» Self Storage Facilities

Checklist For Self Storage Renters
By admin on March 4, 2009 | No Comments

If you have real estate for sale and facing problems with storing your extra items that you cannot throw away but find not worth keeping in your house, then you must look for self storage facilities to store them. These facilities have some advantages and the best is that unlike the warehouses here you have the liberty to arrange the articles in your designated unit according to your choice and convenience. Taking out them also has the same facilities and some facilities even allow twenty-four hour operations seven days a week. In other units you will have to follow the timings of operation and they are normally such that you will not find many occasions to use them beyond those hours.

These are, no doubt, very convenient but whenever you are renting any such unit in one of the many self storage facilities spread across the country, you should check some essential matters related to the available service and plan your move. First of all you must be aware that you can hire self storing units for both personal and business use. The facilities can have regular storing units without climate control or with climate control or have both types of units on the same premises. You can choose one according to your needs. The advantages of the climate controlled units are that they are protected against any major changes in humidity and temperature. The insulation provides good protection against dust particles also and this is very appropriate for storing very fine instruments, curio, and any object that is sensitive to heat, moisture and dust.

The access to the self storage facilities is quite important. You must clearly think over this point. If you have a chance of regularly needing round the clock access as is often the case with the distributors, you should make sure that the facility has that advantage. Otherwise you should look for a different place with such facilities. Security is always a concern and it is better that you visit the facility personally to make a physical check before hiring the unit of your choice. Make sure that it is surrounded by a good and high perimeter fence. Also ask the manager if the facility has security lighting. The security cameras have become a standard fitting these days but still you must check that they are actually installed. Finally, ask if the compound is protected manually. You may not always get the last facility but some self storage facilities have that too. Also check if the facility is above the normal flood water level if you are in a place with such possibilities.

On your part you must take some measures to make the full utilization of the self storage facilities . You must carefully identify the articles that you want to keep in the storing units. You must always calculate it in terms of volumetric space required. Remember you are paying for the space and it is assumed that you do not want to waste your money. So do not measure the square feet you require, rather make it cubic feet you require. The units you hire come in various sizes and your prior calculation of the requirement of space will help you to identify the units that will best suit your need. To keep the small articles together use boxes and label them for the contents within them. Then arrange them in the order where the least required is kept at the farthest point while the frequently required should be placed at a point with easy access.

Self Storage Software

Tweet This Post
In Need of a Self Storage Facility
By admin on February 27, 2009 | No Comments

Imagine a situation when you are looking for your wooden tool box that has all yours small kits, such as pins, nails, hammers and screws. It is an emergency and you need your box in just few minutes. Your frantic search yields no results. Your mom suggests that the box must be in the garage since it was not much in use in the recent times. You rush to your garage and start looking for the box. To your frustration you find that the place has everything there except your wooden tool box. There is the old unused kids bike, the old television set, shoe boxes, some old glass jars that were once quite useful and some more unnecessary things. Frustrated and thoroughly exhausted you start realizing that it may take you hours to get the right box. You realize the need of the hour. You need some storing place and that too immediately. You need a self storage facility .

If you find this situation quite common where places like your garage is filled with outgrown clothes, jars, bags, containers, bins and every other thing, it means that you desperately need a storehouse. It is not possible always to make additions and renovations in your home and increase the store place. This can be a onetime solution but you cannot do this every time. A self storage facility is something that can act as your personal storeroom. You can tuck away things and keep your home decluttered. You do not have to worry about organizing them time and again or inspecting if they are well maintained. A self storage facility takes care of your goods when they are stored in them. It is just like increasing the storing place of your home outside your premises. Thankfully, today such facilities are available in large numbers and can be availed in every location, no matter where you stay. These facilities provide several packages and also have seasonal discounts. Though many people hire these units to keep their extra luggage and goods, many of these units are hired by people who are on move and need to store their goods on a temporary basis.

Thus any self storage facility offers options for long term storing as well as short terms storing. Customers get a chance to visit the premises before hiring the units and choose a space as per requirement. Some of the units are small with cabinets made in the units where small goods can be placed so that when need arises, you can easily find them. Other units maybe large and spacious to accommodate furniture and other goods that needs to be kept. Space thus varies even in a particular facility. Other than this, there are rental facilities which are specially made to store specific goods such as perishable goods or goods that need specific temperature. These units are called climate controlled units and are a little bit expensive when you compare them to other units.

A self storage facility is well secured and has round the clock protection. There are CCTVs installed in most facilities along with professional security guards who are on round the clock duty. The warehouses are pest and rodents free so that no goods are damaged due to these pests. The place is well lit with all fire fighting and fire protection equipment installed in the place.

Self Storage Industry

Tweet This Post
Uses of Self Storage Facilities
By admin on January 7, 2009 | No Comments

Self storage facilities have become indispensable for both individuals and investment property firms. A lot of storehouse operators have sprung up during the last decade. They are catering to the requirements of their domestic as well as corporate clients very well. These firms also provide transportation along with staff for relocating the items, free of cost, from offices or houses to the public storehouses. Some of these firms offer this amenity for free while others charge for them. There are some firms that do not offer these amenities at all, with or without payment. But they maintain contacts with professional companies and help the tenants in getting genuine professional movers to relocate the items from their places to the storehouses.

Sometimes self storage facilities are provided by professional relocating companies as well. When a tenant has to shift his items from one place to another he contacts a professional mover who provides a storehouse to the tenant to store his belongings for a certain period of time. The professionals are of great help when one cannot locate a dedicated storehouse in a desired area as they provide place for storing the belongings which may be moved in to a dedicated storehouse at a more convenient time.

Storehouses of different types and sizes are available for storing items of different types and quantities. Before selecting a storehouse, one should always consider a few points. The location of the self storage facilities is a very important factor. One should choose storehouses that are located in the vicinity of their houses or offices so that they can visit them at their convenience and access their belongings whenever required. The area in which the warehouse is located is also very important. It should be located in an area with good transportation amenities and security. One can choose from a variety of storehouses which may be mini, medium or large warehouses. The type of warehouse that one opts for should depend upon the number of items that one would like to store and the size of each individual item.

There are self storage facilities with different features. Some of them are ordinary. These storehouses are only meant for keeping items in them. There are other storehouses that have environmental regulation features and there are still others that are equipped with the most sophisticated security equipment. Items that get damaged when exposed to atmospheric temperature and moisture extremes should be kept in chambers that have environmental control features. Expensive items should be placed in those chambers that have the latest security equipment.

There is a lot of firms that offer a lot of packages for tenants when they store items in their storehouses. There are standardized as well as customized packages. It is always better for a tenant to take only those features that he really needs. For example, if he wants to store a very ordinary piece of furniture there is no point in going for self storage facilities with the latest security equipment. But if he wants to store some expensive jewelry then he should definitely go for those chambers that have a lot of high technology security features. The storehouse that a tenant wants to hire should be booked according to the desired amenities. There are different plans of booking and each plan is priced at a different rate.

Bourbonnais Self Storage

Chicago Self Storage

Tweet This Post
Self Storage Facility Facts
By admin on January 1, 2009 | No Comments

Storing items in a self storage facility meant for general public has got a lot of advantages. One need not try to cram up all his belongings in small rental homes or urban accommodations. He can place all his extra items in a public storehouse. These public storehouses are of great utility to people who have to relocate. They can place a lot of their less frequently used items in public storehouses and shift over to the new location. The storehouses are provided on a short term as well as long term basis. They can be hired for a couple of days or for a couple of years, according to the requirement.

There are different types and sizes of storehouses available for storing items. One can choose a self storage facility of the size and type that suits his requirements. There are storehouses with different types of features, such as, environmental regulation and security features. One should opt for those features that are truly required for preserving his items in a good condition. He should not go for features that are highly sophisticated but of little use. One should select a storehouse that can accommodate all the items that need to be stored well. Insufficient area for storing items will only damage them whereas excess area can be wasteful. One should choose a storehouse of the correct size.

Nowadays, there are a lot of storehouses available in the city. Hence a self storage facility can be easily found in most of the localities of a city or town. One can easily keep his belongings in a storehouse that is located in the vicinity of his house so that he can easily access his belongings at his convenience, without wasting much time in traveling from his house to the storehouse. Transportation of his belongings from his residence to the public storehouse is also very convenient and fast when the storehouse is located nearby.

A storehouse should be chosen according to the number and type of items that one would like to place in it. For storing furniture, it is always better to choose a self storage facility that is large and spacious. Before placing furniture in a storehouse, it is always advisable to dismantle it to its constituent parts. This will enable easy packing. It will also occupy less area in the storehouse. For storing small items, such as clothes, jewelry, or books one can opt for a medium sized or small storehouse. The firms that provide the storing areas will charge the tenant according to the size of the area opted for. The areas that are large, definitely, will carry a greater hiring charge than small ones. One can always opt for a storing area of a limited size as he will not have to pay charges for any extra area.

The hiring fee of a self storage facility also depends upon the amenities that one opts for. For storing inexpensive items, it is always better to go for a storehouse that does not have environmental regulation and sophisticated security features. Environmental regulation is required for storing those items that run the risk of being damaged owing to extremely high or low atmospheric humidity or temperature. These include metallic and wooden items. Environmental regulation is an important feature where the atmospheric temperature and humidity are moderate.

Self Storage Industry

Tweet This Post
New Self Storage Technology
By admin on December 22, 2006 | No Comments

In our call center we take overflow call for self storage facilities nationwide. Calls come to us by call forwarding when the on site managers cannot get to the phone or when the office is closed. I do not think that call forwarding is all that new a concept but it seems that many of our callers just do not grasp it. Many times when I explain that the office is closed they excitedly demand to know why managers are not available and when they will receive a return call. If I tell them that I am not on site and that the call has automatically transferred to me and they could call back in a few minutes or I could transfer them to voice mail, they demand to know what the telephone number is. I assure them that they have the correct number but store personnel were not available to take the call so it forwarded to me. Next they want me to tell the store manager to call them. I advise them that I can put them through to voicemail so they can leave a message.

Next the caller may demand to know where the manager is and why they did not answer their phone. I advise them that the manager may be on the lot with a customer or even on another phone line. They ask again what the number for the self storage business is and you are right back into that same loop where the caller does not wish to acknowledge the possibility of call forwarding. There does not seem to be a good way to explain this.

You might believe that only elderly people would not understand this technology but you really would not believe the number of people who find it impossible to understand.

I do understand that elderly people have a problem. Technology has changed so rapidly and there is so much that is different from they childhood. I have had a call from an elderly lady who was concerned that she had done something wrong and that she was being charged for a long distance call. I did manage to explain it to her so that she understood it.

Now many storage companies are on line. We are helping customers pay bills on line; we are using the Internet to help customers rent units for other self storage facilities. As technology changes are implemented in more companies that we serve there will be opportunities to have new sales techniques and tools that will lead to sales increases.
We will just need to be on our toes to help customers understand them.

Written by Dana Shields PhoneSmart call center head supervisor

Thank you for visiting our blog. We offer an insider view of the self storage industry

We are PhoneSmart, your off site sales force call center in Columbia, Missouri

Your local self storage unit provider in 195 SW Boulevard Kansas City, KS. 66103

Quality Assurance Testing You can be assured we’ll get the job done right.

Tweet This Post
Jingle The Jingle
By admin on December 13, 2006 | No Comments

Thank you for visiting our self storage blog. We offer an insider view of the self storage industry, its trends and funny stories.

Written by Kay Johnson PhoneSmart call center blog editor and reservations specialist.

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in central Missouri. Homes are decorated with red and green and white and gold. In the words of that old song “Silver Bells” “strings of street lights even stop lights blink and bright read and green . . .”

People are calling for self storage to help them through the season. A man called the other day looking for a place to store the new car that he was giving as a gift; many people rent a 5 x 5 to keep the “Santa” gifts in as children are very enterprising in seeking out what you thought was well hidden.

When my own sons were little, we had barns and grain bins and many places to hide the special gifts. Even so there were wrapped presents under the tree and they got very clever about “breaking in” Sometimes they would actually open the present and then have to wrap it in different paper. I got just as clever about foiling these attempts. If I found a package disturbed or re wrapped, I would often take away the hot wheels or boy type gift and replace it with a doll that said “mama” Sometimes, I would place a burned out light bulb and a ball bearing or two in a box. It was worth the effort to see their darling little faces when they shook the box hard and heard the breaking glass. (That was a little present just for me. It was almost as good as putting a willow switch in the stockings) but I digress.

Today many people live in smaller spaces. The 9 room two story farmhouse that my family shared has given way to the economical and streamlined apartment or condo. Many families find it inconvenient even to store their tree and decorations during the rest of the year. We are receiving many self storage calls in the call center for such needs. It is very good and can lad to sales increase for our self storage facilities however we must be strong and courteous as many callers a stressed by the demands of the season and need patience and a kind word. I am happy to offer a bit of sympathy with the price and availability of the storage unit. It is a very valuable sales technique.

By the way, I would be happy to pay the storage fee if someone would like to buy a car for me.

We are PhoneSmart your off site sales force call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Your local self storage unit provider in 9702 W. 67th St. Merriam, KS. 66203

Total Quality Assurance Services Your all in one Quality Assuarance Portal

Tweet This Post
PhoneSmart Employee Compliment Certificates
By admin on November 21, 2006 | No Comments

I’ve mentioned in previous blogs that we try our best to acknowledge our employees and their efforts to make the most of each call when dealing with our clients’ customers, as well as other areas in the workplace. One way that we like to acknowledge our call center employees is by giving out “Employee Compliment Certificates”.

Whenever an employee receives a compliment from a customer, we hand out a certificate stating as much information as possible regarding what the compliment was, so the employee knows what sales techniques they used in order to deserve it. Our employees seem to enjoy this quite a bit, as they post each and every one of theirs into their small cubicle space for others to view and praise them. Sometimes, I think a few are competing with each other to see who gets the most awards in different areas.

We also enjoy giving them out because they deserve to be recognized for not just a job well done, but for affecting a caller so much that the caller went out of their way to give the compliment to that employee. Many times, the caller passes the praises on to the storage facility’s employee or manager when they get to the store and the manager gives us a call back telling us about them. It feels great to know that our call center reps make such an impact, that those callers go out of their way to compliment an employee. So, if you have received any compliments regarding our employees, even if from the store location itself, we would highly appreciate your passing them along to us.

Stay tuned for individual PhoneSmart “Employee Compliment Certificates” that have been awarded.

Written by Robin Turner PhoneSmart call center manager.

Thank you for visiting the PhoneSmart call center blog an insider view of the self storage industry.

Your local self storage unit provider in 794 Scenic Hwy. Lawrenceville, GA. 30045

Total Quality Assurance Services Quality Assurance Testing

Tweet This Post
HANG UPS = LOST MONEY
By admin on August 3, 2006 | No Comments

Wendy Lane seasoned PhoneSmart call center rep offers these observations on hang-ups.

Welcome to the PhoneSmart call center blog and insider view of the self-storage industry.

We all hate calls that end in “click.” Sometimes it can’t be helped. Sometimes, we just don’t have the right price or the best location. Still there is no reason for a person to be rude and just hang up. But it is one of the downfalls of this profession. If we are to answer the phones we cannot predict which calls are going to be genuine calls for self storage and which ones are not.

However, if you own a self storage business it is almost silly not to have a backup plan for times when you can’t get to the phone. So that is where PhoneSmart can come in and handle those phone calls and of course all of the less desirable phone calls and hang ups. We are equipped to handle every storage situation. We have trained storage professionals waiting to answer your customer’s calls and turn that call into some revenue for your storage facility. We offer a variety of services and what do you have to lose? Everyone wants to make money and see their sales increase and we are eager to make that money for your facility. Then at least you will not be the one getting hung up on!!!!

Self Storage in Hialeah, Florida Call Manager Willie at (305)826-4119, 1300 West 49th Street

Contact center services at Total Quality Assurance Services

Tweet This Post
Closing Concerns
By admin on July 24, 2006 | No Comments

Ronald Smith PhoneSmart operator offers ideas for closing.

Welcome to the PhoneSmart call center blog and insider diary of the self-storage industry.

I have gotten a few calls where I went through the script and the caller has concerns when closing the deal. Sometimes they aren’t the normal concerns that every customer has. They have concerns with the extra fees discussed in the wrap-up portion of the call.

Some storage facilities may choose not to tell the customer of the extra setup fees that come with setting up a storage facility. These fees could be insurance, processing fees, or even something small such as requiring a lock to be sold at the store. Sometimes these fees are essential to making or breaking a sell. I understand the reasoning behind not telling them about the fees. Things such as processing fees or admin fees are starting to be a part of the decision process for future customers. Some facilities choose to tell the customer about the fees either after they have setup the unit or when the customer calls about extra charges on their bill. I believe it is better to tell the customer about these fees.

The first reason I would take this approach is it looks good on the company. It gives them the impression that we go the extra mile for the customer and they appreciate that. I have gotten calls where I have given the fees and was thanked for it because other stores had not done that for them. They ended up calling us back because of that very reason. Second, I believe it’s part of having quality customer service. I believe quality customer service is giving the customer all of the information to help them make an informed decision. Quality customer service puts the customer first and gets them involved in the decision making process. These things can help increase your business and generate future business through good word of mouth.

Storage Concierge Self Storage in Georgia

Storage Concierge Self Storage in Illinois

Storage Concierge Self Storage in Kansas

Tweet This Post
But It’s In The Phone Book!
By admin on May 15, 2006 | No Comments

Welcome to our Self Storage Blog, a diary of the Self Storage industry.

A training tip from Robin Turner, PhoneSmart call center manger

How many times have you heard that from a caller? Or a customer?

You get a caller who asks about the free truck, but your self-storage facility doesn’t offer it… how do you handle it?

Whatever you do, don’t just cold-shoulder them, as you’ll most likely lose your potential customer. Know how to respond. Especially if the caller is irate because they expect you should have it and it should be honored since it was in the phonebook. My best advice I can give is to acknowledge, explain and overcome. I’ve heard too many times… “No, we don’t have it, sorry.” And the caller hangs up in frustration.

Think about how you will handle that call next time. Some questions to ask of yourself are… “Why is it in the phonebook? What other store locations do we have that do offer a free truck that are near by? What can I offer the caller in order to make up for the free truck? Would this caller still need storage if they can’t find a free truck elsewhere? Do you rent trucks? How close does the caller live from your property? Is it the most convenient location for them”?

Qualify the caller, sell your store location and what the benefits would be if they rent with you vs. the other guy… and what ever you do, don’t simply let them go. That would be the worst-case scenario. They could rent from you simply because you went so out of your way to sincerely help them with all of the possible solutions they could choose from, that they may just go ahead and rent with you. Wow! Another rental to add to your list!

Secret Shopping Blog Your inside peek

PhoneSmart Your Source for Lead Generation

Self Storage Search Engine Self Storage in Kansas

Tweet This Post

» Self Storage Facilities

Categories

Pages