Key Points:
A 5-star product doesn’t have to be the most expensive.
Think about your favorite local restaurant. Consider local favorite food trucks. Homespun doesn’t have to mean lower quality.
All that to say: a Class A storage facility with HD nightvision cameras and premium wine storage can miss the mark. A Class C storage facility with a basic fence and no climate control can give customers a great experience. “Nothing special” can still be a 5-star facility!
In our Manager Series, we've got advice from industry experts whose facilities compete in tough markets and win. We break down their lessons and advice into three pillars that make a 5-star facility, pillars that apply to every storage facility – including yours.
We asked Sarah Smith from Empire Storage about her daily priorities while she’s running a successful and competitive storage facility in Crandall, TX. The big takeaway: 5-star service doesn’t just happen. Sarah makes excellent service her number one priority, “whether it’s helping a tenant navigate moving in or resolving an issue quickly.”
Every self storage operator wants their facility to offer great service. But 5-star facilities don’t just wait for chances to show 5-star service. They proactively build a structure for it, and it’s all toward a customer experience that leads to 5-star reviews.
A hospitality industry study in 2023 concluded that consistency and reliability were key factors in customer loyalty. The businesses that stand out deliver every time, and they don’t keep you wondering about the details.
Sarah makes a solid customer experience her top priority, not just every now and then, but all the time. Her customers can tell. Everything, down to her daily schedule, ensures that she handles her facility in a way that shows she’s running a respectable business – but with the level of care you’d get from a Mom and Pop store.
Her advice is simple:
Does every tenant get the same level of attention (even if you run a more flexible operation)? Do you give tenants clear expectations or leave them guessing? Learn more about delivering a 5-star customer experience at your storage facility with our in-depth industry leaders blog!
A 5-star facility needs a 5-star team. For some operators, that team is one person, but the difference between an industry leader and a struggling facility comes down to how well your team performs.
Ernesto Escareno at Cochrane Road Self Storage knows that when his team’s set up for success, every other area of the operation shines. He puts his time and energy into improving his facility’s curb appeal and giving his customers the best service possible. But he’s able to focus on these areas because he’s working with a team of superstars – people he’s invested in to get them to a 5-star standard.
You can tell when a business values its staff. The service is better, the people are genuine, and everyone shows real interest in the outcomes and the routes that lead there. Your staff tells a story about your facility without saying a word. Beyond delegating responsibilities, it’s about putting the right tools in the hands of people you trust with your company’s vision.
To get there, Ernesto recommends these best practices:
When you know your team’s delivering award-winning care and service, you have more space to handle the tasks that only you can tackle. Learn more about how you can guide your managers to 5-star status – and hear more from Ernesto about how he uses the extra time he has on his hands in our self storage guide to training a 5-star team!
The best local businesses treat you like more than a customer. 5-star self storage operators aim to deliver customer experience and internal training on the same level of their REIT rivals, but what really brings it all home is the relationship they have with their tenants.
When we asked Stephanie Giorgio at Storage World what her top three priorities were each day, she offered a no-nonsense response: “rentals, customers, rentals.” She has a long list of daily tasks, but the first steps every day are to handle customer emergencies, follow up with leads, and resolve tenant concerns. Regardless of the day’s to-do list, everything happens in the context of what tenants need, and Stephanie makes sure to start every day with a refresher of those needs by interacting with tenants first.
It’s not just about delivering better service.
Stephanie’s advice? Have a strong working relationship with your tenants so that you’re in the loop about:
Tenants feel your involvement when you stay proactive throughout your service. Give your customers a sense of safety and create a situation where the door’s always open for feedback.
Want to build better relationships with your tenants? We’ll go deeper into Stephanie’s tips and see how hands-on means better service and better intelligence about your property at the same time. Our 5-star customer relationships blog will get you started.
Any facility can be 5-star. Hard work counts, but intentional hard work put in the right place gives you the biggest return. No matter what your facility looks like or what you offer, you get to create a business you’re proud of. And when you aim at 5-star service, more leads will be willing to try you and more happy tenants will recommend you.
At StoragePug, we build self storage websites that make it easy for new customers to find you and easy for them to rent from you.
