Owner/Operator Reveals New Generation Ethics for Self-Storage

PHOENIX, Arizona – October 31st, 2015 – OpenTech Alliance announced today that Robert Kapp, owner of American Self Storage in Pittsboro, North Carolina, revealed a number of new generation business practices that combat rising storage competition, by adapting to new customer buying habits.  Kapp’s ethics have allowed the company to rapidly gain a competitive edge, and in turn achieve a higher level of customer satisfaction.

What started 15 years ago as an untested concept, American Self Storage was founded on the principles of being an unmanned facility.  At that time, the new facility owner began to pioneer the remote business concept singlehandedly, 60 miles away from his facility.  Without the latest technology, transactions were handled by phone, and all the red-tape was done manually by mail.  Today, the site has grown and evolved into one of Pittsboro’s busiest storage facilities.

In order to accomplish the feat, Kapp’s first course of action was to scrap the customary self-storage business schedule.  “You all know it.  The one that was built to work for most of your customers, most of the time,” said Kapp.  Instead, he had the philosophy to build a storage experience that works for all of his customers, all of the time.  Kapp stated, “People are working longer hours and are always on the go.  We felt that limiting business to our office from 9-5 wasn’t ok, just because everybody else does it.  We also knew that we were leaving money on the table by not providing a solution.”

As the property got bigger, daily time limits to doing business with the 500 unit (60,000 sqft) facility were eliminated by integrating the INSOMNIAC® Self-Storage Kiosk.  “The kiosk supercharged our efficiencies and put our facility into a position where it never turns business away,” added Kapp.

Prior to purchasing the kiosk, Kapp spoke to several owners who use the technology and noted, “Talking with kiosk users was the best way to get a non-biased opinion.  Before seeing success, many had a slow start.  There was a natural adjustment period because they were used to serving customers the same way for so long.  Training their staff to do things differently took extra time and care.  We were lucky; our start was literally seamless because the kiosk already complimented our business practices.  There was no push-back, and training with our Customer Success Manager Kristina, was in-step with our beliefs.”

When visiting the site these days, there is no perception of a traditional storage facility.  New customers and tenants alike experience the automated model from the beginning, when approaching the always-open American Self Storage tech-office onsite.  And when customers call by phone, no matter the time of day or night, Kapp goes back to his original playbook to offer RFS (Remote Facility Support).  They market their amenities, and over the years they have become very good at it…

And like a well read script, Kapp went into demonstration mode, “Thanks for calling, yes units are available.  No appointment is necessary, the automated office is always open; make yourself at home (fridge is for customers).  You can do what you need to, at your convenience.  Just remember to push the help button on the kiosk if you need any assistance onsite.”  Customers get immediate help when they want it from a live storage counselor through the 2way video feature the onsite kiosk provides.

When asked about the lack of personalized service onsite, Kapp replied, “Managers can’t offer personalized service 24-7, but we do have a full-time supervisor.  He stays busy overseeing three of our sites and is available to offer personal service when needed.  Still, we are finding less and less people want personalized service.  The kiosk offers a flawless experience, we have had zero complaints, and my anxiety level has gone down.”

It’s no longer business as usual in the storage industry in Pittsboro, and Kapp has grown his empire into 7 properties.  Customers are receiving exceptional service on an anytime-anywhere basis at American Self Storage where their business loyalty is reserved for those who are best serving them at the moment.

Why We Do What We Do: Every day, OpenTech Alliance connects thousands of tenants with storage companies around the world. With over 4,000 daily transactions, the companies automated products and services helped Storage Managers move-in over 100,000 tenants in 2014, generating over 100 million dollars in new sales revenue alone. OpenTech, Making Self-Storage Easier, So More People will Use It. For additional information, please click: OpenTechAlliance.com or call an OpenTech Business Development Manager at (602) 749-9370.

Press Contact:
Mike Sawyer, Director of Marketing
OpenTech Alliance, Inc.
602.324.8655
msawyer@opentechalliance.com

NOTE TO EDITORS: OpenTech Alliance, the OpenTech logo, and INSOMNIAC are trademarks of OpenTech Alliance, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. INSOMNIAC kiosks are protected by U.S. patent number 5,946,660.

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