There are currently more self-storage facilities in the United States than there are McDonalds and Subways combined. So, it’s easy to say that Americans have a bit of a hoarding issue. For self-storage owners, that’s like a dream come true. The revenue involved with owning a self-storage facility has exponentially increased by the billions year after year.
In a Wall Street Journal article shared in 2015, Christopher Merrill, who currently manages $7.9 billion in [self-storage] assets said, ‘“Your competition is the dumpster.”‘ If you need even more reassurance, here are ten signs the self-storage industry is taking over.
Solving Call Tracking’s Biggest Pain Point
With business booming, the rise of big data and digitization, self-storage facilities are finding it difficult to keep up, and are facing one of their biggest pain points yet:
- Lack of Interoperable Solutions: Tracking phone calls is a pain, especially if your boss asks you to turn those calls into a report. In the report, you can compare new vs. existing customer analytics and then strategize on how to increase your ROI for next month. It’s a lot of numbers, and sometimes those numbers can become jumbled.
In an attempt to solve these issues, self-storage operators are finding themselves searching for a self-storage solution. Face it, you’ve gone to Google and have searched for ways to maximize your facility manager’s time and effort. Time and time again, you find that researching useful tips and trying to implement them can only go so far.
Are You Tracking Phone Numbers?
Let’s say that Tom, the general manager of a self-storage facility, has hired Kathy to manage inbound and outbound calls. Kathy is finding that when she answers an incoming call, about five more people are calling into the facility. Now, you may say to yourself, no big deal; they will have to be on hold for a bit. But — what if that caller is desperate for a storage unit? They call in, Kathy puts them on hold but never asks for their name or number. When she goes back to answer the phone, all she gets is a dial tone. Do you know what happened? That person just called your competitor and didn’t have to wait. Although your prices may be the best in town, they’ve decided to go with your worst nightmare. Face it, Kathy was overwhelmed, it happens.
The Difference Between Tom And His Competitors
So, now, you’re probably asking, well why didn’t that caller have to wait when they called into my competitor’s facility? Well, your competitor has a call tracking solution. The caller dialed in, was given the option to hold, but decided to say screw it and call into another storage facility. So — that’s bad right? But wait… Tammy, your competitor’s call manager, gave that caller a jingle bac. How? Well… Tammy’s storage facility has implemented a call tracking solution that can track phone calls and get the caller’s name, number, and location, making it easier for Tammy to call them up and sell services before it’s too late.
Time To Increase Your Business’s Productivity
Maybe you’re paying Kathy the big bucks, and yet her time isn’t being utilized to its full potential. Answering inbound calls are only half of Kathy’s job. She now has to figure out a time to make outbound calls to collect storage unit payments, remind customer’s of their upcoming due date, in addition to calling the prospective customers. You feel as though you are wasting company dollars by missing inbound sales calls, forgetting to call back prospects, and not keeping track of your renter’s payments. You want a call intelligence solution that does it all so that Kathy can focus more on customer support, and creating the ultimate customer experience.