Jim DiNardo (J. DiNardo Consulting), who directs self storage operations for Shetland Park said, “Over 75% of our new kiosk revenue came in when the office was closed. At an average of $1,000 per rental, the kiosk has more than paid for itself already.” DiNardo added, “Even though the rental office is open only from 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday, we’re not missing any opportunities to rent.” Located in Historic Salem Massachusetts, Shetland Park is the North Shore’s premier business center that offers a variety of services including a state-of-the-art self storage facility that opened in 2009 with less than 100 units. Since then, the facility has grown aggressively to 700 units with plans to continue expanding.
Continued growth only increased the pressure on management to come up with new strategies; and they did. In addition to installing the kiosk, Shetland Park Self Storage implemented a remote call center to handle reservations and process payments 24-7 by phone. Also, a new website & companion mobile website to engage online visitors whose computers & smartphones give them ready access to rent & pay 24-7.
“We’re very pleased with the success of the kiosk so far and our customers really seem to like using it,” said John Kelly, Vice President at Shetland Park. “With the added ability to do business on our website from a PC or a smartphone, we’re making it as easy as possible to rent storage with us. We continue to see steady growth in our self storage operation, and we’re attracting customers from all over the North Shore. It’s pretty clear that demand for self storage units in Salem and around the North Shore is strong, and renters prefer our modern, yet very affordable, storage facility,” added Kelly.
Robert Chiti, president and CEO at OpenTech gave Shetland Park Self Storage credit for acting with a multichannel plan to increase profits. “At a time when rentals are on an upswing, Shetland Park Self Storage is executing a perfect plan to maximize occupancy. Considering the rising growth in automation, self storage facilities can either fight with the status quo, or embrace the shift to technology in order to rent every unit in the house,” said Chiti.
Shetland Park embarked on this strategy with plenty of expertise, as DiNardo has worked in the self storage industry for over 24 years as; the Operations Manager & Partner for The Storage Depot, a consultant to the industry, and most currently as Operations Manager for Conroy Development, in addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the Self Storage Association (SSA) and co-founding the Massachusetts Self Storage Association (MASSA) back in 1998.
By trying so many new things at once, Shetland Park Self Storage can help the industry gauge the effectiveness of new strategies, while providing traditional manned facilities a glimpse of what other self storage rivals may implement in the years ahead.
About OpenTech Alliance, Inc
Celebrating a Decade of Service to Self Storage, OpenTech provides solutions that connect storage owners with tenants. Through the development of a complete line of automated Kiosks and Call Center services, the INSOMNIAC brand has become synonymous with self-storage. The company offers a wide-range of self storage rental solutions that increase revenues and improves customer convenience while decreasing operating costs and workload. A place to find reliable, around-the-clock support is what OpenTech has come to be for thousands of self storage owners world-wide. For additional information, please click OpenTech Alliance.com or call an OpenTech Business Development Manager at (602) 742-9370.
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