24/7 Self-Storage with 24/7 Support!
Being there for your customers
Providing support outside of typical business hours doesn’t have to be high-cost or high-effort and can be a lucrative way to gain more customers. Here’s how you can effortlessly provide out of hours support at your self-storage facility.
Keeping your self-storage facility working overtime
Meeting your customer’s needs is crucial. 14% of those surveyed by the UK Self-Storage Association chose a certain operator’s business because they needed after-hours access (before 8:30am and after 5pm). This was the second most popular answer, just after the facility’s proximity to their home or office. This statistic underscores the importance of extending your facility’s operating hours to align with customer expectations.
How to handle enquiries
The UK is showing that they prefer an immediate, text-based exchange with businesses when they have a question or issue to raise. From the SSA report, 13% of the public already prefers using online chat to contact a facility. The report also notes: “There are few operators offering live chat with rapid response, particularly out of hours.” Being able to respond to customers and potential customers at the time and on the platform will give you a competitive advantage.
Hubspot offers a free live chat plugin which can be added to your existing website and set up to spread messages you receive amongst the team. You can also set it to appear only at certain hours of the day or on certain pages on your website. Simply displaying live chat support on your website, especially during off-hours, can also help build trust and reliability with your potential customers. Showing that your facility is always available to assist can be a strong sell for those who intend to access their unit after-hours.
Adding an AI chatbot to your self-storage website can also resolve common queries and customer issues, using the latest information about your facility – such as unit availability. There’s also the added benefit that responses are instantaneous, accurate and standardised. An AI chatbot’s responses aren’t dictated by whether it’s had a coffee or not!
To find out about our own AI chatbot, JaneGPT, and how it can help with unit size estimation, automated quotes and availability checks, watch our latest video.
Make sure you can take reservations when your customers are ready to book, not when you are
The UK survey also asked how customers prefer to reserve a self-storage unit, revealing that 48% prefer online, 33% in store, and 19% have no preference.
This data is consistent with previous years, which means your self-storage software should be capable of handling online bookings seamlessly. Having the best self-storage software can help ensure that your customers can make reservations at any time of the day or night, without having to wait for business hours.
Ways to keep your website going all night
To ensure your website is always ready to serve customers, you could also consider implementing the following features:
- Whatsapp: A widely used messaging platform that allows for instant communication.
- Robust FAQs: A comprehensive FAQ section can address many common queries.
- A unit size guide: The number one question in self-storage: how much space do I need? Being able to answer this through videos, graphics, your chatbot or third-party tools like Calcumate.
- Videos: Informative videos about your facility, services and access systems can work as ‘always on’ customer service. Make sure they’re always kept up to date, however. You may find that using voice-overs instead of talking directly to the camera can help here, as you can simply re-record the audio and not the whole video.
By equipping your self-storage websites with these tools, you ensure that your facility remains operational and customer-friendly around the clock. This is where the best self-storage software comes into play. It can integrate these features seamlessly, making your website a powerful tool for customer engagement and service.
Conclusion
Providing 24/7 support at your self-storage facility is not only feasible but also advantageous. By rolling out some or all of these tools, you can ensure that your facility operates smoothly around the clock, meeting customer needs and gaining a competitive edge. Remember, the best self-storage software will also enable you to provide efficient, effective and effortless out of hours support, making your facility the preferred choice for customers.
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