Self storage is an industry filled with lifelong pros, people who have been in storage and weathered several recessions, international inflations, and even the pandemic. It can be intimidating to find your footing in such a crowded industry.
One of the ways the average self storage owner can fall behind is through technology.
If you’ve been in the game for a long time, you’ve had a decade to slowly introduce tech and automation to your facility, but for the first-timers and new owners, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin!
Fortunately, we’ve written a lot about self storage tech!
Whether you need property management software or you’re curious about different digital locks, we’re gonna cover it all!
But before we get into the nitty-gritty of the self storage tech world, it’s important to make a distinction: Do I need this, or does this just sound like I need it? There are countless ways to upgrade your facility, but not all of them are necessary.
Know your tenants. What do they need? That’s the best place to start when you’re upgrading or setting up your facility.
When it comes to talking about self storage technology, there’s really no other place to start than your property management software.
You can think of your PMS as the nervous system of your facility. Most of your other software will have to integrate with your property management software, so it’s crucial that you make the best choice for your facility.
What can a PMS do?
A PMS is designed to meet your basic needs, and although they can often do much more, a PMS will do your bookkeeping, adjust pricing, and give you automated communication with your tenants.
Boiled down: a property management system helps you store and manage your information, whether that’s unit availability or customer contact information, everything is centralized into one secure, convenient place.
There are scores of options when it comes to choosing your property management system, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for when choosing. The average property management software make it effortless to store and manage your tenants, their information, and your units. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?
If you want to get a more in-depth take on all that a PMS can do, and known brands, read our blog here!
Communication has never been more important in the self storage industry than it is today.
Communicating with your tenant goes a lot further than an introduction, there are also review requests, payment reminders, and security updates (and so much more).
When it comes to communication, it’s better to have communicated too well than not at all.
Instead of spending your time chasing down every single late payment, let automation do it. Instead of reminding a tenant of their code, let your PMS (or communication software) handle it. The point of implementing new software in your facility is to make your and your tenants’ lives easier, so it’s important to know what you need.
Taking the guesswork out of your communication will free up your time for more important jobs, like maintaining your brand-new facility!
If you want to learn more about how setting up automation can improve your customer feedback, read here!
Traditionally, a self storage facility would have combination locks, maybe keypad gate access, but all of that is changing.
Sure, these are still widespread ways of doing things in self storage, but those who are new to the scene have a unique advantage. When you automate your facility, you don’t have to retrofit all of the units, you can start fresh and ahead of the curve!
Smart access comes in a lot of shapes and sizes, anywhere from remote access locks on your self storage units, or automatic gate entry using GPS.
There are scores of options for your access control, but smart access has made a massive breakthrough in the self storage industry, and there’s a lot of reasons why.
Let’s begin where it all starts, the front gate.
Smart access can detect when a tenant has arrived at your facility simply by GPS, and your tenant will immediately receive a notification on whether or not they’d like to open the gate. They don’t have to leave the car, or even roll down the window, all you have to do is literally lift a finger!
For a more comprehensive discussion on gate access software, read our detailed blog here!
Another crucial feature smart access software can offer is instant unit access.
Do you hear that? No? Because your phone isn’t ringing with another locked-out tenant!
With smart access, a tenant only needs their phone to access their unit, and instantly it’s unlocked at the tap of a button.
For those who don’t prefer to use their phone, though that’s becoming less and less common, most smart access hardware comes with Bluetooth keyfob options as well! It’s just better.
This is great for everyone! Every time someone accesses the unit, it’s automatically recorded and tenants and management are alerted when the unit is accessed, giving everyone more peace of mind, easier automation, and extra security.
We talked with some self storage experts in detail about smart locks and access here!
One of the greatest tools in your toolbelt for attracting new tenants, and even keeping old ones, is a clean, modern-looking website.
When you’re shopping online, do you feel a little suspicious of outdated-looking websites?
According to SWEOR, 85% of consumers will judge a business by its website design. That’s not half, that’s the vast majority!
That number shouldn’t scare you, but it should inspire you to build the best possible website you can. The days of billboard advertising are over, it’s all about where you appear on Google, and a clean, trustworthy website can really score you some points when someone is searching for self storage near them.
A website is your first interaction with your tenants, and it needs to count!
One question your tenants will ask: Can I pay online?
Online rentals and payments are essential to compete with your tech-savvy competition! It’s not really considered an amenity any more than it is an assumption. They can purchase everything else online, why not their self storage unit?
In fact, 83% of renters would prefer to pay for their self storage unit online. That is a staggering number, and even more, staggering when you realize it is nearly the same as those who don’t trust a website based on its appearance.
The industry is becoming virtual, are you part of the movement?
If you’re just starting out with the self storage industry, or adding a new location, the great news is that you can begin with automatic payments instead of making the painful shift.
For a bigger breakdown of why online rentals are essential read here!
There are countless ways you can automate and improve your self storage facility, but setting up some basic tech can raise reviews and tenant retention rates without adding to the workload.
Ultimately, integrating new technology into your facility should solve more problems than it creates, and remember, just because it works doesn't mean it works for you.
The best question you can ask yourself when deciding what technology to use with your facility is, “would this help my tenant?” If the answer is yes, that’s a great place to start.
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