As a self-storage facility owner or manager, you know that running a business is not easy. There’s a lot of competition, which is reflected in market growth, too. According to Business Wire, the global self-storage market stood at $51.32 billion in 2021. The market looks good with rapid urbanization and a decrease in living space. So, the need to run such units more efficiently is desirable.
It requires hard work and dedication to your customers, staff, and facility. But another thing that can make it even more difficult is the inefficient use of your resources. Whether it’s space, supplies, or employees’ time, if you waste any of these things, you’re not optimizing your operations and ensuring they’re operating at peak performance levels.
In this article, we’ll cover everything from setting up the foundation for efficiency through marketing and promotion and beyond.
Setting the Foundation for Efficiency
Several key elements must be in place to run your self-storage facility efficiently. The first and most important is having a clear vision of what you want to achieve. This should include not only the services you provide but also how those services will be delivered and how they will benefit customers.
Having this vision will help guide decisions throughout the life cycle of your business plan. It will also ensure that everyone involved understands how their role contributes directly or indirectly toward achieving it.
Secondly, ensure that everyone involved understands how their roles contribute directly or indirectly toward achieving this vision. You can create a comprehensive written business plan that includes financial projections, marketing strategies, operational procedures, etc., whatever it takes for each person on staff to at least understand their role.
Streamlining Operations
To run a successful self-storage business, you must streamline operations as much as possible. The more steps it takes to complete a task and the more people involved, your business will be less efficient.
To reduce the number of steps in your processes:
- Use checklists to ensure nothing is forgotten or overlooked during each process step.
- Automate some tasks using technology like barcode scanners and RFID tags so employees don’t have to manually count items or enter information into software programs every time they do their job.
Businesses worldwide use RFID and barcode scans to differentiate products and make operations seamless. With 21.5% of the market share in 2022, Europe was one of the most significant users of industrial barcode scanners.
Partnering With a Self-Storage Management Company
If you own a self-storage facility, partnering with a self-storage management company can help you manage your facility more efficiently and maximize profits. To find the right storage management company, determine what management services work best for your business. Then consider these factors:
- The size of their client base: If they only manage small facilities, it’s probably not worth working with them because there won’t be enough potential customers for both of you to benefit from the relationship.
- Their experience in managing similar properties: If they haven’t managed many other self-storage units like yours, it may not be worth signing up with them because they won’t be able to address all the issues during operation.
Storage management companies can offer you a lot of benefits. Copper Storage Management says a self-storage management facility can efficiently run your properties. They can do so by developing customized solutions, capitalizing on unique opportunities, etc.
Staff Management and Training
To provide your customers with the best service possible, your staff must be well-trained in using the facility and equipment. The following are some areas where your employees should be trained:
- Teach your staff how to use the facility, including gate access codes, alarms, and fire extinguishers. Staff should also be familiar with any restrictions on certain stored items. There are different types of fire extinguishers like Class A, B, C, D, and K. Staff members should know about their usage to keep their facility safe.
- Ensure your staff knows how to greet customers entering or exiting their units and answer questions about storage rates and other topics. In addition, staff should know how to handle security issues such as lost keys or lock malfunctions without stressing out customers who may be in a hurry or distracted by other things happening around them.
Customer Service Excellence
Customer service is the most critical aspect of running a self-storage facility. Without customers, you’ll have no business at all. Customer service is not just about the customer. It’s also about your employees and how they treat each other.
Here are some ways that you can improve your customer service:
- Be friendly and welcoming to everyone who enters your facility, whether it’s another staff member or a potential client looking for storage space. Don’t be afraid to smile.
- Ensure that all employees know what their responsibilities are in terms of customer care. Employees who don’t follow through on these tasks should receive extra training until they get it right.
- Keep an eye out for any signs of trouble between coworkers. If there seems to be a conflict between two people who work closely together, try talking with them individually so that, hopefully, one person won’t feel singled out by another employee.
Maintenance and Facility Upkeep
You should make sure that your facility is always in good shape. This will help you keep your customers happy and increase revenue, which is especially important if you plan on expanding or remodeling the facility.
To correctly manage the maintenance and upkeep of your self-storage facilities, there are a few things you need to do:
- Create a list of common problems at each site. You should also include any potential hazards like mold or asbestos that might be present in older buildings.
- Keep track of how often these problems arise so you know when repairs need to be made and how much it costs for them each time they happen again.
Marketing and Promotion
You may wonder what marketing and promotion you should use for your self-storage facility. There are many different types, but the most important thing to remember is that it can be used to build brand awareness and customer loyalty.
To begin with, there are many different ways in which you can promote your business online:
- Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Google Business Profile is also extremely beneficial. You can post at least once every week for maximum reach.
- Online advertisements on search engines like Google AdWords can help you reach potential customers.
- Email marketing campaigns where customers receive special offers in their inboxes.
These are just some examples of how we can help increase traffic to our website by promoting our services through digital channels. Another great way to market ourselves is through traditional methods such as print ads in local newspapers or flyers handed out door-to-door around town. The possibilities are endless when it comes down.
Financial Management and Performance Analysis
Financial management and performance analysis are two important steps to running a self-storage facility efficiently. A financial management system will help you keep track of your finances to monitor costs and cash flow and plan for future expenses.
The performance analysis involves tracking everything from revenue to employee productivity. By analyzing this data regularly, you’ll be able to identify trends in your business, which can help guide decision-making going forward.
Continuous Improvement and Adaptation
The key to long-term success is continuous improvement. You must constantly be changing and adapting, learning from mistakes and successes, and being flexible and open to new ideas and approaches.
The best way to do this is by creating a culture of change where everyone feels comfortable suggesting improvements or pointing out problems as they arise to avoid costly mistakes later on.
Conclusion
Self-storage is a business that requires constant adaptation and improvement. The good news is that there are many ways to improve your facility’s efficiency and profitability. You can start by ensuring your team members are trained on the latest technology to work more effectively and efficiently. You can also streamline operations by partnering with an expert in self-storage management services.
