It is a big decision to decide to open your own business, but in a poor economy many have been faced with doing that in order to make a living. Luckily the self storage industry has remained fairly stable and profitable with approximately $6 billion in revenue last year. However, the success of a self storage facility can often be dictated on how well its individual expenses are managed.
The trouble is that there are some expenses that a business must incur. For example, it would be impossible for one person to man the facility around the clock. Logic would say that you simply close the office at the end of your day. However, while that saves the cost of an employee or assistant manager you take the risk of not being able to service your customers when they may need a person the most.
More customers are likely to visit or need to get to their units on the weekends or after hours since they work themselves. If a problem were to arise when they come by the facility or if they want to rent, you can miss out on new business and risk losing what you do have.
That’s where the miracle of modern technology comes in.
A number of self storage facilities across the nation have been putting the INSOMNIAC Assistant Manager to work. No, it is not referring to someone with a habit of staying up late, but an automated kiosk that is supplemented by a call center that is staffed around the clock.
The INSOMNIAC is able to do most of the things a living assistant manager would do. It can take calls, deal with certain customer issues, and even complete sales to new ones. Sometimes people can’t always get to the facility during normal operating hours, so being able to pay via the INSOMNIAC is a huge convenience. With bilingual capabilities and the ability to work the other 16 hours a day (that you don’t) at roughly $2 an hour it can pay for itself in no time.
Many facilities are already using the INSOMNIAC Assistant Manager. Central Self Storage has installed them at their 28 facilities across Nevada, Arizona, California, and Hawaii. Strategic Storage Trust Inc., has not involved the kiosk, but they do use the call center to handle incoming calls after hours. A+ East Mesa Storage in New Mexico has rented 76 percent of the units rented through their INSOMNIAC kiosk. According to Open Tech Alliance, the makers of the 500+ INSOMNIAC kiosks in use, more than $38 million in rental fees has been collected through the INSOMNIAC.
Sources used:
Research and Markets: US Self-Storage Services Report: 9,000 Companies such as REITs and U-Store with about $6 Billion in Combined Annual Revenue.
Central Self Storage Hires a New Breed of Assistant Managers.
Strategic Storage Trust Expands Call Center with INSOMNIAC Live!
INSOMNIAC Kiosk Completes 76 Percent of All Rentals; OpenTech customer Brian Hurd sees immediate results with new INSOMNIAC Kiosk
INSOMNIAC Kiosks Collect over $38 million in Rental Fees; OpenTech Releases Detailed Kiosk Usage Data for the First Half of 2010