5 Ways to Create High-Touch Customer Service in Self-Storage

To build and maintain meaningful relationships with customers, you should consider ways to deliver high-touch customer service. Even those overseeing automated self-storage facilities are capable of creating personalized customer service experiences. Many assume "high-touch" means adding more human interactions into the customer experience. Not always.

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Sure, you can hire more personnel – but will they genuinely provide customers with more value? Ultimately, those renting self-storage facilities are just looking for a fast, secure, and convenient storage solution. Any extra baggage (no pun intended) will only complicate the customer experience and create unnecessary hurdles for both staff and customers to overcome.

Why does high-touch customer service matter?

High-touch customer service is the process of creating a personalized customer experience with the goal of developing a long-lasting relationship. It's about making customers feel valued and appreciated. In the case of self-storage, it is about providing customers with timely information, such as access codes, to ensure they receive a seamless storage experience.

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The question becomes, how can you give self-storage customers exactly what they want when they need it? There is no right or wrong answer to this question because it all depends on the circumstances. Sometimes, the support of on-site personnel is unnecessary. In other cases, it is absolutely critical. Let’s explore how you can offer high-touch customer service experiences.

How can you offer high-touch customer service?

1 - Pinpoint and address customer concerns

From queries about facility access to rental payments, self-storage customers can have plenty of questions. Rather than allowing the same questions to crop up over and over again, make an effort to address them proactively through sales, marketing, and onboarding materials. For instance, if customers often ask how access codes are provided, preemptively answer this.

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2 - Develop a thorough “move-in” process

When your “move-in” checklist covers all bases, you leave no room for customer confusion. This process could include a walk-through of the facility, an explanation of how the storage unit works, and a clear overview of what the customer can expect from the self-storage experience. This is about answering as many questions upfront as possible.

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3 - Make yourself available

Customers should always be able to reach you – whether that’s through a phone call, email, or live chat. If you do not have the human resources to ensure 24/7 availability, you should invest in an AI-powered self-storage assistant to answer common questions and streamline typical processes for customers, such as new tenant move-ins and gate code delivery.

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4 - Offer two-way SMS experiences

Omni-channel customer service is key to delighting customers and keeping them coming back for more. Integrating two-way SMS into your customer service strategy can improve customer experiences for those who prefer text-based communication. You can leverage an AI-powered chatbot on the market to fully automate many of these customer touch-points.

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5 - Educate prospective customers on location features

When self-storage customers are exploring their options, it is important to educate them on how the facility meets their needs. Is your location climate-controlled? Do you have a state-of-the-art security system? Are there any special promotions or discounts available? You can use chatbots, FAQ pages, and SEO-optimized, well-formatted store pages to educate customers.

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High-Touch Customer Experiences (Final Thoughts)

Technology, particularly automation solutions, can play a pivotal role in engaging tenants throughout the customer journey. From the first touch-point with your brand through to moving out of a unit, automation solutions can provide customers with support every step of the way. In the case of chatbots, customers can receive lightning-fast response times.

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