SkilCheck Blog

Dealing With Demanding Customers

Who’s Pulling Your Strings? Over the years, I’ve had a variety of managers—many different types, [...]

Falling Occupancy – What Can You Do?

We need to discuss the current state of the self-storage industry in relation to falling [...]

Understanding Self-Storage Manager Compensation

Experience Matters! When considering a job in self-storage and contemplating today’s self-storage manager compensation rates, [...]

Six Critical Telephone Sales Skills

Throughout the five steps of SkilCheck’s Telephone Sales Evaluations, GREETING, INQUIRY, COUNSELING, INVITATION, AND CLOSING, [...]

SkilCheck’s Free Self-Storage Manager Training

While I was at a recent Self-Storage Association conference, I received several comments about our [...]

The Importance of Working on Your Sales Skills in a Difficult Storage Market

Great Sales Skills Help Every Aspect of Store Operations Improving sales skills is essential for [...]

Self-Storage Late Fees…to Waive or Not to Waive

There Are Different Types of Self-Storage Fees In self-storage, there are various types of fees [...]

Mystery Shops Graded by People…Not AI

First and foremost, SkilCheck has in-house evaluators—real people who have listened to, graded, and given [...]

RV Storage Mystery Shops are Vital in this Industry

The folks at Toy Storage Nation are experts in the RV/Boat storage sector and are [...]

The Jenkins Organization Takes Their SkilChecks to the Next Level

While chatting with Jeremy Rollwitz, the Regional Manager at The Jenkins Organization, we discovered that [...]

Advancing Your Position in Self-Storage

I understand that advancing your position in self-storage can be challenging, and it often depends [...]

Explore Amazon’s Services at Your Self-Storage Property

I want to drive more traffic to your store by leveraging Amazon’s services at your [...]

Listening to Your Customers is the Key to Great Customer Service

Do You Have a Lazy Ear? When it comes to selling and having great customer [...]

Handling a Tenant Change of Address

You Must Handle a Tenant’s Change of Address Correctly In self-storage, in order to handle [...]

Mystery Shopping Works Well with StorQuest’s Awesome Company Culture

Gary Sugarman, Chief Operating Officer at The William Warren Group / StorQuest, explains how SkilCheck’s [...]

How Haviland Storage Services Utilizes SkilCheck’s Self-Storage Mystery Shopping

We sat down with Sue Haviland, owner of Haviland Storage Services, to ask her how [...]

Never Skip Performing Due Diligence Self-Storage Audits

Carol Mixon has been working with Wentworth Properties for several years, assisting with due diligence [...]

Why are Self-Storage Operational Audits Necessary?

Why an Operational Audit? Rather than a financial or theft audit, self-storage operational audits aim [...]

Telephone Mystery Shoppers – How They Make Our Training Program Successful

The Variety of Telephone Mystery Shoppers is Key SkilCheck Services is one of the first [...]

Debunking the High Occupancy Myth

It’s Not Always About Occupancy Every time I’m called in to assist a store that [...]

Advancing Your Position in Self-Storage

advancing your position in self-storage

I understand that advancing your position in self-storage can be challenging, and it often depends on your current situation, such as your employment status within a company and the size of the organization. Every company has a hierarchy, which can vary significantly between small storage operators and large REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts). Both types […]

Explore Amazon’s Services at Your Self-Storage Property

amazon's services at your self-storage property

I want to drive more traffic to your store by leveraging Amazon’s services at your self-storage property. One concerning issue that has become prevalent is package theft, often referred to as “porch piracy.” We’ve seen multiple incidents captured on surveillance cameras, showcasing individuals stealing packages from doorsteps. The statistics surrounding this issue are staggering. In […]

Listening to Your Customers is the Key to Great Customer Service

great customer service

Do You Have a Lazy Ear? When it comes to selling and having great customer service, listening to and interacting with your customers thoughtfully is crucial, rather than just reading from a script. This is a big part of what SkilCheck evaluates with our telephone mystery shops. Engaging the prospective customer in conversation is vital, […]

Handling a Tenant Change of Address

Handling a Tenant Change of Address

You Must Handle a Tenant’s Change of Address Correctly In self-storage, in order to handle a tenant change of address correctly and modify the management software or the rental lease agreement, you must have a written change of address signed and dated by the tenant. It is essential to have this document; you cannot accept […]

Mystery Shopping Works Well with StorQuest’s Awesome Company Culture

Gary Sugarman, Chief Operating Officer at The William Warren Group / StorQuest, explains how SkilCheck’s self-storage mystery shopping program fits into their training model. How Do You Utilize the Performance Evaluations And Mystery Shops That SkilCheck Performs For StorQuest? I’ve had many experiences over the years with various people and mystery shopping companies, and the […]

How Haviland Storage Services Utilizes SkilCheck’s Self-Storage Mystery Shopping

We sat down with Sue Haviland, owner of Haviland Storage Services, to ask her how their management company has incorporated SkilCheck’s self-storage mystery shopping into their ongoing training and evaluation process. How Have You Utilized Our Self-Storage Mystery Shopping Programs Over the Years?  We rely on several methods for evaluating calls. One method we use […]

Never Skip Performing Due Diligence Self-Storage Audits

due diligence self storage audits

Carol Mixon has been working with Wentworth Properties for several years, assisting with due diligence self-storage audits on the West Coast. These audits are essential for any property being acquired, as new ownership requires someone to thoroughly assess the property on-site. Due to the many nuances involved in self-storage operations, it is crucial that a […]

Why are Self-Storage Operational Audits Necessary?

self-storage audits

Why an Operational Audit? Rather than a financial or theft audit, self-storage operational audits aim to ensure that all policies and procedures are appropriately organized and implemented. Operational audits are essential if you have multiple locations, as you want them all to operate consistently. This means using the same forms and following the same processes […]

Telephone Mystery Shoppers – How They Make Our Training Program Successful

telephone mystery shoppers

The Variety of Telephone Mystery Shoppers is Key SkilCheck Services is one of the first telephone mystery shopping companies that job seekers encounter in their quest for mystery shopping employment. With over 40 years of experience, we have established a strong presence in the mystery shopping industry. We utilize an exceptional mystery shopping platform, ISecretShop.com. […]

Debunking the High Occupancy Myth

debunking the high occupancy myth

It’s Not Always About Occupancy Every time I’m called in to assist a store that is struggling with operations with a full property audit, more times than not, my first inclination is that the property is striving towards a high occupancy and ignoring red flags at the store. So, one of my first jobs before […]