Customer Service Extras On A Small Budget

About a month ago I went in to my mechanic for an oil change.  I remember waking up and thinking, ooooohhh, I get to go see Nick today.  I closed my eyes and visualized walking through his front door, checking in and staring longingly into the face of......the Keurig machine.  Something I have dreamed of having in our office for a long time.  To quote the great Wayne Campbell, "It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine".  In the meantime, that machine gives me something to look forward to when it is time for an oil change.  And on top of that, they give you coupons for your next visit, give your rides to and from work and leave you with a lot of great information regarding your vehicle.  They are the epitome of customer service.  But, all of that costs money and not every small business has that kind of income right now.  So, how do you know what appeals to your customers?

When I began working here, one of the first things I noticed was the peppermint candy.  We keep a container of it well stocked on our counter and we have customers who will pop in just to grab a few for the road, catch a quick conversation and head out on their way.  I love that and the excuse to talk to my customers.  During that time, I often learn about their needs and what we can do to better serve them.  We have to remember that our job is not only to talk but to listen.  During this time you can clue in to the needs of others. What types of needs am I referring to?  Well, having a small budget means we have to look even more closely, listen intently and remember the old proverb that says, "The poor man's budget is full of schemes". 

Often times I will be visited by families with children.  Everyone has different parenting styles and at times, it can be a bit difficult for the parent to juggle their children and listen to my sales pitch.  It is pretty imperative when you are trying to rent a unit that the customer is able to hear all you have to explain.  In the past, I would see one child running up and down our showroom while another was hanging off of Mom's arm and the other was in the public restroom doing ( ?? fill in the blank).  As I said, everyone has different parenting styles but the main key is to place the parent in a comfortable and relaxing spot so they can concentrate (and for me to be able to do the same!).   

We have a small store nearby that sells everything for a dollar.  Greatest concept since sliced bread.  One day while running errands, I went into this store and grabbed two puzzles, three childrens books, stickers for boys and sticker for girls and a small, plastic basket.  I put the girls stickers in a plastic container with a lid and the boys in another and marked them as such.  I placed everything in the basket and put it on the floor in the customer waiting area.  I did not spend more than $10. Not long after, a woman came in with her two children and was so pleased to see that we had shopped at the dollar store her husband managed.  She recognized the toys and they were enough to keep her children quiet so she could make a decision.  She became a repeat customer and she and her husband now have several units with us.  I turned that $10 into hundreds of dollars!

I'm a seasonal decorator as well. Nothing gaudy, just enough to brighten things up a bit.  I first started decorating our office as soon as the first sign of Autumn hit. Autumn just happens to be my favorite.  So, I went into the trusty little dollar store and picked up a bag of fabric leaves, some autumn print ribbon, a fabric bag in the shape of a black cat's face and two bags of suckers, total of $5.  I decorated the door and counter.  I also purchased an apple-cinnamon spice air freshener which helped with the autumn "feel" when you walk in the door (it has been proven that certain scents put people in a "buying" mood). I had a lot of compliments from our clients regarding the decor.  People DO notice.  I believe it makes them feel more comfortable when they come in to see that we aren't a cold, corporate office but we truly care about how they perceive us as a company.

Of course the holiday season always begs for decorating.  During the holiday's I brought out items that were festive but remained conservative with the amount I put out.  I think we can be a little overkill and that takes away from the ambiance of an already festive season.  I tested out some simple ribbons, bows and bells and bought a new candy dish.  Our customer's loved the simplicity and commented on this as well.  And once the season ended, everything came down.  It was as simple as that.

As you can see, it isn't difficult to offer customer service extras on a small budget. Giving top notch customer service is my top priority.  You can read many of my blogs and see just how important that is to me.  So, maintaining an environment that reflects that is equally as important.  It takes little time, effort and money to ensure your customers feel special because they ARE special.  We all are and so is your business.  Let's set the bar high so we are always reaching for the highest standards.  I promise, it will pay off.

Have a great day!

Michelle Armstrong
Manager
Star Storage
816-765-7300

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Michelle Armstrong
Manager
Star Storage
816-765-7300

The Problem With Homelessness

Many of your customers are homeless.  That might come as a surprise to some of you.  It is estimated that 3.5 million people in America are homeless.  Of that, 23% are children.  770,000 homeless children are currently enrolled in the public school system.  These are astonishing figures and we see many homeless families in the self-storage business (more information at http://www.nationalhomeless.org). Self-storage laws state that it is illegal to reside in a storage facility.  The main reasons are that it is not safe for the person living inside and it is also a liability to the owner.  The statistics are overwhelming at best and when we are faced with this situation, we must respond quickly.  What is the best way to respond?

First of all, we are all human beings and deserve the right to be treated with respect despite our economic situation.  It is not up to us to judge who is at fault for their situation. Unless we have walked in their shoes, many people will never know the stigma that accompanies being homeless.  Most of the time you won't know a customer is homeless.  In the event someone shares this information with you, as a storage facility, you can't really offer much to them aside from a free unit (which I am definitely not suggesting anyone should do).  Keeping this in mind, this is the first step in making certain your boundaries are always established from the beginning.  More often than not, someone renting a unit is in a hotel or a shelter and drawing a small monthly income from somewhere which enables them to pay their unit rental bill.  I have customers who have been paying on time for months and I am just finding out they have been in this situation the entire time.

Many of these families have at least one working parent. The majority of the time they have children and are in a hotel. But, in most cases, they don't have enough income to afford to get out of the situation they are in, which is living in a tiny hotel room.  They need the money for the deposit and after a credit check, they will probably need more than that. Each paycheck drains their income to go towards a hotel room so they are unable to save for a deposit for a rental.  If there is a large family, there are occupancy laws in many cities that say six people in a two bedroom is too many.  Therefore, renting an apartment that is large enough seems like a far off and distant dream.  Plus, the waiting list for HUD and Section 8 housing is generally very long, if they even qualify.  So, what can we, as a business, do to help?

During one conversation with a homeless family, I came up with three possible solutions that no one had even shared with them during this entire time. There are currently three programs that are not widely advertised in this area whose main priority is to get people off of the streets and out of hotels and into permanent housing.  When I gave our customer the information (it took me less than one minute to look up the names and numbers) she was so glad there was a possible light at the end of the tunnel.  After this, I realized that if there is a need, I need to make solutions available to those our customers who have a need.  Not only is it a part of good customer service practices to go above and beyond the call of duty, it's also being a good humanitarian.

In the United States, there is an available program that was put into place two years ago called Rapid Rehousing.  It is available in every state (sometimes funding is limited in some areas but it always helps to send someone to the one in your city).  You can easily go to a search engine (Google, Yahoo, Dogpile, etc) and type in rapid rehousing and your city's name.  In our instance, it is Rapid Rehousing Kansas City.  The next step is to look through the first few results.  Rapid Rehousing is a program that is actually not a "stand alone" entity.  Non-profits in your area integrate the program within their organization and then you can apply through them.  Therefore, you will not have a direct number Rapid Rehousing. but instead it will be a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping the homeless. Calling these organizations (there is generally more than one, tell your customer to call them all) will open the door (generally) to a wide array of homeless prevention programs available in the city either through their organization or others.


Another good resource is through the HUD web site.  It is: http://www.hudhre.info/index.cfm?do=viewLookingAssistance

Make certain you bookmark this site so you can easily open it when a customer comes in who is in need.  It also gives resources for food assistance, medical insurance and more.  You can also give them information if they are at risk to become homeless.

Understandably, we don't have all the time in the world when we are at work, especially on very busy days.  So, you can also create a sheet with these links as well as phone numbers they can call.  You can have those ready to either discreetly hand to someone in need or you can even leave them setting out for people to take.  I like things neat, tidy and professional, so my idea would be a small pamphlet in a brochure holder.  In the long run, you are giving adults and children a chance to lead normal lives, giving back to the economy (more money in pockets means more into retail) and helping the nation as a whole.  The ROI (return on investment) is a much bigger picture than you may ever realize.  Until next time, thanks and have a great day!



Michelle Armstrong
Manager
Star Storage
816-765-7300

Have A Great Day

The owner came in with a sign the other day and asked what I thought about it.  He thought it might be fun to mount it onto the back of the gate so our tenants would see it upon exiting.  We have a little "mascot" man on our logo and a lot of people who drive around our various properties recognize his face when they see him.  He's a cute little guy with a 1940's look.  I loved the new sign and thought it would look marvelous so he proceeded to hang it up.  When I look at our security camera monitor from my desk, I see the sign and it makes me smile.  So, what is on this sign that makes it so special?  "Have A Great Day!"

Now, you may have let out a little chuckle but I can say that there is a psychological effect which takes place when a person hears the words "Have a nice day" or "Have a great day".  Inspirational speaker and writer Norman Vincent Peale said, "To have a great day every day it helps to think great thoughts and to concentrate on at least one every day".  Sometimes it is absolutely necessary to have the extra boost, isn't it?  Today was a particularly good day at work. A lot of my regular customers came in to make payments.  I love the people who came in today.  All full of smiles and greetings.  Despite the fact they were paying their bills and it was gloomy and cold outside, they didn't care.  They came in sporting smiles and really good attitudes.  My son (also an employee) was standing in the room and I turned to him and saw him all smiles (as always) and at that moment I realized how much I loved what I do.

Now, don't get me wrong.  My work doesn't define who I am.  I am a firm believer that we aren't defined by our jobs or anything else in life, it's us who defines whatever we are doing at that moment.  We have the power to change any situation at any given time simply with our attitude.  So, why is that so difficult sometimes?  Truly bad situations can happen in someone's life that reshapes their lives.  Those defining times in our lives can leave us in a space where it is difficult to recover.  When those people enter our lives, we can either look at them and determine they just have a bad attitude or we can assume it is a combination of bad situations that have taken place in their lives.  When we change our perspective of other people's situations, it makes it so much easier to respond to them on a more compassionate human level.

How do we do this?  Well, it takes time and practice.  It can start with a simple smile and a warm greeting.  Give them a chance to vent if necessary.  Respond with understanding (empathy and sympathy go a long way).  Apologize, "I'm so sorry you are going through this right now" means a lot to a person who thinks no one else cares.  A hug.  That's right, I have hugged people who have walked in and just lost a loved one or a job.  I keep a box of tissues close to me and hand them out freely while listening to stories of divorce, lost homes, lost jobs and lost loved ones.  And when they are finished, they feel as if, strangely enough, this is a place of refuge where they can come and reflect.  That's nice to know we can do that for people.  Business goes way beyond that simple transaction that takes place behind the counter.  We should always convey that message to our customers and let them know how much we value them as people.  Warren Schmidt made quite the statement when asking this of himself in the movie, About Schmidt:  "I know we're all pretty small in the big scheme of things, and I suppose the most you can hope for is to make some kind of difference, but what kind of difference have I made?  What in the world is better because of me?" I suppose that is something I can ask myself each time someone leaves and I say, Have a great day".

Michelle Armstrong

Manager

Star Storage

816-765-7300