The self storage industry has become more automated than ever.
Customers rent contact-free online, sometimes even signing their lease online and never seeing a manager. Facilities can use special locks to make access to units possible even without a manager's help, and even the move-out process is generally done without contact from a manager (much to most of our chagrin).
So, does service even matter?
We think so. And so does Lee Creech from Northshore Pellissippi Storage. He sat down with Tommy and Melissa to give his opinion.
Question: "Does service matter in self storage?"
Check out the video clip below to hear their answers:
In this Gabfocus Session: Exceptional Customer Service Tips for Managers, Tommy and Melissa had the chance to speak with Lee Creech of Northshore Pellissippi Storage. Lee is an expert when it comes to providing top-notch customer service, and he gave his opinion on its importance (along with how to deliver it).
Check out the full Session to dive deeper!
Don't want to watch the clip? Here's what Lee had to say:
And the truly honest answer is, I don't know. I don't know how it's going to set us apart.
I'm taking a gamble that it will.
I mean, I look at my marketing numbers, I look at why people say they choose us, I look at all those things.
And what I found—and this is my site, not anybody else's. You've got to look at your own numbers—But I found that close to half of the clients I have in house now are either previous clients that have come back, they're clients that have decided to add an additional unit or more to what they originally purchased, or they are people that have been referred by a client.
I think to generate that word-of-mouth number it takes more than just asking for it. You do have to ask for it, but you have to provide some sort of service for them. Because the 10-foot by 10-foot cube of air is the same everywhere.
Mine's air conditioned. Some people don't care about that, some people do, but it's the connection between the people.
People sell the units, people service the units, people pack their stuff in the units. I think that connection between the people is at least as important as the cube of air."
—Lee Creech
