by John Stevens
December 9, 2010 12:02 PM
In this fast-paced, tech-savvy world, speed and convenience of transaction have a lot to do with whether a customer chooses to rent out a unit. Many storage businesses use the INSOMNIAC Self Storage Network (ISSN) which allows customers to book reservations for rentals online. UPick Storage LLC, a provider of an online facility-comparison shopping tool for self storage customers, just this week joined OpenTech Alliance Inc.’s ISSN.
OpenTech’s products and services are aimed at improving customer service, reducing operating costs and most of all increasing revenue for self storage facilities. UPick management is impressed with OpenTech’s ability to enable work with real-time capabilities and ensure cost effectiveness. ISSN allows storage businesses to electronically retrieve unit pricing and availability information in up-to-the-second timing from the most widely used property management systems in the industry. The technology also allows for the processing of rental sales that are immediately reflected in facility management systems.
“OpenTech’s network is quickly becoming the electronic backbone of the self-storage industry for reservation processing. Their open architecture allows companies like ours to have real-time connectivity to today’s leading property-management systems without having to invest several months and thousands of dollars in software development,” said Brand Braud, president of sales and marketing for UPick in a release. “Now we can focus all our efforts on helping our customers rent more units and leave the backend work to OpenTech.”
The OpenTech company assists self storage owners in extending business hours while offering flexibility and convenience to its customers. Some of the ways the company does this is by offering seven models of INSOMNIAC kiosks ranging in price from $5,500 to $18,000 and with the INSOMNIAC Live! call center operations that allow self storage owners to extend business hours. There is also the INSOMNIAC Self Storage Network for online rental reservations.
UPickstorage.com has more than 50,000 storage facilities listed nationwide an acts like an online portal that custom matches self storage consumers with nearby storage facilities. Consumers use the site to do online comparison shopping to find the best prices. It was created to be a one-stop shop assisting people with looking for a storage unit within proximity to their home. What UPick tells potential customers is the days of sitting on the phone checking prices and unit availability or filling out a storage facility’s website form for a quote are over.
“UPick Storage Joins INSOMNIAC Self Storage Network.” Inside Self-Storage. Dec. 8, 2010.
“INSOMNIAC Kiosk Provides Immediate Results For OpenTech Customer.” Self Storage Investing. Nov. 14, 2010.