Don't Leave Your Customers Hanging

by Josh Parker

I waited in line for an embarrassingly long time today for a slice of pizza... that never came. Here is the lesson for Self-Storage Managers- Don't Leave Your Customers Hanging.

It started as a nice family outing to the local trampoline park- the kids and wife jumped and played while I set up shop in the cafe area and connected to the wifi- all I needed to get a couple of hours of work in.... until I got hungry.

This cafe left customers disappointed- Learn from their mistakes.

I should have known from the nearly empty shelves and drink coolers, or that they didn't even bother to turn on all the lights in the kitchen, that this was a mission doomed for failure.

There was only one employee behind the counter, who, as it turned out, was also the "cook," running back and forth between the register and the kitchen. Alas, I joined the line of customers hankering for a snack, and waited... and waited... and waited... Finally, I ordered and waited even longer for my food... that never came.

Here are my takeaways from this experience:

1. Don't make them wait too long. The availability of a self-serve kiosk can ease the impatient customer who does not want to wait for you to finish up with a prior customer. They can rent or pay their bill quickly and easily.

2. Make your office present well- good lighting (and all turned on!), a FULLY stocked lock wall, and plenty of boxes/merchandise give impressive first impressions, and it should go without saying- your office/show room must be EXTRA clean at all times- no exceptions. If it is raining, you may need to touch up the floor, mopping throughout the day in addition to your afternoon cleaning. If the office is dirty, chances are the rest of the facility is even worse.

3. Don't leave them hanging! Deliver on what you say you will do. Follow up. Make sure they have the very best customer experience possible. At Storage Authority, we take to heart the saying "may all who enter as guests, leave as friends!" It is on the wall at EVERY Storage Authority location!

At Storage Authority, we set the bar for impressive offices and even better customer service! Note the "may all who enter as guests leave as friends" on the wall above the coffee bar- that is how it's done!

If you want to chat more about how I train Storage Authority Managers to deliver an over-the-top customer experience, or self-storage development, operations, or sales & marketing, email me at Josh@StorageAuthority.com