he technology revolution is part of today’s self-storage customer experience. Tools like smart locks and cameras, property management software, and website and mobile app options are on customers’ radar screens as highlighted in the 2023 Self-Storage Almanac. At the same time, customer preferences start with the basics that always have been part of any operation.

Foundational customer preferences haven’t changed since the inception of the self-storage business model, which means “dry, clean, and secure,” says Ed Hainrihar, vice president of operations for Compass Self Storage.

The most fundamental customer expectation is “clean,” according to Sarah Beth Johnson, vice president of sales and development at Universal Storage Group. “Well maintained, no dust, no debris, no weeds growing,” she says. “How your facility looks represents you and represents the care you’re going to take with [the customers’] belongings.”

Other expectations include knowledgeable staff helping with finding the right unit size and providing packing tips, according to Johnson. Hainrihar adds that climate control is an increasing preference, at least as an available option, and both agree ample lighting is important.

“I always say that self-storage centers can’t have too much light,” says Hainrihar. “No one ever walked into a self-storage property and said, ‘Man it’s bright in here, isn’t it?’”

Carol Mixon of SkilCheck adds that another basic customer expectation is a quick and easy rental process that takes no longer than 15 minutes.

The physical location may still be the focus of customer expectations. How those customers find and interact with self-storage businesses has transformed in today’s digital world.

“A modern and attractive web portal and mobile-optimized web page or app are table stakes, as our data indicates that greater than 90 percent of all customers shop for storage deals online before they ever step foot on site,” says Mike Baillargeon, COO of Hearthfire Holdings, LLC. “This also drives our digital marketing and social media strategies, as we know that basically all of our customers are searching for the right deal online.”

Keeping the digital presence simple, informative, and authentic is important. Johnson highlights that today’s customer is in a “get-it-now society,” which is why websites managed by Universal Storage Group include the information customers find most valuable on the first page, such as hours of operation, contact information, Google reviews, photos, and the units available to rent.

But online photos can impact customer expectations. “They want your facility to look like it’s supposed to look,” says Johnson. “A lot of times people are putting stock photos on their websites and not actual photos, or they’re photoshopping the photos, and then when [customers] get there, it’s not what they saw online. The pictures online might have blue doors. And then when you get there they have green doors and that’s not the same [self- storage] site. [Customers] don’t like to be baited and switched.”

Technology and data can also play a role in learning more about customer preferences and expectations. Surveys can help uncover how many people prefer air conditioned units or extra security features like phone alerts any time a unit door is opened, says Mixon.

Hainrihar points out that each storage center is unique in that every market is different on the micro, local level. “We are using our website data to understand, ‘Okay, how long has this person been on there? What are they clicking on? What are they looking at?’ And that helps us understand what questions they might have or what their interests are.”

For example, if website visitors are clicking on the size guide at a high rate, he says it would provide value to visitors to include more information on what will fit into a 10-by-10 unit.

Johnson’s group goes big into data, compiling a year-end review for the Georgia Self Storage Association (GASSA) that includes a wide range of metrics such as customer demographics, length of rentals, times of day and days of week that are busiest for facilities, and more. She says having this information in hand helps with marketing and facility staffing.

Customer preferences come into play in marketing. With so many marketing channels available to businesses, it’s important to meet people where they want to be reached, whether it’s a website with a user- and mobile-friendly design and social media ads or Valpak inserts and well-placed billboards.

When people looking to rent storage units begin their web search, it’s important to make the experience similar to other retail products and services Hainrihar says, emphasizing that a self-storage rental is a low frequency use product. For Compass, this means the entire process from web search to website visit is intuitive and familiar for the website visitor.

“That’s one of those expectations that they’re not demanding from our product, but we know that that’s what they’re going to do when they go to search. We have to fit that mold so that we get the traction when the customer is looking.”

Improving the customer experience both online and at the physical location is a focus says Hearthfire Holdings’ Baillargeon. “For example, we work constantly on simple things like digital accuracy that ensures customers are always able to find our rental office simply and without first being sent to the wrong location and improving the wording and placement of on-site directional signage on site that facilitates a more positive, simple, and efficient customer experience.”

To summarize preferences, Baillargeon provides a checklist of Hearthfire Holdings’ customer needs priorities:

• Deal-breakers to rent – Convenience of location, functionality, feeling of safety and security, and ease of rental.
• Deal-breakers to continue renting – Value. Customers are constantly assessing the value of the items on which they spend their money. Inflation means each dollar doesn’t go as far, so they won’t spend money on low-value items for too long.
• Highly important but not a deal-breaker – Competitive pricing, cleanliness, access hours.
• Nice but not really moving the needle – Bluetooth lock technology and other tech elements that add significant expense to operating the store and (in the customer’s mind) drive up the cost of their monthly rent.

Hearthfire’s list of its customer priorities highlights how fundamental the hands-on physical experience (dry, clean, and secure) remains in the self-storage industry in terms of customer expectations and retention. At the same time, there’s no arguing that today’s customer also has digital expectations ranging from marketing channels and contact points to amenities that enhance the storage unit renting experience such as online rental processes, smart security features, and engagement options that include user-friendly websites and mobile apps.

And finally, meeting customer expectations is an important part of that vital business asset–the brand–says Johnson.

“If your website is not spot on, if your gate doesn’t work half the time, if your credit card processing isn’t up to par, the cleanliness of your facility—all of those things make up your brand, and your brand is what people are going to know,” she says.

People renting storage units is the key metric driving the bottom line. Knowing what people are looking for and then meeting those preferences and expectations pays dividends in any operation.