What are customers looking for in a self-storage facility?

Sue_C

It's a deceptively simple concept: Get a bunch of rooms with locks on the doors and let people store their stuff there. So why do some facilities in my neighborhood of Raleigh, NC seem to do better than others? How are customers choosing one facility over the other? There are some basic aspects that every customer looks for: cleanliness, safety, price, access hours, etc. Aside from these obvious factors, what are customers looking for in a self-storage facility?

Self-Storage4Life

I'm 25 (definitely a millennial) and I've only rented a unit a handful of times, but I know that I look for facilities that are going to either let me do everything online OR be very fast about getting my lease signed. @Madison_Garris - you're a millennial too. What does our generation want?

Madison_Garris

I think millennials look for the same qualities in a storage unit as everyone else. Cost-effectiveness, ease of use, cleanliness, and security!

Self-Storage4Life

Too true. When I rented a unit I checked for:

Cameras
Proximity to my apartment (of course)
Ease of access (is it going to be easy to move my stuff in there?)
But really I want to know that they're reliable. I want to know they care about their facility.

I think it comes down to the amount of effort people put into their facility. Customers can sense if a manager / owner isn't putting the time or the money to stay up-to-date with their facility. What exactly "up-to-date" means if up for discussion

Sue_C

I get the reliability part, but I'm not sure if tenants are too concerned about a facility being up-to-date, except with security features of course.

For me, it comes down availability of the unit size I would need, then price & location.

Self-Storage4Life

Sue_Creaser said:

I get the reliability part, but I'm not sure if tenants are too concerned about a facility being up-to-date, except with security features of course.

For me, it comes down availability of the unit size I would need, then price & location.

@Sue_Creaser I agree. Availability, price and location are the major factors. What do you think about electronic leases / being able to rent online? Would you be more inclined to rent at a super high-tech facility?

Sue_C

Absolutely! I may even rent sight-unseen if I could reserve and pay for a unit all online. So much easier.
Say you're finding a unit for your parents who are downsizing, and they live 1500 miles away and have no idea where to rent a unit and may not be very mobile anyway. You'll feel so much better if you can sign an electronic lease and have everything ready to go before the big move, and your folks won't have to worry about it

Thomas

When it comes to Personal storage, That's basic. What helps the customer is letting them know you have a dedicated locker just for incoming UPS and Motor freight & FedEx shipments. My customers now avoid Porch Pirates from stealing from the front door of their home. When my customers are traveling, They can ship packages here via UPS instead paying a fortune from the Airlines.  For the customers who buy and trade online, They meet here at the storage building where the lobby offers security and cameras. Answering the phone after hours and coming to the office 24/7 for any moveins also increases customer satification. 

ThriftyStorage

I have no clue!!!! WHY DO we make this more complicated than it is?

AZStorageGuy

Management.

That one comes up on a regular basis.  New prospects will shop price and location first.  Then they will look at amenities (moving truck), access hours, etc..

But what seals the deal is who is behind the counter.  (And, in my company's case, who is answering the phone.  We do not use a call center. That's another discussion thread for another day!) 

I can't tell you how many times prospects who have shopped around have come in and rented from us because of how we treated them, how we interacted with them, both on the phone and in person.

Google reviews (and other online reviews-Facebook, etc.) are a big part of this.  Those reviews are a direct reflection on the management.  People talk about their experiences with the businesses they patronize.  And with the Internet Age, good news and bad news both travel at the same speed.  Good managers do what they can to get only "good news" from their tenants and former tenants. 

This leads to nice long term rewards: repeat customers. 

Once you've made a customer REALLY glad they rented from you, unless their needs change or they move away, you've got them for life.  When they need storage space again they will think of YOU and the great experience you gave them -- careful attention, courteousness, professionalism, thoughtfulness, friendliness, honesty, integrity.  They'll be back.

A good manager will make the deal.  A bad one will break it!

anotherattic

I agree with all the above-the personal touch-knowing management is on top of everything is a big plus. In our area everyone wants our 10x20 or larger drive up units. We hardly ever have vacancies on those units and when we do, I always have a waiting list to rent them out. Most people want the convenience of a drive up unit instead of having to park, go into our building, down the hall etc.

MichaelSullivanR

I completely agree with above replies, especially with the management ones. Not only the services and facilities provided are the only things that a customer looks for in their storage facility. Here during my last use of a self storage in Toronto I picked Jiffy Storage and was glad with the reception I received and the facilities offered was no less than any other storage condos. The rate that I received was also moderate, for the 5x10 sq.ft area that I required for storage during house renovation. I did store a set of furnitures in from a room over and replace them with other room’s items when the renovation is done over the other room. It was the team from Jiffy who did suggest the method in as an offer when the storage room facility was getting pretty tight with my already budgeted renovation. This gave me a good option to make sure my furnitures nor easily dust accumulating items to be moved across to the self storage. It all just matters to the response and the manner in which the team handles the customer. It makes a great impact on whether to take a storage space from them or not, irrespective of the facilities. Then where the facilities are available, no one would regret in having a space for rent from the provider.

BReeZy

I agree with AZStorageGuy wholeheartedly! It matters to the max how you treat your incoming prospects and your existing rental customer base, it just matters more than you think it could or should. It's not complicated, treat others like you want to be treated. 

MamaDuke7

@storable_support this last post is spam.

storable_support

@MamaDuke7 - thanks so much for always looking out for that!