should enter each hurricane season prepared. Aside from such basic safety issues as having an evacuation plan in place and stockpiling emergency supplies, you should be absolutely certain you have appropriate insurance coverage in place to protect your business in case of disaster. Don't gamble on luck to protect you--the price you pay will be much higher in the long run.

Your first step is to secure adequate insurance coverage. In addition to protecting your business from hurricane- and wind-induced damage, a complete insurance package should also include loss-of-business income coverage and extra-expense coverage to protect your finances in the event of a loss. (Smart shoppers, take note: Your best bet is to purchase property coverage on a special-form basis, which also protects against hail, smoke, explosion and other perils unless the policy specifically excludes them.)

Once your coverage is in place, there are a several other steps you can take to prepare against disaster. If you own a camcorder, you can videotape the interior and exterior of your facility, describing each item as you record it (be sure to store the tape in a secure location away from your premises). Alternately, you can prepare a list of your valuables with photos. Either method can save a great deal of time and trouble when making a claim.

Once a hurricane watch has been issued, precautions should be taken immediately to protect your facility. Board up windows or secure them with storm shutters, and brace all exterior doors shut. Secure any loose objects surrounding the area, such as trash cans, signs, etc., so they don't become flying missiles. Unplug electrical items and shut off gas lines--hurricanes moving inland can cause severe flooding, which brings attendant risks of fire and electrocution. Above all, play it safe. Monitor the progress of the storm through National Weather Service advisories and be prepared to evacuate the area immediately. Hurricane warnings may be issued only hours before a storm strikes, so plan your time accordingly. Avoid any last-minute rush that may leave you stranded if disaster threatens, and stay calm.

After the storm passes, call your insurance company as soon as possible to report a claim. Avoid the temptation to sightsee affected areas--you may be mistaken for a looter. Carry valid identification, along with proof of residency and your business license. Drive carefully through debris-strewn areas, and watch for fallen power lines, especially in areas with standing water. Enter your business with caution. Don't use matches in case of gas leaks, and don't use electricity until your business has been checked by proper authorities. If the area in which your facility is located in is heavily affected, it could take two to four weeks or longer before local roads are cleared and the area opened to the public.

A catastrophic loss can deliver a knockout punch that can devastate your financial future. Don't put yourself at risk.

In addition to loss-of-income and extra-expense coverages, Universal Insurance Facilities Ltd. offers a complete package of coverages specifically designed to meet the needs of the self-storage industry. For more information, or to get a quick, no-obligation quote, write P.O. Box 40079, Phoenix, AZ 85067-0079; call 800.844.2101; fax 480.970.6240; e-mail [email protected]; www.vpico.com/universal.

Hurricane Facts There are two areas in the continental United States in which hurricanes occur: the Atlantic basin, which stretches along the Atlantic coastline from the Texas gulf to the upper tip of Maine; and the northeast Pacific basin. The official hurricane season in the Atlantic basin dates from June 1 to the end of November, with peak activity in September; although hurricane activity has been known to occur slightly out of season, typically during May and December. In the Pacific basin, hurricane season is a year-round event, with peak activity in February and March. Hurricane-storm intensity is ranked on a scale ranging from minimal (little or no damage to area structures; minimal damage to signs, trees and shrubbery; and minimal flooding) to catastrophic (buildings extensively damaged or destroyed; trees uprooted; full evacuation of the affected area). Hurricanes have historically been given proper names since storms typically last a week or longer and more than one storm can occur at the same time. According to historians, the practice of giving proper names to hurricanes originated in the early 1900s by a weather forecaster who named the storms after politicians he disliked.

By Harley Rolfe

Do you get calls asking about rates for specific unit sizes? That's a heads-up. It means you weren't the caller's first query (who told him what size to request?). It also means he views you as a commodity he can shop. Neither of these conclusions bodes well because what it ultimately means is you are nearly helpless against the onslaught of price competition. Essentially, your rivals are setting your prices. Some of you may think this doesn't matter if you are meeting your goals regarding pricing and occupancy. But if you suspect the day is coming when you can't meet those income goals, you may get more curious about what we marketers do. Unfortunately, many don't like it when they discover what's involved in first-rate marketing.

I hear from owners who think putting up a nice facility in a good location and keeping it clean and staffed with nice folks is enough. They think all the talk about commodity this and marketing that are factors they should be able to ignore. When asked about competition, they say it's a "phase," with the sentiment "this too shall pass." Still, when they feel the bite of price competition, they may come to believe they should give marketing a whirl. That attitude can lead to an ambush. Thinking marketing is a temporary need prompts them to dabble at it. But installing a diluted program may not work and convinces the owner marketing isn't worthwhile. He becomes resigned to using price responses to meet the competition, figuring he has done all he can. That's sad.

Hold On, I Know My Market!

If you've concluding something serious must be done to improve control of your income, the first move is to master the composition of your local market. That means gaining an intimate knowledge of who uses storage and how they benefit. You may be thinking, "Wait a minute, I already know my market. I've been in this business for 10 years!" Perhaps, but I hold that most commodity self-storage operators tend to let the prospect figure out on his own how storage can help him. The prospect walks in, they sign him up. They don't know--or believe they need to know--how each tenant benefits and what problems they are solving. So the owners' role is relatively passive. But that role must change when adjusting your position for more aggressive marketing.

Break It Down

The greatest tool you have to become active in the prospect's decision-making process is to determine what gives rise to his need for storage. The hallmark of any marketing program is the subdivision of the tenant population into meaningful segments. "Knowing your market" means knowing what the segments are, how they solve their problems with storage and how to reach and influence each. You need to break down the sources of your income for the same reason you itemize your expenses: control. That's how you manage anything. Income and expense control starts with knowledge that alerts you to key problems or opportunities.

Here is an example. We know the primary market segments are split between personal and commercial applications. Of the two, we know commercial applications have longer tenancies than personal. The occasions for personal use are often transitory. They are triggered by some change in the prospect's life: he bought a house, got a job in a different city, is going home from school for summer, is moving parents to a nursing home, is getting a divorce, etc. These events are finite. The occasion that spurred them comes and goes. For you, this means considerable turnover or short tenancy periods. However, the need among commercial users is ongoing because it is often an integral part of the operations of a business. The need doesn't stop unless the business goes under or undergoes some other major change. So, we know commercial renters generally stay longer. What we may not know is why.

One reason these segments are different is transportation. In both cases, the prospect must solve the transportation issue, but in one case it may present a problem. Not all residential users have pickup trucks or other large vehicles to transport their goods. So in the case of personal use, transportation is an issue that should be acknowledged by the self-storage operator. That isn't true of commercial applications because most businesses and government entities will have their own transportation.

Once we know the types of things that trigger needs, we can demonstrate our sensitivity to the prospect and know how to fine-tune our pitch. In regard to the transportation issue, for example, you may want to offer your prospect free or discounted use of your rental truck. That might not be how you close the deal with a commercial tenant.

Selling Anything

The trick to selling anything to anyone is to know enough about the prospect's needs to offer a solution to his problem. Simple, right? But how many self-storage operators can identify their market segments, cite the amount each contributes to his income, and show tracking progress in attracting them? Very few. I know of one large operation that cannot tell with any precision how its business breaks down between those general categories--personal and commercial uses--let alone the dozens of subdivisions within each. Yet as a business, it does wonderfully. Some facilities have no need for professional marketing. We're addressing those that do.

Marketing is a specific process, a series of steps that form a repeating cycle. Like the Energizer Bunny, it goes on and on and on. Your good ideas will be copied and your not-so-good ones--well, you'll drop those. In either case, you need regular, fresh approaches for each segment. That means having intimate knowledge of the needs and activities of the segments most important to you.

Curiously, most operators think their marketing should begin with the most expensive step: use of media and other advertising. But how do you know what to advertise, how and to whom if you don't identify who is using storage and why? The place to start is identifying your segments. Most self-storage facilities will not benefit from spending money on expensive advertising efforts, anyway. Most of you use the Yellow Pages and know what a dent that makes in your budget. Using select media requires you to target the prospects uncovered by examination of your area and its market segments. The cash outlay for this initial step is minimal.

Watch That Duck

Have you ever watched a duck gliding serenely across a pond? It looks effortless, doesn't it? But if you look below the surface, his feet are paddling like mad. In a similar way, your numbers may look good on the surface, but they don't tell the whole story. Your total income and occupancy are simply the sum of what goes on in all your market segments. But there's something different taking place in each, beneath the surface. Maybe rents resulting from residential moves are dropping, but records storage is increasing. You'd never know that by just looking at the bottom line.

The bedrock for a marketing effort of any consequence is to catalog how and to whom the facility is delivering benefit. The self-storage operator has the advantage of investigating his existing tenant base. Each tenant has already cast a vote in favor of your facility. He will happily tell you his reasons for doing so. Just ask him.

Harley Rolfe is a semi-retired marketing specialist whose career includes executive-level marketing positions with General Electric and AT&T. He also owned lodging and office facilities for more than 20 years. Mr. Rolfe holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Wabash College and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Indiana. He can be reached at his home in Nampa, Idaho, at 208.463.9039. Further information can also be found in Mr. Rolfe's book, Hard-Nosed Marketing for Self-Storage.

By Fred Gleeck

I have been studying Internet marketing for the past two years. I've found it to be a tremendous tool in my own business, and I think it can be of great use to self-storage owners. The key is to make the best use of your website and get people to call or--better yet--visit your facility. Here are some secrets to get you started.

First Build a Site That Sells

In the storage industry, the ultimate goal is to get people to rent storage units, not to win awards with our websites. Many people don't understand the difference. When you go to the bank to make a deposit, awards are not accepted. The only thing the bank accepts is money. This being the case, you need to create a site that sells. Can it sell and be appealing? Perhaps. But if there is one characteristic that should take precedence, it is the selling power of the website, not its attractiveness.

How do we define success from a website-sales standpoint? From the number of renters generated as a result of visiting the site. Many visitors to your site will not rent from you online. I encourage you to give them the option to do so, but many will just come for a look. Most people who are interested will want to physically visit your facility before they will rent a unit.

What to Offer?

The goal of your site is to give people a seductive enough offer to make them want to visit or at least call your facility. What should that offer be? Before you make that decision, you must determine the value of each visitor to your facility--how much is he worth? Without that knowledge, it is impossible to make an intelligent decision on what to offer him.

Here's an easy way to figure out that value: Look at the total number of people who visited your facility last month and the net amount of dollars you generated from those visits. In this case, all we are looking at are new customers. Let's say you had 100 people who visited, which produced a net revenue of $30,000. Assuming the average person rents for seven months and the average rent is $100 a month, that means you net $300 out of $700 of gross receipts per person. (This assumes you close every person who visits, which isn't true; but let's leave it at that for purposes of example.) Now you know you can afford to "spend" up to $300 per visitor and not lose money. Of course, you want to get the visitor to come in for a lot less, but that's how you estimate his value.

The key to cost-effective marketing is to pursue those avenues that provide the greatest leverage. The Internet is one of those highly leveraged means. Let's say you were to offer people $50 just for dropping by your facility. You know the average visitor is worth $300, so if you have to give away $50 bills to get people to come by, do it-- provided, of course, you've used every other method of marketing that costs you less than $50 first.

The nice thing is you don't have to offer people $50. You can offer them something that has a very high perceived value but actual low cost. Make an exclusive website offer and label it an "Internet special." This is so you can track its effectiveness. One idea for this special is to use the coupon system, where you collect coupons from local merchants and offer them to your website visitors. The cost on something like this is neglible, but the perceived value is very high. One of my clients recently put a selection of coupons together worth more than $700 in perceived value. His total cost was less than $2 per bundle. You may also want to offer something tangible like a first-aid kit or some other novelty item. Whatever you use, make sure you can code it in such a way that you know the visitor response came from your online campaign.

Your website is there to get people to either pick up the phone and call or come in and visit your facility. It's that simple. If pretty pictures can support that effort, I'm all for using them. If they don't, keep them to a minimum. Make sure your Internet offer is front and center on your first page. Don't hide your sales pitch. Have a line that reads: "$50 in cash to everyone who takes a tour of our facility," or "Free first-aid kit (value of $38) to everyone who tours our facility."

Supporting Information

If you want your website to include supporting information regarding unit sizes, features and benefits, that's fine. Make your site simple and easy to understand and navigate. Test it on a sixth grader--if it's too complicated for him, you need to redesign it. A simple site that shows a picture of your facility, maps your location and describes features and benefits is enough.

I like the idea of having no more than five links to various pages off your home page. Also make sure people don't have to scroll far down on each page to get to the information. Place your Internet special at the very top of the first page, where most people put the facility name. Customers don't care about your name. Instead, use that space to make them an irresistible offer that will compel them to come in and visit. Your five simple links will then allow people to see:

• A map showing them how to get to you;
• Information on how to contact you;
• Helpful storage tips;
• Some photos to give them a sense of what the facility looks like, and how safe/clean it is;
• A list of unit sizes and a description of how much each unit can hold (but no prices, please).

Driving Traffic to Your Site

After you've designed a site that sells, you must drive traffic to the site. A great site without traffic is worthless. There are a few key ways to get people to view your site. First, understand storage is generally a local thing. Unless you're a national company like Public Storage, promoting your site to a national audience doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Next, identify other local companies that get a lot of hits at their websites. See if there's any way to link to their sites. This would include local real-estate agents, moving companies, schools, churches, chambers of commerce, etc.--any business people might contact if they were moving into the area.

Getting high rankings in the various search engines will be a tremendous help in bringing traffic to your site. Search engines are key to making your site noticed, but getting listed on them may require some help. Two specialists in this field are Kimberly Judd ([email protected]) and Mike Buck ([email protected]). For what they deliver, their prices are extremely reasonable. Tell them I sent you and they'll give you a $50 discount.

Paid search engines are also an option, and there are a number of them out there. These are the places where you can pay for the opportunity to have people to click on your site. All you'll need to do is pick the keywords people might use to find you. For example, let's say you're in Orlando, Fla. You may want to buy the keywords "Orlando storage" and "Orlando self-storage." This will make it so your site comes up in a lead position any time someone types in these or any other keywords you select.

One of the largest paid search engines is www.goto.com, where a trial membership runs as low as $25. For a complete list of options, visit www.payperclicksearchengines.com. While you can pay a specialist to enroll you with these search tools, you can enroll yourself. Even I can do it, so you may want to give it a shot.

There are many other ways to drive traffic to your site, but these are good places to start. Remember: A simple, easy-to-use site that is accessible and makes prospects a great offer will raise your rentals.

Fred Gleeck is a self-storage profit-maximization consultant. He helps storage owners before and after they get into the business. He is the author of Secrets of Self Storage Marketing Success--Revealed! and numerous other training items for self-storage operators. To get regular tips on self-storage, send him an e-mail at [email protected]; call 800.345.3325.

By Amy Campbell

With the advent of computers, ZIP disks and super-quick e-mail, many imagined the amount of paperwork generated annually would begin to diminish. Instead, today's litigation, company reports and priority memos require more paper than ever. While producing these documents is fairly simple, storing them is not. With office space absorbed quickly by desks, computers and copy machines, there's little room available for boxes and boxes of essential documents. More companies are turning to records-management centers to catalog, file and store their paper trails, which means the growing industry could be just the niche you've been looking for to generate, not paper, but profits.

A New Demand

One of the main reasons for the booming business of records management is litigation. "Many large corporations have gotten themselves into costly litigation due to poor or inadequate record keeping," says Tim O'Neil, president and CEO of O'Neil Software Inc., headquartered in Irvine, Calif. "You read over and over how large corporations have been forced to pay millions, which could have been avoided if they had followed proper records-management procedures."

Another reason records-management centers are thriving is simply location. Because office space is limited and costly, most companies don't want to waste precious space and money on storing boxes. "The records center does not require the same 'prime' real estate as that of its customers. It can invest in a less desirable location," O'Neil says. "Customers--law firms, insurance companies and the like--find it cost-prohibitive to store their records on-site when the record center can do it for less."

It also typically costs less to outsource the job than to have an in-house staff catalog, file, store and retrieve thousands of documents each year. "A commercial records center can do it more efficiently," says Steve Hyman, president of Florida-based DHS Associates. "The cost of hiring professional records managers is not cost-beneficial in most cases. And, if a person is sick or there is a lot of turnover, you may find yourself without a person to deliver records on a particular day."

There's also the "get it out of here" mentality, O'Neil says. "Many of the smaller and mid-size corporations that have not yet been stung by the threat of large and costly litigation just want their records to go away. They pick up the phone, call the first number they come to, barcode the boxes and out they go. As long as they have a list of what the record center has and it is out of their offices, their problem has been solved. It takes the headache away and they are more than willing to pay for it."

The market is appealing to self-storage operators because they likely already have a company storing boxes in two or three units. "At some point, that's not a cost-effective way to store large quantities of records," says Larry Borses, president of Lawrence Borses and Associates, a records-management consulting firm in California. Because storing boxes in a handful of units is not efficient--and doesn't provide someone who can catalog or retrieve files regularly--the company will eventually be forced to look elsewhere to fill its needs.

"Rather than lose them, it makes sense to cater to them by creating a records center where you can give the service they want and be more cost-effective, rather than just renting them units and units," Borses says. Adding records management doesn't mean a total overhaul of your existing facility, either. Borses says self-storage operators can begin with just one storage unit, adding more as the demand grows. "They're able to charge not only for the storage but services, deliveries and pickups; and they found this is a pretty nice business," he adds.

The Right Tools

Getting a records-management business off the ground requires the right tools--and plenty of capital. "The first thing you need is a big bank or an excellent relationship with a bank because the business is a cash consumer in the initial stages," says Lee Miller, president of Andrews Records Management and Andrews Software Inc. in Ohio. "Somewhere between 100,000 to 150,000 cubic feet of paper is where you begin to make some money, and it takes a little while to get that quantity within your business confines. After that, you're seemingly always confronted with the purchase of more racks and more building space so the need for cash goes on. At some point, it becomes a positive cash environment as opposed to a negative cash environment."

Whether you're thinking about converting all or merely part of your facility, you will need the right tools. One of the most important factors will be the height of your facility's ceiling. Although the industry standard is 40 feet high, many records-management centers run successfully with lower ceilings. You will also need durable cell boxes, mezzanine racks with catwalks or order pickers to retrieve boxes, and a quality software program to run the operation.

Following the Paper Trail

When Andrews Moving and Storage embarked into the records-management business in 1984, the company couldn't find a software program to meet its needs. So it invented one. "We decided we wanted it, and the only way to get it was to make our own. We wound up in the software business," Miller says. "We use the software we write every day. By virtue of doing that, we've fallen down and picked ourselves up enough times to pretty much know how it ought to run or which way it runs the best."

Records-management software has one primary purpose--follow the paper trail. "Our software is the foundation of the records center," O'Neil says. "It provides everything from the fundamentals such as barcode tracking of containers, files and tapes, to invoicing and such high-tech features as Internet access."

One of the most important aspects of records-management software is barcoding. "It allows you to automate your process so you can move items around the warehouse and the system knows where they are at all times. There's less room for human error," Hyman says. "It cuts down on labor. It cuts down on what are called 'no finds,' where they are unable to find an item for a client. It makes the whole process more reliable." Barcoding can even correct mistakes. "If they happen to scan a record and file it back in the wrong box, the system will even know that. And it will actually report a warning," Hyman says. "The goal is to get the file back in the box."

Equally important is access to files. "If the people who work for the company don't know how to find it or don't know how to index it, then it's a liability, not an asset," Miller says. "It's something they're spending money for, but they're receiving little to no benefit. The real challenge is providing tools to the customer that allow him to index the information on the front end and search, query and retrieve from those indexes."

One way to ensure employees have easy access is through the Internet. Most records-management centers now offer some kind of online service that allows customers to order, if not view, selected documents. "They can go to the website where the index is, find what they want and click on 'retrieve.' It automatically sends an order for service to our facility," Miller says. "The order is processed automatically and no one in our facility has to key the name, rank and serial numbers, or any of the box or file numbers. It automatically comes up as a service order. It is put on a pick list, selected at night and delivered the next morning--or immediately if it's an emergency."

Making Money

"The records-management business is extremely profitable," Hyman says. "Typically, once you reach an economy of scale, it's not unusual to see the profit equal up to 25 percent of the gross revenue, which is pretty high."

The records-management company makes money every time a file is handled. In addition to the storing charges, there's a fee to pull a file, index, examine, deliver or fax it. "They will sell the containers the information is stored in," Hyman says. "The cost for that is a couple of bucks with a 100 percent markup. Most of the commercial records companies offer what they call inspection rooms in their building where the client can actually have boxes pulled and they can come in and examine them. They charge for all of those services. For many of the rooms, they charge by the hour," he says. "They charge for indexing. It wouldn't be unusual to charge 25 cents for indexing every file in that box. So if you had 50 files in a box, it's 50 times 25. It's a very profitable business with really good margins."

Records management is also an annuity business. "It has the aspect of recurring revenue, which is something you certainly see in self-storage. In the moving business, you do have corporate clients that you may move over and over again; but with residential, you're always looking for new customers," Hyman says. "Whereas in the records-management business, once you've got an account, you keep it and it typically grows about 5 percent per year." For example, a client with 1,000 boxes will add about 50 boxes a year.

Although the majority of contracts run three to five years, most clients will stick with a records-management company longer simply because it's costly to pull files permanently. "There's financial incentive because they will have to pay $3 to $5 per box to take them out of storage," Hyman says. "Unless there's a compelling reason, most companies don't pull their files."

Do Your Homework

While there's no doubt there is a market for records-management entrepreneurs, there's more to the business than just buying boxes and barcodes. "You need an understanding of the records-management business," Hyman says. "You need to educate yourself on what are the issues in the records-management business so when you go in and talk to people, you have a knowledge of what it is you're trying to sell."

One way to learn about the industry is by joining a professional association such as the Professional Records and Information Services Management (PRISM), or the Association for Information Management Professionals. Both organizations offer members information about the industry, education and networking opportunities. PRISM hosts a semiannual seminar for people interested in launching a records-management business. "We're very involved with educational programming directed at people who operate commercial records centers, media vaults and imaging service bureaus," says Jim Booth, executive director for PRISM.

Like other business ventures, records management requires diligence and dedication. It's still a fresh concept that calls for creative marketing techniques. "One of the things that's different about the records-management business than, say, the self-storage business, is you put a sign out front and people drive by and you get clients," Hyman says. "Well, the records-management business isn't like that. You have to dedicate staff to marketing. Certainly, the Yellow Pages can be a source of leads, but it's a fatal flaw to think you're going to open up a records-management business and just put an ad in the Yellow Pages."

However, in the end, the hard work will definitely pay off. "You have all of the aspects that make a good business," Hyman says. "It's very profitable while you own it. It has an annuity benefit and it also has this payday at the end of the day because there's a ready market for selling records centers."

For more information on records-management operations, startups and marketing, see this magazine's monthly column, "Records Management," by Cary F. McGovern. Past columns can be accessed on the article archive at www.insideselfstorage.com. Other sites to visit include www.prism.org and www.arma.org. 

By Nicholas Jodhan

During the past three decades, the evolution of the self-storage building type from the traditional garden-variety, single-story facility to the more visible multistory building has given developers pause for thought in the design phase. This evolution has ushered in an era of new design criteria, leaving developers to consider aesthetic and functional aspects as never before. The following factors now play a key role in self-storage design:

1. The product has moved from industrial zoned parcels to business/commercial ones, making the self-storage facility a more integral part of the community landscape. This movement demands the addition of architectural elements, which meet the goals and vision of planning commissions.

2. The change from single-story facilities with exterior unit access to the new multistory properties with internal access makes life safety considerations a priority design criteria. In an emergency, customers must be have quick, easy access to safe exit passages, and sprinkler and alarm systems must adequately protect customers' stored belongings.

3. Although the gross square footage of these new structures has remained roughly the same (plus or minus 100,000 square feet), the vertical vs. horizontal configuration gives rise to considerations for access to units and management of internal foot traffic. Gone are the days of vehicular traffic movement and drive-up unit access as major design considerations.

The design challenges mentioned above are but a few that greet today's self-storage designers and developers. As storage facilities become high-rise structures, the need for an elevator becomes paramount. This article focuses on the challenge of elevator placement in the new facility type.

The elevator is to high-rise structures what the truck is to a single-story building. It is a vertical vehicle that must take clients to the upper floors as readily as the truck took clients to their drive-up units. Although multistory buildings do not offer drive-up access, designers can make it as effortless as possible to get to units on upper floors. To create a truly effective layout with well-positioned elevators, the designer of a multistory site must design with a few fundamental axioms in mind.

Site Configuration

Before we can fully understand the inner workings of a building, the selected site and desired building must be configured to conform to all site-related restrictions (lot coverage, setbacks, easements, servitudes, right-of-ways, landscape buffers, detention requirements, parking requirements, etc.). This configuration should be completed first because here is where we discover the criteria for exterior skin options and staircase exit location, as well as site-configuration limitations that force the office and lobby/ elevators into a particular location. A good designer will carefully consider the mandated parameters and should offer several layout options.

Code Compliance and Building Systems

Every municipality will be governed by several zoning, building, life-safety and ADA codes. Be they federal, national, state or local, these codes must be thoroughly understood and complied with during the design process. When laying out a multistory building, the designer must understand the building codes, type and system of construction being proposed.

This would allow the designer to lay out building grid lines and strategically place ingress/egress staircases that are life-safety-code driven. He will also be able to place any fire separation or demising walls through the building. The building's exterior could also now receive some additional evaluation that may or may not influence the interior placement of the elevators. Keep in mind that elevator function is suspended in fire-alarm conditions. Elevators are not considered a means of ingress/egress, so their placement is not typically code-driven.

Efficiency

Designing with efficiency in mind is another critical design consideration that can effect elevator placement. In the self-storage industry, individual property is valued on post lease-up (stabilized) net-operating income. Bearing this in mind, it behooves the designer to maximize the net-leaseable square footage of the building. If ever you examined the stabilized value of a facility at 72 percent efficiency vs. 78 percent, you would understand why designing with this objective in mind is so critical.

Placing the elevators in a location that affords maximized building efficiency should be the designer's prime objective. Because unit mixes are unique to each property, there is no standard placement of elevators. However, be aware this does not mean elevators should be placed haphazardly, but rather in a location that does not disrupt efficiency by causing a significant loss of leaseable space.

Elevator Types

The type of elevator selected can influence its eventual placement. For example, a hole pneumatic elevator requires that a hole be drilled on site to accommodate the piston. In some instances, these holes could be in excess of 60 feet. The site may have some locations that would prohibit such a hole, but others that would accommodate it. Pneumatic elevators also require rooms to house their reservoirs.

Another elevator type to consider is a traction elevator, which requires specific shaft heights to accommodate its gearing. In buildings with gable roof lines, placing this type of elevator directly under the ridgeline could eliminate any roof penetration and possible future roof leaks. Other features of elevators, such as dimensions, or single or double doors, would also have some impact on design considerations and could play a role in determining the best placement of the elevator.

Access

Give ground-floor access the next weighted value. There is a fair amount of design flexibility here. Elevators can be placed at the exterior wall with doors opening right onto a covered drive or they may be placed inside the building. Potential users of these facilities will view the access to the upper floors as an inconvenience if the ground-floor elevator access is too difficult. If the elevators are clearly visible and accessible upon entry, the general perception is that the upper floors are accessible as well.

Both location options offer particular benefits, such as convenient access, weather protection, security or efficient function. When elevators are set into the building, the distance from the face of the building depends on several design issues. If clients unload their stored items onto a cart and then into an elevator, incorporating a lobby/staging area into the design is a good idea. This gives clients enough space and time to get out of the elements, enter their access code and secure items on the cart before entering the elevators. Staging can range in depth, but 10 feet is a good practical number, particularly when there is more than one person trying to access the upper floors. Staging any deeper tends to be wasted space and can create unit-mix problems on the upper floors.

Internal Traffic

The next major consideration is foot-traffic movement. Obviously, there must be adequate width for people and carts to move through the facility aisles, but in regard to elevator placement, walk distance is the governing factor. Walk distance is measured from the elevator landing to the furthest unit from all accessible directions. Ideally, walk distance should not exceed 150 feet. In some facilities, that distance may be increased somewhat if the options for elevator placement are severely restricted.

There are several design criteria that must be considered in order to properly place elevators in a storage facility. The controlling factors must be balanced in a way that results in the best product. It is often a delicate balance to strike and a somewhat inexact science. Each property can have variations unique to that property. I suggest using double-sided doors, keeping all structural elements on a 5-foot design module, placing the elevators no more than 10 feet into the building and placing the elevators halfway along the longer dimension of the building. This will lead to the highest efficiency, creating the greatest investment value.

Nicholas Jodhan has been involved in the development of self-storage for the past four years, designing and developing self-storage facilities in several major cities in the Midwest, Northeast and South. He continues to develop creative ways of addressing the new parameters of the modern self-storage industry. Mr. Jodhan can be reached at [email protected].

By RK Kliebenstein

The first order in examining this market profile was to determine the proper etiquette regarding the name of the country. Is it England, the United Kingdom, Great Britain, the U.K.? Foolish as that question may seem, I did not want to offend my hosts.

London is a city of 5 million people. With that kind of population, in a land area of just a few hundred square miles, you have the first and foremost ingredient of a successful self-storage project: density! The second ingredient for success is small living and business quarters. If London makes you think of those tiny cars, it is for good reason. The streets are narrow and the houses tightly packed. Businesses are in very close proximity, and even when you get into the "country," the area closely resembles New Jersey (even down to the weather).

The biggest challenge facing self-storage developers in London is product acceptance. There is a need to educate the general public on the uses of self-storage. While he knows he needs more space, the average consumer does not know there are firms that specialize in solving his space challenges. But it's just a matter of time. Estimates show that self-storage spaces per capita in London are less than 5 percent of what they are in the United States. If that's not a market waiting to happen, I don't know what is.

There are some familiar faces in the London market: Shurgard (also making a big splash on the Continent) and a cousin company to Storage USA. The obvious absence of Public Storage and U-Haul is a mystery. (I attempted to contact U-Haul to learn of its plans in England and Europe, but I did not receive an answer. Maybe there is an answer to the mystery question they don't want to share.) In London, there are other big names such as Safestore, Access, Mentmore Abbey and Big Yellow.

Developers face the problem of finding good sites. The race is on, and acquisition guys are combing the streets looking for the next self-storage location. Conversions are the most popular, given the density and maturity of the real-estate market. One of the challenges is there just are not that many 100,000-square-foot buildings available for conversion. And three to five acres of available land? Fuhgetaboudit!

One of the fastest growing and leading firms in London is Safestore. Chairman Philip Lewis was kind enough to share some thoughts with me on the London market:

RK: Mr. Lewis, please describe the current state of affairs of self-storage in London. Can you particularly address occupancy levels in mature stores?

Lewis: Although self-storage has been in London since the 1980s, it was originally located in back-street industrial property, and it is only in the last four to five years that the new operators have started to develop self-storage in high-profile, main-road sites. Naturally, the potential customer base is huge and quite sophisticated, so most operators are looking to expand in the Southeast, within the M25 motorwary network, although others are looking further afield.

Typically, sites are about 40,000 square feet or larger, and although one or two new developments are taking place, the majority of sites are in older buildings that have been refurbished. A number of well-branded operators are in town, including, of course, Shurgard. At Safestore, we have a number of mature sites that have been open for three or four years--particularly Notting Hill Gate, Fulham and Acton in western London, plus Alexandra Palace in northern London, where occupancy levels are comfortably over 90 percent and we have an opportunity to push up our rates significantly.

RK: What are rental rates like in London?

Lewis: Typically, in our good London stores, rentals are comfortably more than 20 pounds per square foot on an annual basis. For example, a 50- or 100-square-foot unit earns about 75 to 122 pounds per month. Elsewhere in the U.K. rates are not as high, but we are managing to achieve averages of about 17 pounds per square foot across our portfolio of 21 stores. [As of June 15: 20 pounds = $28.05; 75 pounds = $105.17; 122 pounds = $171.08; 17 pounds = $23.84.]

RK: Tell us about Safestore. How big a company is it? How did you get started? What are your future plans?

Lewis: Safestore is one of the fastest-growing self-storage companies. I joined the company about a year ago, having spent most of my working life in the direct real-estate business. Location is one of the key criteria for growth, and finding the right real estate is a fundamental part of our expansion program. I would urge you to look at our website, www.safestore.co.uk, to find out more about the company.

We have 31 assets, 21 of which are currently trading, and the remainder are due to open over the next 12 months. In general, we own most of our buildings freehold, but we have now started to look at a few leasehold opportunities, and anticipate the portfolio will comprise of two to three freehold and one to three leasehold properties as we develop. Our minimum requirement now is for sites of at least 35,000 square feet of net self-storage accommodation in central London areas, and up to 40,000-45,000 square feet a little further out of town.

As a publicly quoted company, we have a number of interesting shareholders. The largest is Soros Real Estate Fund, controlling 25 percent of the equity, followed by a range of blue-chip U.K. institutions and private investors. It is our intention to become one of the largest [self-storage companies] in Europe, with a current target of having 50 stores trading by the end of 2003. We have already acquired our first building in continental Europe, in Paris, that we hope to open in the next few months. We'll then look closely at other countries as the business grows.

RK: I understand you have announced a couple of strategic alliances to grow your company. Can you tell us about them?

Lewis: In addition to our organic expansion, we have also tied up a number of alliances with quality operating partners. First, we concluded a transaction last year with National Car Parks, the United Kingdom's largest car-park operator, to develop self-storage inside their car parks, primarily in central London. Subsequently, we tied up a further joint operating partnership with Moves, an extremely well-branded removal business based in London. Through that company we do pickup and delivery, and removal business. We are just about to announce a free pickup service for Safestore customers as well as use of the Moves vehicles, which are now jointly branded Safestore/Moves.

Our most recent success on the joint-venture route was a tie-up with Railtrack's subsidiary, Spacia. Railtrack is the United Kingdom's principal railway company and also one of the largest landowners in England. We have already identified a number of sites to operate jointly in London and the Southeast, and this should provide us with much quicker access to available land and buildings to speed up our expansion program.

RK: Can you give the American operators some advice about getting involved in the London market? Should they get involved and, if so, how should they approach the market?

Lewis: Self-storage is gathering pace in the United Kingdom, and two American operators are already here. Shurgard and Access (which is a subsidiary of Security Capital) are developing alongside a number of domestic companies, and we expect there will be significant growth over the next three to five years. We have consulted with a number of advisors in America and intend to recruit from the United States, particularly for sales, marketing and staff training to ensure we stay well ahead of our competitors.

I am convinced self-storage will grow in the same way as other concepts that have traveled across the Atlantic: Health and fitness clubs, McDonald's, coffee shops, and toy and pet retailing have all seen tremendous changes over the last 10 to 15 years, and I see the same phenomenon happening in self-storage. We are excited about the prospects of Safestore.

RK: One final question for you: Which use is more proper? The United Kingdom? England? Great Britain?

Lewis: (Shrugs).

It's still a mystery, I guess.

RK Kliebenstein is president of Coast-To-Coast Storage, which is preparing to announce a strategic alliance with an existing firm in the United Kingdom that will bring feasibility-study services to the European market. The company is forming several relationships that will allow U.S. firms to gain access to European self-storage expansion. For more information, call 561.367.9241.

This is self-storage that Jack built.

This is the plan
For the self-storage that Jack built.

This is the man,
Who devised the plan
For the self-storage that Jack built.

This is the owner,
Who hired the man,
Who devised the plan
For the self-storage that Jack built.

This is the building where goods are stored
Owned by the owner
Who hired the man
Who devised the plan
For the self-storage that Jack built.

The is the planning and zoning board
That approved the building where goods are stored
Owned by the owner
Who hired the man
Who devised the plan
For the self-storage that Jack built.

This is the concrete boldly poured
At the grace of the planning and zoning board
That approved the building where goods are stored
Owned by the owner
Who hired the man
Who devised the plan
For the self-storage that Jack built.

This is the contractor in accord
With use of the concrete boldly poured
At the grace of the planning and zoning board
That approved the building where goods are stored
Owned by the owner
Who hired the man
Who devised the plan
For the self-storage that Jack built.

This is the manager nearly floored
At the speed of the contractor in accord
With the use of the concrete boldly poured
At the grace of the planning and zoning board
That approved the building where goods are stored
Owned by the owner
Who hired the man
Who devised the plan
For the self-storage that Jack built.

This "Building of the Month" award
Is for the manager nearly floored
At the speed of the contractor in accord
With the use of the concrete boldly poured
At the grace of the planning and zoning board
That approved the building where goods are stored
Owned by the owner
Who hired the man
Who devised the plan
For the self-storage that Jack built.

In this annual construction issue that Inside Self-Storage built, you'll find information about the plan (see articles on phasing, layout and design, roof installation and security), words of wisdom from the contractor (see article on elevator placement), sound advice from the manager (see "From Behind the Counter" and "Managers' World" columns), and so much more. As to the "Building of the Month" award, stay tuned for more information in future issues.

Happy building,

Teri L. Lanza
Editor
[email protected]

By David Fleming

I'd like to begin this month by thanking all of the people who have shown support for this column, which is written by managers, about managers, for managers. Your input is sincerely appreciated. This is intended to be used as an open forum, so if you have something you'd like to contribute, please do so. It can be a helpful hint, funny story or article on a subject pertaining to what we do. Whatever it is, send it, and we'll eventually work it in somewhere. For those of you who have sent me things, please keep in mind these articles are written months in advance, so don't think I've forgotten you. I fully intend to use the items I receive--whether in part or in full--in good time.

In past columns, I have spoken in length about particular topics. But in the interest of conveying a broader range of concepts, I'd like to borrow a style from a good friend and mentor of mine, Jim Chiswell. If you haven't yet, I recommend you read his column, "Thoughts From the Road," which appears in this magazine every other month.

Phone Skills

As a manager, your primary goal is to rent or "sell" units, and there are many different styles of sales technique out there. My style is short and to the point. After getting the customer's name and asking a few "qualifying" questions about what he needs to store and when, and if he's ever used storage before, I get straight to the point. I tell him about the features of our facility and what I recommend for a unit size or style (10-by-15 or 10-by-20, possibly climate control). I provide enough options so he feels compelled to visit to make a decision. Finally, I discuss price. I follow this by asking when he'd like to come visit our facility. If I can't get him to commit to an appointment, I ask if he would like me to mail, fax or e-mail a brochure. Most people want some type of literature, and this gives me the perfect opportunity to get his address and telephone number, "in case this comes back to me, or the fax doesn't go through." This allows me to follow up in few days or weeks.

I know there are some people out there who don't like this abbreviated style. I assume everybody is as busy as I am, most of them just want the price anyway, and at least I'm getting the important stuff in. My wife, Tina, on the other hand, has a very different sales style. She'll chat it up with anybody about anything. People just love to talk to her. After about 10 minutes on the phone, she'll hang up with the appointment made. Sometimes you won't even hear her discussing price. The point is, no matter what your style is, you need to make the sale.

All of your advertising is designed to do one thing: get the phone to ring. Your job as a manger is to convert those calls into visits to your facility. Once there, the odds are in your favor to make the sale. If you have ever been "phone shopped," you probably know how effective--or ineffective--you are on the phone. If you haven't been mystery shopped, ask your owner or area manager to do so. There are even companies that will be happy to do it for them (for a small fee).

The phone shop is an honest, independent evaluation of your phone skills. Don't take it as criticism. Use it as a tool to become a better salesperson. If you are sitting behind the counter like I am, you have probably noticed when you are renting a lot of units, some problems seem to disappear. The boss doesn't come around as much, the requests you put in get approved, your salary increases a little (or even a lot) each year. Maybe you can work a deal where, if your closing rate stays above 66 percent, the boss will send you out to the big Las Vegas expo. Who knows? There are endless opportunities in this industry for people who can sell.

Call Tracking

Are your phone skills improving? If you don't know for certain, you aren't tracking your closing rate. Tracking your closing rate is the single best way to know how you are doing on the phone. Simply put, your closing rate is the number of rentals divided by the number of calls in a set amount of time. For instance, 10 rentals in a week divided by 20 calls that week means you have a 50 percent closing rate for that week. The higher the number of rentals in comparison to calls, the higher the closing rate. The higher the closing rate, the better you are on the phone. The better you are on the phone, the more units you will rent. The more units you rent, the more money you make (hopefully), especially if you have some sort of bonus structure in place.

To track your closing rate, all you need to do is mark down on a sheet of paper every time you take a sales call. Then mark down every rental. Divide them at the end of the day/week/month/year to get your respective closing rate. We have a form made up so we can track how many calls we get compared to rentals, what time of day the prospect called, and what our busiest times of the week are for calls and rentals. As my mentor would say, "make a game of it." If your closing rate is high (66 percent or higher), you are winning. If your closing rate is low (below 50 percent), you may need to change your phone presentation.

Improving your closing ratio is the single best thing you can do to create more rentals out of the call volume you have. You will also be able determine if you are getting sufficient call volume. You can have a 100 percent closing rate if you are only getting one call a week and you rent to that caller. In that case, you need more call volume--which means you need to talk to the boss about marketing, but at least you'll be able to show you are doing the best you can with what you've got. The results of a high closing rate are almost immediate and, I must say, gratifying. Remember all of the problems that go away when you are renting units? Improve your closing ratio and you'll make more rentals.

Lists

The most successful people in any business write down things they need to do. They know if they don't write it down, chances are they will forget it or forget to do it. After all, they didn't get to be successful without being busy. Making a list is one of the best things you can do to work more efficiently and effectively. It will not only help free your mind from that thought once you write it down, but it will help you prioritize what to do and when.

I have several lists. My "to do" list at work currently includes:

• Raise rental rates effective month after next.
• Write "rate increase" letter and mail 30 days in advance.
• Make a list of all the units I have removed walls from to make larger units.
• Ask boss if we want to change the unit configuration in the computer or leave it as is so we can put the walls back in if need be.
• Get our brochure into my computer so we can e-mail it to people.
• Create a customer calling card.
• Clean doors in interior hall of "A" building.
• Oil locks.
• Install a timer on canopy lights.
• Replace bad timer switches on interior hallway lights.
• Write next month's column.

As you can see, it's too much to remember. This is obviously in addition to my daily duties, and I may not get to this list for a week, when I have time. I would never remember what it is I need to do without a list. And each time I look at the list, I can re-prioritize. Writing this article, for instance, just became priority No. 1 because the deadline is just around the corner. Next I'll work on the rate increase, etc. I even have a pen and paper on my nightstand because sometimes when I'm drifting off to sleep, an idea will pop into my head. This way, I can write it down to put on my list tomorrow, and fall asleep without having to worry about forgetting it, which I'll most certainly do.

My list grows and shrinks. It is a constant work in progress. Sometimes I'll get a free day, jump on my list and bang out a bunch of things. Sometimes I'll get on a tear and write down a bunch of ideas. If I read them again in few days and an idea that seemed so great doesn't anymore, I'll cross it off. Or if it seems too big for the "to do" list, maybe I'll put it on the "projects" list, which currently contains items such as:

• Newsletter. Should be viable info for our managers and customers.
• Look into creating a customer lounge area. Telephone? Phone jack for laptop for reps? Conference table? Maybe in a climate-controlled 10-by-20?
• Create an office-supplies master list for future start-ups.

By making lists, I never have a slow day. I just go to the list and pick something. I may not be as successful as some people, but I'm working on it. It's on my list.

David Fleming is a manager and manager trainer for Premier Self-Storage Inc. of Amherst, N.Y., which plans to build 20 state-of-the-art facilities over the next five years. After having managed facilities in three states over the past 10 years, Mr. Fleming now resides in a Buffalo suburb with his two children and his co-manager and wife, Tina, who will also contribute to this column. Mr. Fleming has won awards from industry publications, including the Inside Self-Storage award for Manager of the Year. To contact the Flemings, call 716.688.8000; fax 716.688.6459; e-mail [email protected].

By Ken Carrell

Anyone can build a building, but how well that building comes out is another story. The design of the facility can make or break a self-storage project. With the cost of land constantly rising, maximizing the amount of building you can get on your site may make all the difference. The facility design becomes extremely important to this end.

Choose a Style

In designing the layout of the typical self-storage facility, there are two distinct styles. The first style surrounds the property with a fence and has the storage buildings in the middle of the site. While this layout is very common in older facilities, it is still used on smaller sites where you don't have a lot of area to work with. One of the distinct advantages of this design is it allows for the maximum number of drive-up spaces for the buildings.

The second style, which is much more common, uses a perimeter building that also serves as the security fence for the facility. This is known as a "fortress" style. A definite advantage to this layout is it maximizes the site coverage of the lot. This layout is generally used except where setbacks from the property line would create a significant loss of building area.

Office Space

The next important consideration of the design of a storage facility is the manager's office. This is where your customer gets his first look at your facility. He wants to feel his "stuff" is safe, and the office can give him the impression it will be. If your customer sees security monitors, cameras, etc., when he walks in the door, he feels his property is going to be well cared for. But the office is also your selling place, and layout becomes important for this reason as well. Packing materials and other retail goods for sale should be displayed so they are easy to reach and view.

Parking

Your customers need to be able to get to the office, so parking is an important consideration. Even still, it is probably one of the most misunderstood parts of site design. Although a typical parking space is 9 feet wide by 18 feet deep, you also lose the backup space needed to get a car in and out of the space. A typical parking space takes anywhere from 300 to 400 square feet of area that is better used for your buildings. While planning and zoning boards always want to see a lot of parking incorporated into a site, the truth is, it rarely gets used because customers tend to park in front of their units. The Self Storage Association has information on the amount of parking required for various size facilities. While this provides a more realistic idea of the amount of parking required for a project, it takes convincing of the planning department to allow it. If you can convince the planner you don't need that much parking, you can put that space back into your storage buildings.

Driveways

Once they've rented a unit or two from you, customers need access to move in. The typical stacking distance at the entry gate should be approximately 40 feet. You can get away with less than that, but if you have the space, it's always better to provide it. This allows for the truck to pull in off of the street and operate the gate keypad without blocking traffic. And access to keypads requires some thought. You want the driver to access the keypad without having to get out of his vehicle. But since the driver sits on the left side of the truck, he typically has to pull in on the left side of the driveway in order to operate the keypad. This creates some interesting situations for traffic control.

Multistory Sites

The design of your self-storage site incorporates several different building decisions. Should the buildings be single-story, two-story or multistory? How wide and long should they be? In two-story buildings, should you use elevators or lifts, or make them drive-up? Are you able to provide secure, 24-hour access to the buildings?

Single-story buildings are the least expensive to build. If your land cost is low and you have a large enough parcel, plan on going with one story. The more expensive the land becomes, though, the more incentive you have to go upward. The cost of the structure goes up with each floor added. Up to a maximum of three floors, you can use an inexpensive form of construction for the typical building. Once you go beyond three floors, you must use costlier forms. To determine how many floors to build, you need to look at not only the cost of the land and construction, but whether you'll be able to fill up the space once it's built.

If you decide to build two stories, you have other options to consider. Do you use elevators or lifts, or use a drive-up type of building? Elevators cost more than lifts, but provide your customers a better sense of comfort. If you go with a drive-up second floor, you need to have room available for the ramps required at each end of the building. With buildings above three stories, you will need to have elevators. The design of the building can determine just how many elevators will be required.

Buildings should generally be no wider than 60 feet. This allows drive-up access from both sides and one or two interior corridors, which will maximize the building efficiency. Likewise, the length of the building should be around 300 feet. This allows corridor lengths that won't exceed 150 feet, the design standard a customer will be willing to walk to get to his unit. This isn't to say you can't or shouldn't make the building larger or smaller than what has been discussed here.

To Use or Not Use an Architect

A lot of facility owners ask why they should use an architect to design their facilities. Often, steel-building manufacturers provide the design for the owner when there is nothing special about the site. They have staff dedicated to the design of facilities for their customers. These designs are useful, but are not always laid out for efficient use of the site. When the site is small, unusual in shape, steeply sloped, etc., it is useful to bring in an architect. Because architects specialize in the design of buildings, they focus on how to make the facility work. They also know how to design the facility to accommodate the various codes and ordinances every city seems to keep adding. For this reason, it is to your advantage to find an architect who specializes in the design of storage facilities.

As you can see, the design and layout of a site involves consideration of many factors. Although there is no one perfect layout for a site, the ideas presented here make a good starting point. The ultimate goal in any design for a storage facility is to get the customers in and keep them. Making your project user-friendly is a good step in the right direction.

Ken Carrell is principal of KC Architects, based in Aliso Viejo, Calif. His firm specializes in self-storage as well as other types of commercial architecture, and is licensed in several states. For more information, call 949.716.0114.

QuikStor Security & Software, based in Sherman Oaks, Calif., is pleased to introduce its new Enterprise Suite corporate office and management software. Features of the package include:

• Centralized collections, payments and site analysis;
• Centralized multisite reservations, payments and move-ins;
• Automated home office and consolidated report generator;
• Cost-effective door-alarm security and management; and
• Windows management software designed for managers accustomed to using a DOS-based system.

Account Management

QuikStor's account-management software provides business answers when they are needed. Customer service representatives, district managers and the corporate office can view real-time site information about occupancy, vacancy and details regarding individual tenants. No more waiting for overnight transmissions or backup disks to arrive from the sites. Corporate personnel can have instant access to modify tenant records, add notes, take payments, etc.

QuikStor's enterprise management tools are optimized for the bandwidth of any Internet connection or private frame-relay network. It even works on a 56K connection. The entire system is seamless and non-intrusive--the corporate office can even access tenant files without the property manager's intervention or knowledge.

Call Center

From one centralized location, or from multiple corporate call centers, sales agents can help prospective customers select and reserve a unit at any storage location. They can process payments and deposits by credit card, and immediately direct that money into the property's merchant account or a master corporate account. Agents can even perform complete tenant move-ins or reservations, and the information at the site is updated immediately. Tenant account records are updated instantly and reflect the latest call-center activity. Each agent's work is in "real time" and does not require any action on the part of property managers. Likewise, all work done by the property managers is instantly reflected at each call-center workstation.

Corporate Office

QuikStor's corporate-office software automatically prints site-specific reports on whatever schedule they are needed. Each morning, those reports are waiting for the property manager and his account representatives and customer-service employees. Reports can also be automatically e-mailed to the district manager, regional manager, business partners and accountants. The corporate-office software also includes a full suite of consolidated site reports. The monthly revenue and marketing information from an entire district, region, division or enterprise is aggregated for quick and accurate executive viewing.

To protect a business against disaster, the Enterprise Suite can automatically retrieve daily offsite backups from each facility for storage at designated headquarters. For added protection, QuikStor software can automatically back up to removable media.

Individual Door Alarms

QuikStor's QuikGuard and QuikSentry door alarms provide a competitive edge in tenant security. Both systems are true wireless and designed specifically for the harsh metallic and abusive environment of a self-storage facility. Installation is extremely easy, without pulling any wire or accessing a tenant's unit.

QuikStor door alarms provide wide area coverage and a visual crime deterrent, all within a sleek, rugged case. They are available in either a 10- or 20-year battery version. The company's management software automatically tracks which storage units have door alarms and monitors all door activity. It allows managers to rent door monitoring for a modest surcharge, typically $5 per month. This can increase a facility's gross revenue by an additional 5 percent to 10 percent. Managers can alarm their entire site or purchase only as much security as needed. Expand-on-demand security is a QuikStor specialty.

The company's support staff can even service its security systems though a telephone line. With more than 100,000 wireless alarms installed, QuikStor has the proven products and expertise to provide a reliable, affordable security solution to any size facility and budget.

Management Software

QuikStor introduced the industry's first Windows management software in 1995. This year the company introduced Express, its successful third-generation version. QuikStor Express automatically completes dozens of time-consuming tasks without any manager intervention, eliminating human error and the manager's "close of day" routine. The package offers options for automatic credit-card billing and multistation networking.

QuikStor's QuikEmail option reduces the time, materials and postage costs of mailing letters. Without any work on behalf of the manager, tenants automatically receive e-mail messages of late notices, invoices, receipts, as well as copies of any certified notices. The manager controls the list of which tenants receive materials by e-mail, postal mail or both.

QuikStor uses strong encryption and multilevel security so owners can restrict who has access to their business records. The software supports options for rental incentives, such as $1 move-in; free days, weeks or months; discount coupons; reduced rent for any time period, etc. Owners can even create additional income accounts to meet specific needs.

QuikStor understands managers' concerns about being able to use Windows and operate Windows software. Because of the intuitive design of Express, it is very simple to use. The company provides expert data conversion from a site's current management software and can train employees at a corporate headquarters and each manager's office.

Every week, QuikStor helps sites convert from DOS management software to its Windows management products. These clients experience a very mild learning curve. And with QuikStor, it is simple to add a second, third or 100th workstation at any busy property.

QuikStor has the power to integrate self-storage management, retail sales and site security. It can custom-program integrations with a site's truck rental and routing, accounts payable, payroll or other software. For more information, call 800.321.1987, e-mail [email protected]; www.quikstor.com.