Self Service Kiosk Provides Self Storage Operators with Well Deserved Escape

Posted by MiniCo on May 31, 2012 11:00:00 PM

Self Service Kiosk Provides Self Storage Operators with Well Deserved Escape

OpenTech Alliance announces it has successfully assisted Redding Storage in their mission to automate their self storage business and improve their quality of life at the same time. In April, the owners of Redding Storage implemented their first INSOMNIAC™ self service kiosk and by May were relaxing on the beach in Hawaii. Co-owners, identical twins, and brothers, Dan & Dee Ryan operate 3 self-storage facilities in the Northern City of Redding, California. Their portfolio includes Ace Mini Storage, Twin View Storage and Bear Cave Storage. “Ace Mini Storage was a sleeper, hidden within the Redwood Forest. Our plan was to operate the 240 unit facility through automation with little to no manpower. Our one requirement was all new technology had to integrate seamlessly with our current property management software – SiteLink Web,” stated Dan. “We did our homework and a lot of arithmetic with the help of our big brother Dean,” said Dee. “Dean operates other family businesses with over 150 employees and he is very familiar with staffing metrics and returns related to self service technology investments. He installed similar self service check-out systems at all of our Tops family grocery stores. Initially we were concerned the self service kiosk, we call Megan, may cost too much for our size of operation. Dean quickly helped us see how the cost savings in employee payroll alone would more than pay for Megan. Thanks to Dean, Megan is already paying dividends at Ace Mini Storage.” said Dan. Dee finished by saying, “The kiosk with live assistance from an OpenTech Storage Counselor is like a having an assistant manager on-site all the time.” Today, Ace Mini Storage is open 24/7 and a manager is only on-site 3 days a week from 10:00am to 3:00pm. While Megan does much of the work, the Ryan’s are living the automated dream. Less than 3 weeks after the INSOMNIAC installation, one of the Ryan’s split town. Like a scene from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Dan and his wife Laurie left the friendly confines of Ace Mini Storage for the tropical climate of the “Aloha State”, without hesitation! “Due to the demands of owning and operating self storage facilities, the term vacation is not familiar throughout our profession, however we had an edge, we had Megan,” smirked Ryan. Prior to his return to Redding, Dan was delighted to forward OpenTech a vacation snapshot thanking Megan! “We get a lot of feedback from our kiosk customers, but vacation photos are rare. Seeing how our hard work has translated into more free time for our customers is very rewarding,” said Robert A. Chiti, OpenTech President and CEO. “We are glad to see the Ryan’s are taking some much deserved time off knowing Megan is back at the office doing her job,” added Chiti. About OpenTech Alliance, Inc.  A pioneer in self storage automation, OpenTech Alliance is the leading developer of innovative self service solutions for the self storage industry. Their trail was blazed by offering facilities 24 hour self service solutions through a complete line of INSOMNIAC™ Kiosks. Today, the innovation continues with a full range of self service rental solutions that include; Self Storage Cloud Services, INSOMNIAC Live! Call Center and INSOMNIAC Online web & mobile applications. OpenTech’s products and services increase revenues, reduce operating costs and improve customer convenience for self storage businesses. For more information please click OpenTechAlliance.com or call an OpenTech Business Development Manager at (602) 749-9370.]]>