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Have you become store blind or complacent?

by Timm Martin, freelance self storage expert

Lockdowns across Australia and New Zealand have been challenging. In some areas, the lack of ability to get out and about has caused staff and facility owners to become store blind or complacent.

Store blind is when you are in and around your businesses every day and may not notice glaring errors or even see small things that are easily rectified.

Complacency comes easily this time of year, so take some time to reflect on whether you're just treading water or if you can use the run into the new year to level up your operations.

Chefs are taught ‘the customer’s first bite is with the eye‘. Presentation is everything. Sally Chodan from StorAssist has been in the industry for more than 10 years and lives and breathes self storage. When first arriving for an audit at a facility, her first observations are: l How does the facility look from the street? l How do the staff greet her? (i.e. was she standing around waiting to be served, were they out front smoking, did they stand up to greet her?) l How does the office look? l Do the staff onsite give the impression they care?

Shondra Hill from Storage Angel, says when she attends a site to relieve staff, she asks the question, “Would I store my stuff here?”

These are initial observations from a potential customer’s perspective and are some of the most important to address. The next step of checking in on any business is the broad appeal and look of a facility.

External practices

Ensuring all units have a lock sounds simple enough, but an actual walkthrough can tell you more about your business/facility. A walkthrough quickly identifies any move-outs and lets you know of any changes between walkthroughs.

Keep an eye out for anything lying around as these cause hazards and security concerns that become problems if ignored. For example, hardstand customers often assume the space is theirs to use as they wish.

There could be trucks and trailers with spare tyres and planks lying beside them on a hardstand space. These are trip hazards and security risks as they can be used as ladders and steps to scaling fence lines and gates.

“Store blind is when you are in and around your businesses every day and may not notice glaring errors or even see small things that are easily rectified.

Internal practices

With more and more processes in the Cloud these days, it is a simple and effective practice to back up systems daily or weekly, as this protects businesses from having to trawl back through weeks or months of entries to get back on track should a breach occur.

It is also essential that every facility has a fully completed and enforceable agreement that is up to date, as legislation continues to change across the industry. With contactless interactions becoming more common, it is still important to ensure every new customer is double-checked and knows the lay of the land.

Lastly, keep an eye on stock levels of ancillary products. It gives you an idea of what sells well, what to stock, and where to avoid spending unproductive energy and time.

Key take-aways

l Well-presented exterior l Neat, tidy office, dusted and wellstocked l Attentive staff l All units locked l Walkthroughs completed (best practice twice weekly) l Nothing lying around the facility l Back up, back up, back up l Know your product and what’s available for sale l An up-to-date agreement/ contract for ALL customers l Knowledge of how systems work (phone, CCTV, gate motors etc.)

No one likes talking about audits, but the simple things can identify potential liabilities and help in the long run. l