Self-Service Kiosk, Self Storage Call Center Help Mt. Pleasant Storage Thrive with Hybrid Operating Model

Mt. Pleasant Storage finds success with INSOMNIAC® Live! call center services and INSOMNIAC Kiosks.

See Their Secrets to Success
mt pleasant self storage

About Mt. Pleasant Storage

Mt. Pleasant Storage is a Michigan-based operator managing seven self storage facilities. With locations conveniently located minutes away from Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant aims to serve out-of-state students moving away for the summer with a simple and easy means of storing their belongings.

Founded: 2018

Portfolio Size: 7

Based: Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

Interviewed:
Kyle Leonard, Facilities Manager

Products


Use Case: INSOMNIAC Live! Call Center, INSOMNIAC Kiosk, XPressPay

2023 Data Highlights

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Mt. Pleasant Storage is a Michigan-based operator managing seven self storage facilities in a city with the same name. Their facilities are located just minutes away from Central Michigan University. 

Mt. Pleasant Facilities Manager Kyle Leonard knows from experience that storage is the last thing on a student’s mind before they head home. A student himself during his internship in 2021, he didn’t know just how much went into both sides of the storage coin before he entered the field.

Now a graduate and working full-time, he has been instrumental in pushing the operator’s presence amongst students.

“It’s really helpful for a student to store with us for the summer and not worry about hauling their things back home,” Leonard explains. “As an intern, I worked pretty hard to introduce the service to other students and to let them know that self storage was an option.”

Man and woman in call centerAs the manager for all seven Mt. Pleasant locations, Leonard has his hands quite full. That’s why he appreciates having rollover services from the INSOMNIAC Live! Call Center as a backup to handle any calls that come in while he is working on other tasks.

In fact, Live! Storage Counselors took 1,300+ calls for five Mt. Pleasant Storage facilities in 2023, totaling over 105 hours on the phone. In the same year, tenants used INSOMNIAC XpressPay to make $82,000+ in payments. 

“I manage the whole portfolio,” he states. “When you’re taking calls every two minutes, it’s hard to get other facility projects done. The call center relieves the pressure of having that many calls go to one person.”

Mt. Pleasant Storage Designs High-Converting Call Strategy with Flexible Self Storage Call Center Rollover Option

With the self storage call center, Mt. Pleasant is never locked into one way of taking calls and is free to design a solution that works for them. Recently, the team decided to have all sales-related calls route through a Mt. Pleasant team member before rolling to the call center. Otherwise, all payment and general account maintenance calls go to Live! Storage Counselors.

Leonard attributes his operation’s high rental conversions to this flexibility and notes it frees him up to focus on those calls that are most important.

“The call center handles anything from payments, to access control questions, and facility inquiries,” Leonard says. “It’s really nice to have that ability to give out a gate code when a tenant arrives after hours, and it’s great during the day, especially during the first of the month, when tenants call in to make a payment.”

“When you’re taking calls every two minutes, it’s hard to get other facility projects done. The call center relieves the pressure of having that many calls go to one person.”

— Kyle Leonard, Facilities Manager

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INSOMNIAC Kiosk Helps Mt. Pleasant Storage Expand Business Hours, Take Payments

As a facilities manager, Leonard’s duties often take him from site to site, making it difficult to help all walkup traffic. Luckily, Mt. Pleasant Storage uses INSOMNIAC kiosks at their facilities to make sure every walkup tenant is taken care of.

“The kiosk is an extension of us more than anything else,” Leonard explains. “It gives people a way to rent without having to have someone onsite 24/7.”

mt pleasant stroage image 1 e1715971182641In 2023, Mt. Pleasant Storage’s kiosks took $7,800+ in transactions and completed 47 rentals: an average of four per month.  Mt. Pleasant has maximized their walkup rental experience by providing more than just an empty room and a kiosk: When tenants arrive onsite, they’ll see a dedicated kiosk room with unit sizes mapped out on the floor.

“This helps them visualize how much space they need without needing a middleman onsite to help,” Leonard continues. “Otherwise, we can help troubleshoot their space needs over the phone.”

He goes on to say it is a great resource for Mt. Pleasant’s tenants, especially for college students getting off of school late. “We’ve had people rent units at midnight before. Not many people are awake during that hour, let alone at work. If a college student wants to rent a unit during the evening, they can do so without waiting for the office to open up.”

Mt. Pleasant Storage Redefines Hybrid Operating Strategy with Help from Self Storage Technology Partner

As the operator sets its sights on growing, it plans to move more of its services over to OpenTech Alliance, attributing much of its success to the operational changes made with the company’s self storage technology and services.

“OpenTech has helped define the way we do things here,” Leonard concludes. “The call center and kiosk combination has worked out for us, especially with the latest call center changes we made. We’re seeing more rentals and have more time to provide customer service and capture rentals. That’s something we’ve pushed lately: Constant availability and never being closed. It’s been great.”

Contact OpenTech Alliance to get in touch with a team member and learn more about the Live! self storage call center or self-service kiosks. 

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