HOW CAN SELF STORAGE BE CONTACTLESS?

With lockdowns happening at random due to COVID19, it is hard to stay on top of everything for your staff, storers and suppliers. Everyone will undoubtedly have plenty of questions – so be sure to keep your communication channels open and up to date. For example, does your website have a prominent banner on the homepage advising your response to COVID-19 lockdowns?. Details like if you’re still open and the things your facility is doing to support social distancing, improved hygiene and cleaning practices etc. Every state of Australia and New Zealand have differing rules and regulations. The SSAA advises owners and operators to carefully monitor these to ensure they are aligned with their government’s directives.

Because of lockdowns and concerns for staff, COVID-19 has seen a change of practice for the self storage industry. Over the last 12 months, the SSAA is seeing many self storage facilities establishing contactless experiences for their clients. Owners are looking at their facilities and asking, “Can people access the box shop, their storage unit or reserve a unit online as a contactless experience?” Selling packing supplies like boxes, packing material and locks from a website is an excellent revenueearner for your self storage facility. By taking these products and adding them to the website as an online shop, it can work within the confines of COVID19 restrictions by limiting contact with storers but still keeping the sales flowing. With your box shop on your website, people can order and pay online. The order can be compiled by your staff and ready to be collected without having any faceto-face contact. Clients can click and collect. In addition to this, clients can book and pay for a unit online as part of the shop. They are sent the details via email on where their unit is located and how to access it. The next step is having a security system that allows remote access. This type of security system will enable people to access their storage unit using just their mobile phone. There’s no need for a gate code or key with phone access as everything is controlled from the mobile phone. Clients can open gates, access floors, and unlock their storage unit, all from one convenient location. They can also enable guest access from their smartphone as there’s no need for a gate code or key. All of this allows for seamless operations during difficult times. If you have not already taken advantage of all the features available to your facility through your software management companies or security providers call them today to arrange a chat or an online demonstration on just how seamlessly a self storage facility can become ‘contact free’. l