Having owned and operated self-storage businesses for over ten years, one of the most important catalysts for our continued success and growth is that we do everything we can to make our customer journey a positive one.
They say a happy customer tells a few people about your business whilst an unhappy customer tells ten people. It’s a simple but obvious equation. So we took this thinking and turned it into a non-negotiable pillar of our business. We started to ask every single customer for feedback at various points along their life cycle and we knew if we could remove or minimize the pain points, we’d be onto a winner. And by doing this our business grew.
One of the most common pain points we saw time and time again in the industry was where customers received a quote for a storage unit that was incorrectly sized. It’s easy to understand why. Moving into self-storage is stressful. It often involves change and it can be ridiculously hard work. When things don’t go smoothly customers who are already often at the end of their tether can be set off by small things. Having to move into a new storage unit after having loaded the first one which was too small is no small thing. And so we set out to develop a new way to solve this problem.
At first, we looked around the market to solve this problem. And admittedly we saw some solutions that kind of worked. Versions where the user input their items in a text based fashion and it kind of spat out a random calculation. There were also solutions involving a bunch of images which showed example units with example furniture (i.e. not customized for the customer) as a guide. The common theme is that all of these solutions were built on old-world technology and delivered a poor user experience (they failed to deliver an intuitive flow for the user, or reliable information to act on). Most importantly, no solution really let the user take control of the experience (or have any fun).
Taking matters into our own hands, we built our own. Introducing Calcumate. Utilizing new, industry leading technology, our intuitive 3D animated storage calculator now provides the answer visually in real time. And….by doing so, Calcumate greatly improved our sales conversions and our customers’ digital experience.
What does this mean for a real business?
Put simply, our customers were HAPPY. 5 star testimonials started flooding in like:
We couldn’t fault the service….I have already recommended to a number of people…A straightforward, easy to use website that calculates how much space you’ll need and gives you an honest price estimate…this made our house move so much easier!
“From the calculating tool (to work out how much space I’d need) to the cost breakdown…these guys have been beyond helpful and I would recommend them, and use again without hesitation”
But even more importantly we could feel the power increase exponentially in our brand in an otherwise undifferentiated, competitive market. The end result – our sales began to rise.
How does Calcumate achieve this?
Easy. By allowing the ability to pick their individual items being loaded into their storage unit, Calcumate gives the user an accurate visual guide as to the storage space they require. Check out Calcumate).
The tool uses a complex mathematical algorithm to test combinations of loading a storage unit (including random elements like putting boxes between table legs!) to figure out an efficient way of using the space. It then visually shows this to a user so they can see the loading of the unit and importantly, trust the answer. Add in some key branding elements (colors, fonts, logos etc.,) as well as some optional fun items (skeletons in closet, kids, etc.,) and the tool enhances your website and makes the overall customer experience first class.
Sometimes we get asked questions like: why would I want to calculate the best space for my customers, I want my customers to rent the biggest possible unit. But this sort of thinking is old school. It doesn’t create the sort of trust in the sales process that leads to more sales in the first place and won’t differentiate you from your competitors. Moreover, it definitely won’t keep your customers coming back and referring your business to their friends.
So… what does this mean for you and your business?
After receiving request after request to help like minded storage businesses, we’re excited to announce you can now build your own Calcumate integration for your website directly on our platform. In fact, we now help clients all over the world including in North and South America, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia.
All can be done in less than 5 minutes. Click on the portal and run through the easy 6 step process. The steps include:
- Setup – let us know the URL where the tool will be placed, whether you want self-storage or portable storage units, your call to action etc.,
- Storage units – input the size of your storage units so the tool knows the range of outputs it can choose from
- Categories – arrange your items into easy to use categories of items relevant to your market
- Presets – create a few clickable options that the customer can quickly choose from (e.g. 1 bedroom house to a 5 bedroom house) rather than going through each individual item
- Design – confirm the way you want to display the calculator including colors, fonts, etc.,
- Publish your integration – you get the code and place it directly onto any page on your website.
Interested in renting more units and having happier customers? Sign up for Calcumate and a FREE no obligations 30 day trial.