Hello Everyone:
Managers and staff almost have to be grief counselors at times when a customer comes in to rent a unit the middle of a life event. What techniques do you use to calm and reassure customers?
Thanks,
Elaine

give 'em a free lock.

My wife is real good at comforting them and holding their hand as they cry through their stories -- me -- I'm no good with that - I just look at them and nod a lot.

I would make a bad grief counselor!

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Wayne Docktor
Manager
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.
webmast@all-americanselfstorage.com
www.all-americanselfstorage.com

We recognize and remind all of our managers to keep in mind the fact that most of our customers (70 -80% is an accurate estimate) come into our facilities in the middle of a life crisis, which can be defined as any event that varies significantly from the norm and creates, as a result, substantial emotional and/or physical stress. This can range from a job loss to a death, and includes everything in between. In May, at our 800 unit facility, we dealt with four tenant or tenant's family member's deaths (one was a murder), several job losses, tenant incarcerations, apartment/home evictions, divorces and the like... In every case, we have found that listening with empathy is the best therapy for customers, coupled with a sincere reassurance that our interest is to prevent their storage experience from contributing to their obvious stress. Customers appreciate this, and almost without exception eventually come by to thank us for our understanding and assistance.

Oh, by the way... the end result is ALWAYS a bounty of referrals!


John Roser

I don't call it a crisis I call it mini storage Drama. No seriously. I just mostly listen and let them talk and node. One time I helped one woman in the middle of a domestic crisis get the unit. (Not enough funds) Waived the 2/3 days left of the prorate. One think I do tell my employees. WE DO NOT GET IN THE MIDDLE OF DOMESTIC DISPUTES!! Whoever signed the lease is resposible for that unit. If the soon to be x wife want the unit in the soon to be x husbands name and they don't want to be together. We need a letter from soon to be x wife and we need soon to be x husband to come in to fill out a lease. I don't care what happened I just want the rent. !!!!! We had one where the soon to be x husband came and paid us in full and moved out. (unit was in his name) He said if soon to be x wife chatches at the unit she is going to come kick his Ax@s! Yes and he had a Mullet... Laughing.
Colleen

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Mason Mini Storage
Mason Michigan

We had one like that. There was a lady who was married to a mechanic and stored his tools with us so he wouldn't get them when they did the divorce. We are talking a 10x30 full of tools. He was on vacation by himself when she did this. Then one day she came in and changed owner on the unit to some guy who said later he bought the tools for 5 grand. He the soon to be x husband came in to try to get into the unit and we informed him that the unit was never in his name and is now in another persons name, nothing we can do. He got to irrate we call the police who explained he would have to take his soon to be x to court. Which he did and the lady came back to rent again, she said he won in court and she told the judge she sold the contents of the unit for $500 and that is what he won in court. Sucks to end a marriage like that.

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Proud Karate Mom

If a site manager truly wishes to excel in this business, a good start includes gaining a proper perspective on your customer, whomever they may be. In spite of the incredible variety of laughable and foolish situations one might encounter, they are not sitcom actors... just real people who are looking to you for help with one little part of their screwed-up lives.

Compassion will go a long way toward polishing the often tarnished image of this industry and its managers...

I agree that it is compassion and empathy that will get you and the tenant on the same page, they will see you are a person too and see that you understand. It really isn't that hard to just listen to people and even if you do just nod atleast you listened to them. Don't rush them just reassure them and yes they will be happy and yes they will refer.

I do most of the time just listen. I did not mean to sound mean in my post but there is just some much drama. My heart goes out to some of these people. Like in michigan the forclosures are really high. We had a kid come in the other day and well he was renting a place and paid his rent for the month then the bank notified him they were forclosing no place to go. Jokingly he asked if he could live in his unit.

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Mason Mini Storage
Mason Michigan

Really,
I try to remember that maybe there was a time I seemed foolish to another because I might have been in the middle of a crisis. I may not have the best advice, but I have ears that work and I think listening and just trying to show your empathy is world wonders to most. See I can go anywhere and get treated like I am just another person with a story, so they can get on with there Earnings. I tell what, I won't go back. I have made it a point to be kind, always, I do not have to get involved to be kind. You can catch more flies with sugar baby!LOL, Sorry , but the world is full of money hungry people and I think that might be fine, just don't be an !#@ to get it.

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Lovin it.