Can We Improve our Customer Service? Yes, ALWAYS!

Well, this last week was a traveling adventure for me.

Several times while traveling, I found my patience was waning (that is my nice way of saying I was pissed). My flight departure gate was changed six times in one hour. Not one of the gate agents apologized for the delay or for moving us again to another gate.

I assumed that the employees just didn’t feel the need to say something nice or even funny over the gate intercom. if I were a gate agent, I would say something like…”Passengers going to DFW on flight 51, we are going to change your flight once again, so you get all your fitness steps in today.” I would think that even if the agent said that with sarcasm, I would feel better that they knew that we were getting a bit of a run-around. And, as it turned out, we all trouped back to the first gate which we were assigned to begin with!

Can we perform better than the airlines at customer service?

Absolutely! Partially because our self-storage is simpler to operate, and we generally have more time to work with customers. In the storage business, we typically have more personal interaction time as compared to the airlines. With fewer customers in storage, we have time to listen to tenants and help them in positive ways even when something may be going wrong.

It is critical front-line self-storage owners and managers smooth over problematic customer issues, which may mean offering a credit for manager or technology errors. Let managers manage in a proactive and positive experience for customers.

Years ago, I had a manager who did not want to make courtesy delinquent payment calls or send out late payment emails. When I asked her why she was not calling and emailing customers, she said that she wanted to collect the late fees. As much as I’d like to collect late fees as well, we should communicate before delinquent payments as a courtesy to the customer who may have simply forgotten to pay. Even if it is a simple email.

Are there things in self-storage that we can improve upon?

Customers’ names and unit numbers would be handy, and I like to put notes in the storage software that will remind me of things that would help personalize a conversation with the customer.

For example:

• Customer just moved into a new house in Chandler.
• Customer’s mother passed away last month.
• Ask about Jennifer’s dog who was in a pet hospital.
• Changed jobs, ask how his new position is going.

Remembering a customer’s name can significantly enhance the quality of interaction with that customer. So, learn to “shoot the bull” with customers and have a good time renting!

Personal blah, blah I wanted to tell you…

The weather down south of the Mason-Dixon line was getting all riled up from Hurricane Helene while I went to the great state of Mississippi. And I have to tell you that when I was in fourth grade, I had to learn to spell all 50 states. That dang gone Mississippi gave me the most trouble.

My dad Charles, who was an amazing school teacher, had a fun way he taught me how to learn to spell Mississippi. (No kidding, out of habit I still have to spell it like this now) “M-I-crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter crooked letter I humpback humpback I.” I have no more blahs left for today, happy renting!