Thread: Insomniac Kiosks

We recently installed an Insomniac kiosk at one of our facilities. I am interested to hear the opinions of other Insomniac owners and users. Our experience has been slow but positive. Customers are beginning to make payments on it; however, no one has purchased a lock or rented a unit from it yet.

We have another facility that we are considered the Insomniac for. Your opinions are appreciated.

We have two now and have just purchased the third one. Our first one, we initially saw a gradual increase in payments, however after about one month we actually received a customer that rented because we had it in place.

I think you have to look at it as it is a long term investment, over time as more and more potential customers become aware of this I believe we will see a much greater use. I wish we had them at all of our properties.

I don't see the use in using these. I hav a method in which you can rent a unit anytime of the day/night/weekend withou being present in the facility. They can also pay me by calling me anytime of day/night/weekend. I have done this for over 10 years and my occupancy is great and payment are made on time from most customers this way. All questions they might have are answered as well.

We have a call center that I feel is more personal than a machine. We are in NH and our center is out of AZ so the time zones are different so it seems like our office is open longer than we are. The center is great at calling us if there is a problem at the facility if immediate response is needed and they can make payments as well as rent a unit through our website which is linked through their office and availibility of units are updated daily. I would recommend a call center before the machine just so that our customers talk to a human.

We have kiosks at our stores. We average 4 kiosks rental/month which makes up 14% of our total monthly rentals. Would love to see more though!
We've had problems with the touch screen not working on many occasions and also the thumbprint scanner but OpenTech has been super great with getting it fixed asap. They have the best customer service.
It will definitely get busier. Our first few months were slow too. It really is about promoting it on every end. We use the phone book, website, managers, call center and billboards to advertise. We also made up a brochure to give to customers. We also stopped calling it a kiosk because people were confused and now use 24 Hour Rental Station. We are planning to add curb signs promoting the rental station this year.
GOOD LUCK!
Danielle

Originally Posted by brownsburgselfstorage

I don't see the use in using these. I hav a method in which you can rent a unit anytime of the day/night/weekend withou being present in the facility. They can also pay me by calling me anytime of day/night/weekend. I have done this for over 10 years and my occupancy is great and payment are made on time from most customers this way. All questions they might have are answered as well.

Is this "method" something you will share with the rest of us?
Jim Briggs

Originally Posted by LeeLockItInn

We have a call center that I feel is more personal than a machine. We are in NH and our center is out of AZ so the time zones are different so it seems like our office is open longer than we are. The center is great at calling us if there is a problem at the facility if immediate response is needed and they can make payments as well as rent a unit through our website which is linked through their office and availibility of units are updated daily. I would recommend a call center before the machine just so that our customers talk to a human.

What management software and call center do you use?
Jim Briggs

I too have considered going the Kiosk route with Insomniac but the pricing model seems to be suited for only very large facilities. It's not so much the upfront cost, I was OK with the 11k to 18k up front, but when I asked about a warranty I was told that I am required to purchase a $350 a month warranty from day one and that there is no warranty except for that which I am forced to purchase. This easily adds another $4000 a year to an already expensive proposition.

Originally Posted by swan

I too have considered going the Kiosk route with Insomniac but the pricing model seems to be suited for only very large facilities. It's not so much the upfront cost, I was OK with the 11k to 18k up front, but when I asked about a warranty I was told that I am required to purchase a $350 a month warranty from day one and that there is no warranty except for that which I am forced to purchase. This easily adds another $4000 a year to an already expensive proposition.

If you honestly think you can have someone site at your facility 24/7 with a constant smile on their face for less then 22k. Let me know I want to find out if they have any more relatives! Oh yeah I hope that person doesn't steal from you because your paying them dirt. I know my kiosk won't. I personally have 3 kiosk now. I have four facilities, however the city has not approved the building permit for the 4th. It works wonders for me.

Originally Posted by Jim Briggs

What management software and call center do you use?
Jim Briggs

You can talk to a human thru the kiosk! Maybe you should look at their website where there is clearly a call button the customer can push if they need help. Most of time they do not need our help because the machine is so easy to use.