From self-driving cars to “smart” toasters to phones that can be folded, consumer behavior continues trending toward a greater reliance on technology. Nowhere is this reliance felt more acutely than in retail. Consumers expect to be able to pick up their smartphone and quickly find what they’re looking for, where it’s located, if other people like it, and if they can afford it.
While much slower to adapt than other industries, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic made it obvious that self-storage would have to get with the times.
According to data collected by McKinsey & Company, (Consumer sentiment and behavior continue to reflect the uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis, McKinsey & Company, October 2020), there has been a 20-40% net increase in the intent of American consumers to spend online even post-Covid-19 and 73% of U.S. consumers have changed stores, brands pr the way they shop.
When the current pandemic became a reality in many cities and towns in early 2020, many companies without touchless technology in place were unable to operate and suffered significant losses. While stay-at-home orders closed many non-essential businesses and forced consumers to shelter in place, Store Space found itself ready for the challenge after introducing Touchless Rentals in March. By embracing technology that allows customers to complete the rental process, purchase merchandise, make payments and receive move-in details without physically interacting with another human being, Store Space positioned itself to best meet the needs of consumers who needed a safe and clean place for their valuable belongings.
The real key to the success of the Touchless Rentals program is known as Storage360, a proprietary software platform encompassing marketing, operations and technology. Designed for storage operators by storage operators, the functionality and the science behind Storage360 are designed to maximize a facility’s revenue and streamline operations in real time. Storage360 puts some of the most advanced 21st century technologies into the hands of any self-storage owner.
Storage360 is just one of the tools available to independent operators who partner with Store Space, as the Store Space approach is to become a partner in the operation to alleviate the owner-operator’s stress over the endless details that go into running and operating self-storage properties successfully.
Many storage property owners find that running a facility themselves is far more stressful and demanding of their time than they originally could conceive. Mission critical tasks including maintenance, marketing and growing revenue must be considered when choosing whether to outsource management of a facility.
Here are the advantages of partnering with Store Space:
- State-of-the-Art Web Platform: Our web platform was designed to give consumers a first-class web experience to view pricing and promotions in real-time and reserve or rent their storage unit online. The platform also leverages cutting-edge SEO best practices to drive qualified organic leads and optimize conversion rates. With MyStorage Portal, customers can make payments, manage automatic billing preferences, view billing history and more. The result of this innovation is the ability to better capture consumer demand at minimal cost.
- Intelligent Revenue Management: Aligned with our partners, Store Space’s primary objective is maximizing revenue, not increasing occupancy to appease shareholders. While most 3rd party managers will consistently drop rental rates, especially the high-volume operators, Storage360 is built to understand where rates should be for every unit at every property in every market to maximize cash flow.
- The “Storage That Cares” Brand: In addition to having an easily recognizable brand, Store Space has also built a reputation of “Storage that Cares.” Driven by our CARE culture (Customers, Assets, Revenue and Employees), “Storage That Cares” best reflects how we treat our customers, each other and our community as we strive to provide the best possible self-storage experience. “Storage that Cares” is not just our motto, it’s how we run our company.
- Kiosk and Point-of-Sale Tablets: We equip Store Space locations with a self-service kiosk, and store managers have point-of-sale tablets. Managers can perform tasks with their customers, such as drive-up rentals or accepting rent payments, from anywhere in the facility, while the kiosks offer the same functionality when the manager isn’t readily available. Kiosks are, or will soon be, positioned in vestibules allowing 24-hour access to customers wishing to rent a storage unit or make a payment.
- Consolidated Communications: At Store Space, we’ve consolidated all our operational and marketing communications into one platform. This puts important data into one easily accessible place, greatly reduces costs and eliminates the need for additional third-party vendors. Our solution includes store phones, call tracking numbers, call center operations and more.
- In-House Customer Care, Sales and Collections Center: Store Space’s in-house call center is highly focused on renting storage units and, unlike many other operators, our call center agents can complete a full rental with a customer over the phone. Trained specialists field inbound sales calls, answer account questions, take payments, call past due accounts and provide top notch customer service 7 days a week.
- Flat Pricing: Unlike the high-volume operators that itemize every fee and service, Store Space has a unique flat-pricing model that offers genuine savings and includes proprietary technology.
Store Space is a self-storage operator and third-party management company. Located in Winter Garden, FL, the Company currently owns, has under purchase agreement, and/or operates 43 properties in 15 states. The Company fuels growth and value with their experience driven operations, state-of-the-art Storage360 proprietary platform and strategic digital marketing programs. You can contact us at inquiries@storespace.com or visit us at StoreSpace.com
