Why Customer Service Is So Important with a Storage Unit Company
Texas Mega Storage
July 27th, 2022
It is becoming increasingly important to maintain 5-star customer service for every industry. Companies lose billions in revenue each year because of poor customer service, and with the constant migration toward fully digital experiences, this experience is going to become even more vital over the years.
Why Is the Customer Experience So Important with A Self Storage Unit?
The biggest reason that the customer experience becomes so crucial with a self-storage business, is that there is very few customer-facing personnel that your customers deal with. You likely have a digital entry system, that only allows paid customers to enter and access their property, and perhaps some on-site maintenance personnel, but that’s probably the extent of it.
This means since there are so few opportunities to connect with the customer, each interaction has to be 5-star. The customer is likely only there to do one of a few potential actions, such as rent a unit, pay their bill, bring something into or out of storage, or get packing and moving supplies. Every time a member of the staff interacts with a customer this way, it should be absolutely excellent.
Tips For Boosting Customer Experience Ratings
Become The Face of Your Business
If you have a relatively small business, you can develop effective branding for your facility. If you, as the manager, become the face of that business, it can bring a different energy to your daily operations. You’ll be able to tap into your energy and enthusiasm reserves and flex your positive attitude to the benefit of your guests.
Make Yourself Available
If you are going to be unavailable for stretches of time, longer than a coffee break, be sure you have a line for customers to reach you. You should be reachable no matter where on the property you are, and where the customer is located. Let the customer know you’re on your way to help them with whatever they need.
One of the biggest ways to stretch your front desk presence while not actually being at the front desk is to create a self-service kiosk. With a tablet and a small stand, you can often have customers sign up, pay, and move in before you ever meet them. A personal follow-up once they’ve gotten in, however, is the mark of an excellent host.
Be Reachable & Responsive
Despite the constant march toward texting and digital meetings, many people still prefer to operate or maintain their communications with a phone. The phone will remain one of the most effective sales tools for many years to come, and if someone is calling your business, they are already a potential customer that needs further assistance.
One of the best ways to make sure that you are able to give a human touch to every interaction is to make sure your storage facility has a 24-hour customer service line. Even when you have a contract with the service provider, don’t let every call over to them. Answering the phone and personally signing up a customer, even when you’re very busy, is the sign of someone devoted to improving the customer experience.
Operate On Multiple Channels
The business landscape overall is experiencing a strong shift toward digital presence, and operation across multiple platforms. This adds to your communication opportunities. You can have customers reaching out to you not only on the phone and via text, but through direct messaging on a number of social media websites.
With recent upgrades, platforms like Facebook Messenger have become incredibly viable for communicating with customers. Many social platforms even have payment frameworks built in, so that orders can be submitted and bills paid directly through the social messaging platform. Additionally, with all of the accounts linked to a specific work smartphone, notifications will let you know instantly when someone communicates with your business.
Plan On Pandemic Restrictions
Many locations are still enforcing pandemic restrictions on in-person business operations. These are vitally important self-storage facilities that may not meet the strict guidelines for requiring to mask usage or distancing requirements. Make sure your staff is empowered and educated on how to keep as many people safe as possible.
Being proactive on many of these points can also make your business run smoother. Encouraging online, contact-free rentals can cut down on the amount of front desk time you need to commit, and while it cuts down on the face-to-face orientation period it reduces time costs during check-in.
Communicate With Your Customers
Being communicative with your customers, as well as previous and potential future tenants is a powerful technique for gaining trust locally. This can be anything from learning their names and chatting every now and again or adding them to a “thank you” card or holiday card list.
Active Listening Boosts Engagement
When someone engages you about a problem, don’t just file it away on that list of things you need to get done, engage with them. Find out how it inconvenienced them, is there something you can do to help make up for it, or was it just an item they wanted to draw your attention to. Let them know you understand and that keeping things in good repair is always at the top of your priorities.
Understanding The Importance of Customer Service in Self-Storage Applications Is Critical
Knowing that customer service is one of the only ways to gain an edge in self-storage is important. Too many will waste money on unrelated information, but knowing where to focus your resources can be imperative and a keystone to your success. Texas Mega Storage in Spring, Texas aims to set a high bar for incredible customer experience in the self-storage space.