» Self Storage

The TQAS department has officially moved! We have headed west in the building that some of the StorageMart offices occupy. After we spent an entire day moving desks and cubicle walls, we finally got it right.

It hardly ever is fun to move (unless it’s some tropical destination with a cabana boy at your service) so when the subject was brought up, there was a small amount of grumbling. The grumbling didn’t last and we are making ourselves at home in our new space.

When is the last time you moved? My mom and I moved 13 times in 12 years. On the other end of the spectrum, my future mother in law has only lived in one other home besides the one she was born in and still lives in. Besides being a pain the butt for most, moving does has its advantages; it makes you sort through all the stuff you have. This action alone may cause some folks to throw away needless items, have a yard sale, or need self storage, but basically it involves condensing their belongings. Just think if we were nomads we would have to carry everything we own, I couldn’t do it unless I had a team of horses.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive, business blog writer, and past self storage renter.

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PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Find your self storage unit at 1515 Church St, Lake Charles, LA 70601

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Now I’m sure at first glance, no one would really classify the self storage business as a glamorous business. However, from my experience, it is the most glamorous work I’ve ever done (not saying much is it?). Over the thousands of calls that I have taken regarding self storage I have managed to speak with representatives of BET, MTV, MGM, and Comedy Central. They were all looking to store sound equipment or lighting equipment. MTV was doing it for a spring break special that they needed somewhere to put their stuff while the filming was happening. I may not necessarily have spoken with a big wig at any of the corporations or any of their star personalities but how cool is it to say that “Comedy Central called me at work!”

To be honest, I was a little surprised that such large companies and/or networks would inquire about storing their equipment at a self storage place. It’s just unusual to me that companies that have access to all of the many Hollywood warehouses available in their area, would still need a storage facility that one of us “normal” people use. It just goes to show that no business is too good for storage and not to rule out big businesses or corporations as possible long term tenants.

Written by: Julio Montes

Thanks for reading our self storage blog. We put sales and self storage together.

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Self storage is right next door at 1601 Twilight Trail, Frankfort, KY 40601

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A 2,000 square foot cubicle!

Can you imagine such a thing? Anyone who has ever sat in a cubicle for any amount of time is currently experiencing a rush of joy and elation. Sorry to burst your bubble, but such a thing is too good to be true.

The reps in our call center sit in cubicles while on the phone. Since the time I was put on bed rest, I’ve been sitting in a cubicle of my own sorts. Although I don’t have upholstered mauve walls surrounding three sides of me, I have been staring at the same wall for two months, and counting. I’ve come to realize that it’s not the size of the space that matters as much as how often you’re allowed to get up and stretch from that space.

PhoneSmart has very generous rules that allow their employees a break from what could otherwise become a mind-numbing existence. Every employee is allowed a 10 minute break once an hour. They are allowed to get up, go outside, go across the street to the gas station, stretch, grab a bit to eat or anything they can dream up within 10 minutes. Of course, only one person can be up at a time, but this is still the most liberal call center practice I know of. 

Even the genius minds who thought up baseball know the people sitting in those chairs, packed so close together you can’t have an entire elbow on the arm rest, need a seventh inning stretch. Consider the amount of time your employees spend in the same place and how often they have an opportunity to get up and breathe a little.

As for me, I would be glad to get outside. I’d even volunteer to mow the grass!

Written by: Sarah Little, TQA Executive and Blog Editor.

Thanks for reading our business blog and self storage diary. We know the sales and self storage industry inside and out.

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Need some extra space? Rent a storage space at 4400 S. 13th St, Milwaukee, WI 53221

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I am new to the storage business; I have been employed at the call center nearly three weeks now. Before working at PhoneSmart, I never had a clue as to why people used storage units. I’ve taken strange calls that had me boggled for minutes until I turned to my co-worker to ask for help. While I was still in training, I was listening in on a phone conversation where the woman wanted to know if she could run a Kinko’s type business from this particular facility. The trainer took the call as if there was nothing strange about it, but no, that was not available at the storage site. As soon as the call ended I quickly asked why they would ask that. I thought it was a prank call or something. They informed me that there are some self storage businesses that allow the clients to run a small business out of them as long as it is within the storage facility hours. I have heard and taken numerous other calls where it makes you ask that famous question…Why would someone ask that? As a storage insider I have learned a lot in the short time that I have been in the business. It is a totally new world to me.
 
Written by: Tonya Pirtle

Thank you for reading our business blog; a diary of a self storage call center.

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Looking for storage? 1575 Thousand Oaks, San Antonio, TX 78232 has space for you.

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The other day, I had to call my cell phone company to ask them a few questions regarding my bill. It was a terrible experience. First, I was on hold for what seemed like forever, it was really about fifteen minutes. Second, I was transferred to three different people before I finally got a hold of someone that could help me. Third, the representative that I spoke with was extremely rude. I was not happy with my calling experience.

I am glad that when self storage customers reach the PhoneSmart call center; their experience is generally pleasant. Our sales representatives use sales techniques that ensure callers are provided with all the information they want or need. They also do everything in their power to complete a reservation for PhoneSmart clients. The clientele that Tron and the rest of the PhoneSmart team work so hard to attain and retain are paying for quality call center service. I know that on one or more occasion, clients have switched to other call center services and then returned to PhoneSmart; the quality of other call centers just does not compare. I am glad that I am working for a company that has a reputation worthy of its services.

Written by: Shauna AuBac, outbound call specialist.

Thanks for reading PhoneSmart’s self storage blog, a diary of the self storage industry.

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Reserve your storage space at 103 Stone Mill Rd, Lancaster, PA 17603

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I recently came across an article from the UK on how a self storage company promoted not only its business but the self storage industry as a whole by having a stand at a consumer/home show consisting of  a typical self storage unit.  What a fantastic and novel marketing concept! I am not sure if this has been attempted at any home and garden show or consumer show but one thing I know is that right about this time of year, there are dozens if not hundreds of home/consumer shows that are taking place or are about to take place where the self storage industry could not only sell the self storage industry but also educate the consumer.  There are trade shows and conference shows for businesses within the self storage industry, but the average everyday consumer would attend the home and garden show.  Many people out there are not aware of all the advantages there are to renting a self storage unit.  The self storage industry can indeed inform and educate the consumer at the home and garden show by teaching consumers how beneficial and practical it is for them to gain a storage unit and solve their clutter problems. 

What type of consumer tends to attend  a home and garden/consumer show– a consumer who is doing some  “cleaning up” in their home.  Another obvious type of consumer at one of these shows is a person doing some renovating or upgrading work to their home.  An additional type of consumer is the one doing yard improvement work.  This type of consumer will need extra room to put the stuff they currently have in their yard like patio furniture, lawn chairs, barbecues, bird baths, etc. 

A different type of target consumer is at an RV show.  Self storage facilities that offer RV spots could certainly gain several new customers just by setting up a small booth at an RV show. By letting the RV consumer know that once they’ve purchased an RV, they do not have to worry about trying to figure out where they’re going to park the RV.  Next time I go to a home and garden show I am going to keep my eyes open and see if I spot a self storage stand.

Written by: Carmen Huff, one of PhoneSmart’s top performing reservation specialists.

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PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Rent a storage unit at 718 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217

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I received a call from a prospect not too long ago inquiring about self storage. The caller was shopping around for the best prices. The interesting aspect of this conversation was when the caller stated that she currently had a unit with at another facility. The customer said, that her mother said she had once had a storage unit at our client’s facility a couple of years ago and that perhaps the caller should check out our client’s facility because, if she recalled, our clients had the better prices. As I proceeded to give the caller information about the facility, when I got to the price, she said the following, “ Are you serious? Oh my gosh your prices are so cheap compared to what I am currently paying!” Then when I offered her the current special, she became even more enthusiastic. She of course immediately wanted to reserve a storage unit and even commented on how she should have called sooner. Needless to say, a happy caller is the type of caller we like or prefer to have. I know that will not be the case each time but it does make a difference to me when I can make a caller happy while at work.

Written by Carmen Huff, self storage reservation expert.

Thanks for reading PhoneSmart’s self storage blog. We know the self storage and rental industry.

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Start your spring cleaning with a storage unit at 2403 Rangeline St, Columbia, MO 65202.

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Does your self storage business need a storage unit? I know PhoneSmart shares a few storage units with our parent company, StorageMart. Located in the same building as StorageMart’s corporate headquarters, we all acquire boxes of stuff we think we might need someday and file cabinets full of last year’s paperwork. I’m sure we’ve contributed a few broken cubicles or office chairs with only one arm.

It’s probably more often that things go in than they ever come out again. Recently, we decided it was time to clear out the clutter. The office looked much bigger when the posterboards weren’t stuffed behind the filing cabinet and the corner in the hallway didn’t have boxes piled up. Although our callers on the phone never see us, having an organized working space will filter through into our phone conversations.

A rep with some elbow room is much happier than one crunched between old air conditioning units and boxes of broken telephones. Deciding what to discard versus what you should put into storage is sometimes obvious, but other times it might be a toss up. Ask yourself if there’s value in keeping it and why you might need it again. (Will you even remember you have it?)

Written by: Sarah Little, TQA Executive.

Thanks for reading PhoneSmart’s self storage blog; we know the ins and out of the self storage industry.

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Find self storage at 2055 Mercator Dr, Reston, MD 20191

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Written by Ronald Smith PhoneSmart call center reservations specialist and business blog writer.

Thank you for visiting our blog. We offer an insider diary of the self storage industry, it’s trends and often a funny story.

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

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The Version Julie Andrews Never Sang…

Somebody breathing on the other end but they never say anything.
Somebody asking to store dead bodies.
Somebody calling for Metro PCS.
Somebody demanding to pay the rent that is already late.
Somebody yelling at me because they are locked in the property.
Somebody yelling at me because they are locked out of the property.
Somebody yelling at me for something I didn’t do but they are making it my fault anyway.
Somebody yelling and saying mean things for something Idid not do but they are making my fault anyway.
Picking up to a fax signal.

Your local self storage unit provider in 1575 Thousand Oaks San Antonio, TX. 78232

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