Devon Self Storage Sees Amazing Returns from OpenTech Alliance Call Center Services
June 21st, 2018 – Phoenix, AZ – Devon Self Storage, one of the largest self-storage operators in the U.S., with 49 facilities and over 3.4 million square feet of rentable space, recently expanded its’ use of the OpenTech Alliance INSOMNIAC® Live! Call Center to handle all their inbound telephone calls. While Devon had previously been using the OpenTech Call Center for several years to handle their overflow calls, all the companies’ calls are now handled by OpenTech.After exhaustive testing in 11 of its’ locations, Devon made the decision to expand its’ partnership with OpenTech Alliance based on a number of key factors, including: Ability to handle after-hours calls; Staff efficiency and effectiveness; Reporting Capabilities and Call Recordings. According to Jim Mooney, Devon’s Vice President of Operations: “In testing, our actual closing percentage on new calls increased by 21% – because when a customer is looking for storage, it’s because they need it now. With the call center, all (conversations) get logged-in and forwarded to the stores so that our managers can then do what we do best, which is to follow-up and try to get them through the front door. Since we moved all of our calls to OpenTechs’ Call Center, we now close approximately 30% of all incoming leads, and we are very happy with that number compared to where we were before.”
Prior to moving all inbound calls to the OpenTech Call Center, Devon had already been using OpenTech Alliance to respond to their incoming web leads. According to Mooney, Devon has been able to close a whopping 43% of these in 2017: “We’re only open from 9:30 to 6:00 on Monday to Friday, and 9:30 to 4:00 on Saturdays. So, if someone makes a web-based request at 7:00 on a Saturday night, the best-case scenario was that it would be handled at 9:30 on Monday morning. With our web leads going directly to OpenTech, that lead is now handled within a half-hour window, so the customer gets an immediate phone call plus a nice email with a PDF attachment. They can even complete the rental paperwork right there on the spot! So for Devon it allows us to stop the shopping cycle and provide a comfort level for the customer, along with the instant gratification they’re looking for.”
Just how important is OpenTechs’ call center to Devon Self Storage, we asked: Said Mooney: “Most people who call in want to talk to a live person – they don’t want an answering machine, and they don’t want an IVR (interactive voice response system). For us, it guarantees that all our calls get answered immediately by a real person. And if the manager is busy with another customer, whether it’s in-person or on the phone, it ensures that these calls are handled promptly as well, without having to divert the managers attention.”
Beyond these points, Mooney says that the call notes and recordings provided as a part of OpenTechs’ Call Center service are also critical: “Having detailed call notes and recordings are key when there’s any kind of an issue – we can go back and see exactly what was said. We never had that capability before, and it’s really a game changer when you need it.”
Devon also uses several other OpenTech products including their XpressCollect and XpressPay automated collections and payment systems. “These products provide the self-storage tenant with a simple and unobtrusive way to pay their bills, and to be reminded when they don’t.” according to Bill Hoffman, OpenTech VP of Sales & Marketing. Adds Mooney: “I don’t know why any self-storage operator wouldn’t use these products – they are really a no-brainer, and for my money, they would be missing a huge opportunity.”
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