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  • Tips for Shopping for Storage by Phone
    By jeff on February 7, 2011 | No Comments  Comments

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    When in need of storage, do not just go with the first place that you call. It is very helpful to go ahead and make a few calls for info. That way, you can find what the best place in town actually is. It could take a couple of calls to find this information out but when you do you can very happy you did. Not every facility is going to make you happy with what they have, but you can at least know what you are getting from each facility when you are calling around.

    When you are calling around there are a couple of things that you can determine just from the phone call. You can determine where the facility is actually located, the level of customer service the facility offers and also what the value of the facility is. These are three great topics of discussion when you are calling around. Calling around can definitely save you some time and effort when you are looking for the right Quebec City self storage facility for you. Your time is very valuable to you and you are not out to waste it. Make sure you are writing notes as you are calling around.

    Making sure the facility you are looking for is close is very important. It is important because you can ensure that you can get to the facility quickly and easily. Just because the location is right down the street from where you work does not mean you can get there quickly and without problem. Sometimes a customer will know what street the facility is on but they might have not been there before. So what ends up happening is that they go there and they are not expecting the facility to be where it is. So making sure that the location is where you want it to be when it is convenient for you is very important.

    When you call around does the Quebec City self storage facility answers the phone? That could be a deciding factor in your search. This is a good indicator that the facility will answer the phone when you have an issue. They are maybe not as committed to service as they appear. We all know that it could be hard for the customer on the phone to understand that the manager could also have someone in front of them. Trying to serve two different customers could be really hard to do. The fact of the matter is they can still try to have the customer on the phone hold on why they help the customer in the store or vice versa. The Quebec City self storage manager should just make sure that they are not, not answering the phone.

    When calling around, is the manager telling you what you are getting for the price? Sometimes that is all the manager is going to tell you. You want to hear more from the manager. You want to hear why they should rent with them instead of the people that are down the street. The manager should do their best job to create value in their security features or their extra features. Whatever it might be you should not just go with the company who offers just the price and nothing else. Otherwise you could go down to the store, and it is not anything as you were expecting.

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  • It Never Hurts to Think Ahead with Self Storage
    By jeff on February 7, 2011 | No Comments  Comments

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    Some days are very challenging. I don’t even know how I am able to do my job correctly when I encounter some of things that I do. When it comes right down to it, there is absolutely no need to call eight months in advance for a storage space. The thing is thought that people would call that far in advance to see if there were some availability at their local Saint Leonard self storage facility. They have to know that there is no way I am able to check that out and give them the right answer. The availability will be different meaning the prices will be different and the specials will change. The perfect time to call is about two weeks out to a month. This is prime time to figure out what availability, price, and specials are available I understand planning ahead, but really. Eight months is a little ridiculous to call ahead of time.

    I had several callers today not following this advice. I am just here to help but sometimes they push those bounds. I really need to work on my short temper when it comes to these kinds of calls. I know that the customer is probably not going to rent the Saint Leonard self storage that I am offering them, but I know I still got to try for the company sake. There are just sometimes that I want to tell the customer to call us back at another time. They have got to be kidding me.

    Another weird scenario is the folks who do not like to give out any info on the phone. I had a guy who was coming in to rent the space today. He said he would be there in a few hours. I was going to let the manager know to wait for him, but he refused to leave his name or number. He would not leave either one. I asked if he was for sure coming down and he confirmed that he was. Still, he refused to leave his name. I am unable to relate to this type of behavior. It just makes sense for me for them to give me their information so we know who we are waiting for.

    I answer many calls for people daily and I really don’t understand their thoughts and motivations. This is just not how I act. So it is hard for me to put my mind in another person’s head. They know what they want but I am trying to also determine that fact. Many times it would just be great to hang up the phone and hope that they get someone that has less patience than me. I thought I had patience but apparently I don’t when it comes to people who I cannot help.

    Calling ahead is not a bad idea. Now calling ahead more than two months in advance is crazy. There is no way to say what will be available. Now what the customer can do if they need it in a couple of months or so, we can have the customer come down to their local Saint Leonard self storage facility in order to rent the space. They do not have to move in right now but they can secure their unit in advance. Most people wouldn’t go for this but hey, I at least offered them the idea.

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  • Self Storage Customer Service
    By admin on June 22, 2010 | No Comments  Comments

    I have written a few blogs about how to handle difficult callers when you are working at a self storage call center.  Part of the reason that I keep doing this is because, well, there are a lot of angry people who end up on the phone with you.  If you do not know how to handle them, and if you let them catch you off guard, then you are going to end up losing control over the conversation and getting angry yourself.  Thus, you have to read as much as you can, practice as much as you can, and ready yourself for these puppies.

    I do not think that I can adequately stress the significance of maintaining a level tone of voice as you are dealing with these customers.  If you lose your cool and raise your voice to someone who is already angry, you are giving them cause to get even more angry than they already are.  By keeping your voice down and by addressing them with respect, you can eventually win them over.  Maybe they are not going to love you at the end of the call, but they are going to understand that you are a human being, and that you are doing what you can to bring a resolution to their problems.

    It is also very important that you answer the call with a good, happy greeting.  This is something that you should be doing each and every time that you answer the phone, anyway.  When you have a nice, positive greeting, you establish with your caller that you are interested in having a civil, productive call.  You are announcing the fact that you are not trying to fight, and that you would like to be of service to them.  If they start screaming at you, then they are going to feel bad.  Even if they do not realize it right away, it is going to get to them over the course of the call.  If you are lucky, they are going to treat you with some respect eventually.

    Finally, you have to be sure that you are not creating any further obstacles for your self storage customer.  Let us say that your caller has just found out that she is going to have the contents of her unit auctioned off.  The last thing that you are going to want to do, here, is step in with your own opinions and your own take on the situation, because you are only going to rile her up even more.  Cut to the chase, and put your customer in contact with the people who matter.  If she has to speak to her property manager about the situation, kindly tell her that you can transfer her to the property manager.  Tell her to leave a detailed message, and that someone will contact her about it when they are available.  Do not waste your breath when it comes to explaining the situation to a caller.  You are not going to win that battle.  Not now, not ever.

    When you sharpen your customer skills, you know that you are not going to be at risk of losing your temper.  It is never going to be fun for you to field these calls, but that does not mean that you are not going to be a pro if you practice a little bit.

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  • Self Storage Call Centers Hear It All
    By admin on June 19, 2010 | No Comments  Comments

    I have handled hundreds of self storage phone calls over the years, reader.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that I have handled thousands of self storage phone calls over the years.  These call, of course, have left me with quite the understanding of self storage customers.  Right when someone opens their mouth, I can pretty much tell you where the conversation is going to lead.  This is some pretty great information to have if you know that you are going to be working in a self storage call center in the near future.

    If you can tell that a conversation is going to turn sour, then you are going to want to do everything within your power to make sure that you do not ruin your own mood.  The anticipation of an argument is every bit as bad as the argument itself, reader.  If you let yourself get worked up over an argument that has not even happened, then you have already lost.  Take several deep breaths, let your customer yell at you, and prepare to conduct yourself in a pleasant, professional manner.

    Key to controlling a conversation in this manner, reader, is your ability to avoid taking things personally.  Always remind yourself, here, that you are not the problem.  I mean, sure, you are the person who the customer is screaming at, but that does not mean that you are actually at fault when it comes to their problem.  No, no.  What they are really yelling at, reader, is the situation that they find themselves in.  Once you remove yourself from their target, you begin to realize that you are not going to have to endure any kind of personal attack.  That, of course, means that you are going to be able to control your behavior in a much more levelheaded manner.

    Finally, reader, you always have to be sure that you put your end of the phone on mute when a customer is screaming at you.  If you truly feel as though you are going to lose it, you have to put your phone on mute, head over to your supervisor, and let them know that you are not able to handle the call any further.  Sure, you are going to want to be sure that you are handling as much of the call as possible, but you do not want to put yourself through too much trauma.  If you cannot control the call, then your supervisor is simply going to have to step in and help you out.  After all, that is why they are there in the first place, is it not?

    At the end of the day, reader, the simply fact of the matter is that some phone calls are not going to go the way that you want them to.  Sometimes, you are going to lose your grip on a conversation and an angry customer is going to get the best of you.  Of course, the important thing to keep in mind, here, is that all of these are learning experience.  Take those nasty calls that you get and think of them as little puzzles waiting to be solved.  That, and be sure that you are not taking anything too personally.  Easier said than done, yes, but valid all the same.

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