Customer service if definitely one thing that is overlooked when caller are shopping for Jamaica self storage units. They may not see why this would be that big of a benefit to them. There will lots of times that you will need assistance with something and it is great to have a helpful person there to assist you. For example, your bill may be incorrect and it is due today. If you cannot get through to anybody, you must decide if you should pay the bill or suffer a late penalty. Some sites in New York are very strict when it comes to late penalties and they may not forgive them for any reason.

If you store at a Jamaica self storage site that cares about their customers, then you may see that they take a more common sense approach to their policies. If an epic snowstorm befalls the facility, they should waive any late fees for cash paying customers. This is just something that would appear to be the right thing to do. A lot of properties would just charge you the late fee and not worry about it.

A Jamaica self storage with great customer service would be very helpful when you moving in to the storage space. If you have never stored before, there may be some things that you do not know. For example, they should offer you a mattress cover if you have a bed that you are storing. Also, boxes may be needed and they may work out a deal with you if you buy enough of them. Locks are important and they should show you the difference between all of the locks. A helpful employee will take the time to go through everything when you are getting set up with the space to avoid any confusion later.

When you call for prices, you will encounter many people who answer the phone in a manner that would suggest that you are disturbing them in some way. Get the prices, but you should probably stay away from that storage facility. This is a great indicator of how they treat their current customers. If they hate their jobs, that is fine, but you should probably keep searching for a site that will be helpful when you need them. It is also just nice to be able to take with someone that treats you with respect when you call in. you are paying them money so you should be treated well when you need something.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The best salespeople eliminate objections before they come up. Many Minneapolis self storage sites do not give all of the information to rent over the phone. They will tell the customers the price and then the special and save all the other costs until the customer comes in to rent. The problem with this is that it is deceptive. The theory is that the customer will just go ahead and rent once they are there. The number of people that walk out will be less than the number who would have said no over the phone. The problem is that the people who do walk out will have a bad impression of your company and will tell people they know about the experience. The person that says no over the phone may not do business with you, but they do not have a bad impression about your company. You do not want to develop a bad reputation in Minnesota for being a deceptive company. You will be out of business before you know it because all of your renters will have moved to your Minneapolis self storage competitors.

The best way to handle this is to just go over the move in costs while you have to customer on the phone. If you are a good salesperson, you should be able to judge the best time to fit this in. If you have a first month free promotion, you should tell them about other move in costs right away. They will be excited about the first month free special, so a little twenty dollar admin fee will not be that much of a negative. If you wait until the end of the call to go over all of these things, then the Minneapolis self storage caller may feel deceived because you gave them the impression that they would not have to pay anything for pretty much the whole call and then tacked on a few things at the end. Position the admin fee, lock purchase, insurance, and any deposits right after that special. Then you can quickly move on to something positive by mentioning the fact that you do not have any type of long term commitment. This sounds nice to the customer even though pretty much all storage locations do not require any type of commitment.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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It is the compulsion of the business houses to give this treatment to the customers. But it is not possible for the owners or the company officials to know what is going on in their establishments. They will have to rely on the staff to give them the feedback. This feedback would contain everything but the faults of the employees themselves. No one would like to present himself as a non-performer and lose the job. So, in case the fault of failure in performance is the result of failure on the part of staff, it will not get recorded and hence, no improvement in service. The result is obvious, loss of business. In such cases the mystery shopper providers actually help in finding the real picture.

The mystery shopper providers are the agencies who engage the special band of shoppers who does the evaluation of the establishment on behalf of the company. It may strike you that why appoint some people and pay them money for a job that could have been done by the staff. But these shoppers are not the staff and this means that do not care whether they keep their job or not and at the same time they are not responsible for the failure of the company. So they will have no reservations to report the truth. But the question is how to get the truth. Revealing this truth is what this special type of evaluation is all about.

The method is unique. The mystery shopper providers appoint special shoppers who go to the establishments as ordinary shoppers. They look for the various aspects of the store like the overall decor, display and accessibility of the products, the quality of service, the behavior of the staff of the establishment, their knowledge of the products they are selling, and all other matters that are important for a business to be successful. The shopper never reveals his or her identity that he or she is actually on a mission to judge the service quality of the establishment. This leaves the staff at their natural disposition and if any faults are on their part of them it gets identified.

This is supplemented by the views of the special shopper himself or herself because after all he or she is a common everyday shopper. The observation is enriched by this demand of the shopper. All these observations are reported to the mystery shopper providers . They then analyze the data and find out where the fault lies and transmits the findings to the company for actions on their part. The method not only identifies the bad points but also identifies the performing employees and the companies often reward these persons to encourage the spirit and set them up as examples. After all, this improves the business prospects.

All ranges of business can benefit from this kind of scrutiny, from self storage to banks to shoe retailers.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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There are several important factors the investor should look for in the company they choose. A real estate management group should carry general liability and workers compensation insurance on all their employees. Do they have a fidelity bond? Ask to see proof of the coverage of both insurance and the bond. The company fees should be consistent with other management groups without a lot of variation. If not, why are they lower or higher? Check references about the performance of the company and its employees.

The investor should ask how many years the company has been in business. Find out the specializations of the group. Do they manage mostly small apartment buildings and multifamily homes or are they specialized in business or industrial property? Do they diversify, managing residential and commercial investments?  What is their reputation in the industry? How do they manage the property? What computer system and software programs do they use? Is it current? What type of computer back up system do they use?

The real estate management group is responsible for increasing the net operating income of the investment, increasing the property value and protecting the property through insurance, inspections and routine maintenance.  Many of the services provided by the group are through third party contracts.

The companies offer a variety of services depending on the investors needs. Some of the basic services provided by a management group include the following items.

Maintenance needs. They will contract with suppliers and service providers to keep the property in safe operating condition. They should keep tenants satisfied and the building in good repair. They provide services to tenant questions, concerns and any emergencies.

They are responsible for collecting rent and other deposits and posting them on a daily basis in the accounting software. They are also responsible for evictions, bill payments to vendors, utility companies and the mortgage payment.

The real estate management group will provide an annual and monthly financial report that includes rents and check registers. They determine and recommend increases in rents and lease renewals.

The group supervises all employees. The building manager, the groundskeepers and others assigned to the property are hired, fired and paid by the group.

The management group does the marketing of the property for renting as well. They create effective and creative marketing sources to handle the advertising of the investment. Many groups have full staff members to handle everything from brochures to websites to local advertising.

Other services a management group will offer include some of the following. These are usually offered at a separate fee.

They will do the commercial leasing through a leasing broker. Develop a management plan that includes the neighborhood and regional analysis, financial status and any recommendations. They will act as the brokerage for selling the property and supervise any large improvement projects. Some groups offer consulting services as well.

An investor relies on a good real estate management group to manage his investments. The investor will research several management groups before hiring. They will want to have a mutually beneficial working relationship that will increase rents, protect his property and boost the value of the property.

Overland Park Furniture Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Which category discussed above can impact the experience for the customers the most? Well, if you are a company that deals in customer satisfaction in terms of face to face contact, then you would want to try to improve your talent immediately. Most companies speak to customers in some kind of method such as in person or on the phone. Either way you talk to customers as a company, most mystery shopping companies can help you improve on the quality of the interaction.

Businesses use mystery shopping companies in order to monitor their associates and how they interact with their customers. They usually have your ideas in mind on what you think great service is or they give you some type of idea on what you can do to improve on your service. Many of these companies have different methods on how they can assist you will your growing business.

You have to be smart as a business and find that right company that can assist you and take your business to the next level. There are many mystery shopping companies at your disposal. It is simple to find one, but not as simple to choose which one will benefit you and your business. When doing research, ensure that you are thinking through how this company can increase your results.

Most companies involved in this type of program, should lay some expectations. In all fairness, they are paying for this service and should expect huge results. You would want to choose the company that has some type of guarantee or promises on quality. Some companies out there never talk about what to expect from their service. Other companies ensure that they will have results to you on time, they will be accurate and they will deliver the results you are looking for.

Many of the great mystery shopping companies out there have a great key to success. They ensure the quality of their shoppers since the shoppers are what are going to make the difference in a great evaluation of your employees is an inaccurate account on what they saw or heard. The supervisors or managers of the better companies check and recheck the reports before they are sent to the business paying for this service. They want to ensure there are no errors present and the paying company deserves that.

Some mystery shopping companies available use online reporting so these companies can have at their disposal reports that can dramatically change how they need to do business. Some companies use the paper method in order to get their reports out. Each way is effective but it is up to you on which method you would like to deal with. You should also look for a company that has great rapport with their previous clients and is easy to interact with. When there are changes that need to be made, you would want to be able to coal the company you are dealing with and make the necessary changes.

Lawrenceville Furniture Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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A person or persons may need the help of a management company for real estate if they are looking to purchase or sell a home, apartment, land, condo or townhouse. These companies have agents that specialized in selling and buying real estate for the individual consumer. The agents are up to date on building codes, rules and regulations concerning the buying and selling of real estate. Agents will usually get a percentage or flat fee depending on how the buying or selling contract is constructed. Because the agent cannot be paid until the property sells or the signing goes through, it makes the agent work even harder for the payoff. Because of certain legalities, many people find that working with a company that handles the management of real estate to be the best plan for them.

When a business, corporation or large entity needs to buy or sell property, they also will seek the advice and management of these types of companies. Real estate management companies will have a special branch or department to handle large corporate or business transactions. Sometimes businesses will need to buy land or other businesses and sometimes they need to sell land or an existing structure. Many business and corporations will have a board of directors or other panels that must approve any and all acquisitions. This is where many real estate management companies come into play. They are schooled on all legal matters, building codes, permits and more. Big real estate equals big money changing hands and all the ducks must be in a line for everyone to get paid.

The management of real estate companies is often an office full of many employees that are able to get the job done. Real estate management companies will often have a receptionist, agents that specialize in individual or business real estate, an office manager, an accountant, field people, notary, engineers, and construction advisors. All of these people might be skilled in one or more areas to make the company run smoother. Like the inner working of a clock, all the parts and people must be able to work together to get the job done.

Real estate management companies are out there if you need them, be sure to check out the company before you sign any papers. Unfortunately not all companies are out to be the most helpful, friendly and cost saving on the block. Do some homework to make sure that you are dealing with a reputable company that has references and a proven track record in real estate. Make sure to read all documents before signing and ask for an explanation if you do not understand or are unclear on any point. Good companies will be there for you every step of the way from start to finish and everywhere in between.

Finding the right company will help your real estate transaction go smoothly and hopefully pain free. The services that these companies offer are worth the money so go ahead and call one for an appointment. Many companies will offer a first visit free or some other incentive to get you to come into the office.

Miami Boat Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Secret mystery shopping

What is secret mystery shopping ?

This is where someone visits or calls on a business and reports back to the owner on how the business was run. An owner might have different criteria that they want met and different businesses will have different types of evaluations.

Where do these people get trained to do this job?

The training is basic and the perfect person for the job will have natural abilities to observe and communicate. Depending on they type of job, more observing may be necessary to complete the assigned task. 

Where does someone find a job like this?

The best place is to look is on the Internet and search different words that would be associated with this job. Just the thought of secret mystery shopping makes many people envious of the job. People get paid to shop and many people love to shop for themselves or family. Being paid to shop brings two loves together for some people seeking this type of employment.

What does this job pay?

Most jobs of this type will pay per job since the completion of the shop and the evaluation is what you are being paid to do. You will not find many of these jobs that are full time or hourly because of the nature of the job. Some large retail and customer service businesses will have a secret mystery shopping staff that travels to their sites. These people also ensure that certain company standards are being applied in the field. Some people get paid a small amount to complete the job and they get to keep the item that was purchased. When evaluating an eating establishment, the hiring company often pays for the meal.  

What are the hours of the job?

Because of the nature of this job the hours will vary, but they will be when most retail, restaurants and customer service businesses will be open normally. Besides the shop you will have to spend some time outside of the shop to complete your evaluation.

What are the tools of the trade?

The first thing you must have to do this job is the ability to communicate. This includes verbal communication and written communication. You must be able to blend in to the surroundings and pretend to be a real customer looking for something to purchase. After the site visit you will be asked to evaluate the business and its employees. You must be able to be fair, honest and be positive in your recommendations. You must be a self -starter and be able to work without any direct management. You must be prompt and organized to be successful at this job that requires you to be places on time and have your information ready. A home or small business computer is essential to this job. You will receive upcoming job information online and you will also complete your evaluations on the computer and send them via email. Some companies will have the person wired for recording of the conversation or even video. These are extreme cases when the hiring company needs hard evidence of an infraction to be able to take the appropriate measures.

Secret mystery shopping can be a great way to make some extra money doing something that you already love. Check it out and see if you would be interested in this interesting job field.

Miami Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The top five signs a mystery shopper program might be doing more damage than help.

Managers and Your Employees Frequently Dispute the Findings
Occasionally managers or employees will dispute certain findings in a report. There could have been extenuating situations that led to the poor customer service. However, when managers and employees dispute the findings time and again, the business might need to reconsider the program it hired and its provider.

You need to take a closer look at the data reported in order to find any irregularities within the program and how it is being conducted. Also, be sure to check the standards the provider uses is appropriate to capture the results you are wanting.

The Scores Are Not Consistent
An all inclusive assessment of your customer service needs normally includes additional methods to collect data, such as customer service surveys. The surveys come directly from real customers reporting on their experience of sales personnel, the store itself and the service they received.

But if your mystery shopper program reports a large discrepancy against your customer service reports, the company might want to take a look at both methods and how each set of data is being measured against one another.

Suppose your data from customer service surveys shows the customers are extremely satisfied in employee performances but the program reports data that says the customer is very unhappy with service. In this case, the company would be smart to reassess the provider qualifications and review how the shoppers are assessing the criteria. Data from all sources collected should closely reflect and support each other. 

Your Provider Swamps Your Desk With Added Work
A successful shopper program increases the company productivity and does not slow it down. Your program is not meeting needs of the company if page after page of unexplained data and work volume and paperwork has increased.

The provider should never bombard the company with pointless piles of paper. They should be doing their part by presenting detailed evaluations and reports to help the company develop a plan for making positive, profit making changes.

The ROI Is Blurred
Do you know how the mystery shopper program is having an affect on your profits and sales? Has the provider made it clear how the data they gave you should be used in the most efficient way? Are you clear on how to put the changes and set up rewards needed within the company? Does the money you invested in the program show a direct effect on your return on investment?

A good provider will show obvious answers to all of these questions. Analysis and information collected are always clear and top quality, with the reports and feedback answering questions the company has the first time.

You Have Not Learned Anything To Help You Improve
The mystery shopper program, when poorly planned and executed does not teach anything new about your business than what you already know or can easily find out yourself.

A quality, well planned and professional program will offer verifiable quality and quantity benefits to your business. While the process is being implemented, from the beginning development, shopping and assessing to the final analysis, the company should be learning more and more about its business.

The company realizes there is nothing more potent than a shopper program that boosts the company bottom line.

Shoe Storage

South Dakota Self Storage

Lombard Storage

March 2006 Self Storage Blog Archive

Automobile Storage Revisited  

Self Storage Article Directory – Boat Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Here are the guidelines:

• When starting the search for mystery shopping jobs, never pay a fee to see a list of jobs available. Many of the email offers, ads in newspaper want ads and some online websites are simply scams wanting you to pay a fee before receiving a list of available jobs. Visit forums and blogs to find lists of jobs available.
• Spelling and grammar as well as punctuation are important. Provide a writing sample created in a word processor using spell check before cutting and pasting into the application.
• Proofread your application and reports before submitting.
• Do not use All Caps or all lower case. This is annoying and hard to read. Use proper grammar and punctuation, do not substitute u for you.
• Fill out the online application and print and mail a copy of the Independent Contractor Agreement, and a handwriting sample if asked for. Do it quickly. If you take weeks to do such a simple task, how will the provider know you are reliable to do the assignments?
• No college degree is necessary, nor is special training or experience.
• You should be reliable, observant and consistent.
• There are many types of assignments, so you should determine what you would be willing to accept. Businesses needing shoppers range from gas stations to five star restaurants to amusement parks with overnight stays.
• Before you start the assignment, double check times, dates and the specific location.
• Always read through the instructions before beginning an assignment. If the client wants a particular sales person or product or needs you to make certain disagreements over a store policy, you need to be aware of these instructions.
• The biggest part of your job will be filling out the reports and adding comments and descriptions. Be consistent and accurate.
• When you return to your vehicle after going on the assignment, write down your notes immediately. You are less likely to forget details.
• Do not take notes while in the business establishment.
• Keep copies of your notes in case the client later asks more questions about your experience.
• Mystery shopping jobs hire you as an independent contractor. This means you are responsible for paying taxes.
• It makes sense to try to combine more than one shopping assignment in a trip, even if the assignments are from different companies. Just be sure to allow enough time at home to complete your reports for each shop, so you do not miss a deadline.
• If at all possible, do not cancel an assignment. Companies and clients hiring shoppers must meet deadlines and are counting on you to help them meet them.
• If you must cancel, it should be for an emergency only. Do not wait for the due date of the assignment if at all possible. And these emergencies should not become frequent or you could be dropped from all mystery shopping jobs for that company.

Starting your mystery shopping jobs endeavor on the right track is an excellent way to earn extra income while having fun.

Personal Storage

South Carolina RV Storage

Chicago Storage

April 2006 Secret Shopping Blog Archive

Yacht Storage

Self Storage Article Directory – Self Storage Locations by City

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The shopper company establishes procedures to gauge and improve service while working with their client. The information paid shoppers report to the client management team is used to evaluate and improve customer service, employee service, and cleanliness of the establishment and the satisfaction of the product itself. The main goal of the shopper is to help the company increase its sales.

Secret shoppers are paid to shop while evaluating different customer experiences as per the request of what the client is looking to improve.

The shoppers get paid to:

Fill their car with gas
Dine a local restaurant and fast food establishments
Purchase products from local hardware stores
Ask about service for your computer
See a movie at a local theater
Visit an amusement park
Occasionally work from home, performing work through phone calls
And many other places need shoppers.

The list of activities a shopper does is long since the method businesses use of collecting information is increasing every day.

Every shopper job is different, requiring them to look for certain things like cleanliness of the lobby or to ask certain questions. They might need to find out if the associate greeted them when they entered the store or how long they waited to be served their meal. Another question they may need to answer is how courteous the associate was, did they suggest add on purchases such as extended warranty or opening a store credit card.

Secret shoppers are paid for most purchases. This is the best thing about shopping for pay. For example if you have lunch or dinner, the client pays your expenses. Your movie ticket is reimbursed if you watch a show. Shopping is a good job for a variety of people, especially those who love to shop or love to get a bargain.

Big companies hire shoppers to help improve their service or product. Often a customer enters a store and is dissatisfied with the service they received. They never return to that store again. Companies are paying a third party to scout out the businesses as a typical customer and report what they were impressed with and what they felt needed improving. The company must provide excellent service and products to retain customers and make a profit. Feedback from the shoppers is key for a company to get the information needed to improve.

Secret shoppers should be objective to provide unbiased facts instead of opinions. They will follow a predetermined questionnaire to get pertinent information for the client. When they finish the job, they are required to fill out the evaluation report about their experience.

By getting paid to shop and do things they do every day, secret shoppers provide service to businesses to help them get an unbiased view of how the company is perceived by the customer. The shopper is getting the information to help make improvements so other customers will have a pleasant shopping experience.

Self Storage Units

Rhode Island Furniture Storage

Lawrenceville Storage

May 2006 Secret Shopping Blog Archive

Shoe Storage

Self Storage Article Directory – General Information
 

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Tip one is to never pay to apply. Legitimate mystery shopper jobs never charge a fee to fill out an application. Visit the Internet for website for information concerning this topic. This site is a good resource for how to register to apply with a real shopping company, lists of jobs available and general information about the shopping industry.

The second tip is to also use the internet to find legitimate mystery shopper companies. Here you can find online applications and lists of open jobs available. These lists are always free. Another good source for finding legitimate jobs is to search the internet for shopper forums. New shoppers will find the experienced shoppers on these forums willing to help. The newbie can find tips, get support and search job leads. They can get answers to questions on how to get started in shopping and finding work.

Third tip is to do some homework. Check bookstores and libraries for tips on ways to find shopping companies and the correct and effective way to apply. Next, create lists of all the companies you have found though your internet and forum searches and rank the companies. Note information from forum visitors about each company. These notes might include any positive response or negative feedback from the forums, if jobs are listed on the company website and whether they have any open assignments in your area.

Tip four is to apply at all the legitimate mystery shopper companies with openings in your region. Be sure to fill out the forms completely and provide a resume or work history if asked for.

Shopping is a job where retailers and service companies hire research companies to evaluate the quality of the business. The business needs this research to improve services, customer relations and products. These marketing research companies hire shoppers to anonymously visit the establishment to gather information and report their experience. The shopper is typically reimbursed for any purchases and usually can keep the product or services they purchased. The jobs are considered to be part time. The opportunities from marketing research and merchandising companies are normally listed online.

Prospective job seekers should be skeptical of shopper companies who advertise in the help wanted ads in newspapers or via email. They may look like legitimate mystery shopper jobs, it is possible they are promoting phony shopping services. Other tactics to be aware of include companies that sell certifications. Certification is normally not required by legit companies. If a guarantee of a job is offered, move on. If you are asked to pay a fee to access the jobs database or purchase a directory of companies providing services, steer clear of these.

If you think you have encountered a mystery shopping scam, file a complaint with your local consumer protection agency, the BBB, your State Attorney General, or the FTC.

Boat Storage

Pennsylvania Boat Storage

Big Coppitt Key Storage

July 2006 Secret Shopping Blog Archive

Food Storage Revisited

Self Storage Article Directory – Self Storage Locations by State

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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There is also the time consumption of the owner if they are doing it on their own to find out how to get those background checks and employment checks. To do all the paperwork involved, a business has to have all those things in place to aide the owner in renting to the best prospective tenant. You may pay for the services provided by these businesses, but that may pale in comparison with the money you may have to pay to repair a damage that you cannot get a past tenant to pay for. If you have the option to go with a property management company or even just on a trial basis you may want to give it a try and see which one works for you the best. You never know what type of person you are dealing with as a prospective tenant unless you have the knowledge that their previous landlord may have about them. It can never hurt to protect your investments and the property management company will have your best interest in mind when dealing with prospective tenants. As far as the tenant goes if you hire another business to keep in touch with your tenants, a lot of times they provide maintenance services as well. So the owner does not even have to keep up with the upkeep of the property. Which can free up the owners time and also save them money from having to have work done by a lot of different companies. A lot of investment owners are turning to other businesses to take the headache out of some parts of the job and also the maintenance end of things. So do your homework and check around it may be a very beneficial tool to your business. Anything that can save money for your business is not a bad thing! 

Green Design

Missouri RV Storage

Kansas City Storage

January 2008 Secret Shopping Blog Archive

Self Storage

Self Storage Article Directory – Boat Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The secret shopping evaluator is an outsider that is trained to pick up on bad habits that the phone rep is not even aware of. With the help of a written evaluation form, the secret shopping evaluator can give the sales person advice on how they can improve their techniques.  The written evaluations are given to the sales management staff, which in turn can use it for training purposes.

There are three different words that get on the nerves of one particular secret shopping evaluator. She hears all three of these words several times a day from many different people.  The secret shopping evaluator truly feels that if a salesperson would try for one week not to say any of these words that the sales of that person would improve immensely. 

The first word is cheap. Cheap conjures up the idea of something that is inferior. Saying we have a cheap storage facility or we are cheaper than our competitor can make customers think of dirt floors, flimsy building materials, and inferior security. Instead, the sales person should rephrase it to, we have the lowest prices around. This is a far more positive approach to saying basically the same thing. The secret shopping evaluator knows that salespersons should always just completely avoid the word, cheap.

The second word is, do. Using this word automatically turns every question into a yes or no query, which is always a bad idea in sales.  Do you want to rent a storage unit? No. Do you want to come by on Saturday? No. Do you have a credit card?  No.

Instead, a salesperson should be asking either or questions. Would you prefer the climate controlled or the regular storage unit? Will you be coming by on Friday or Saturday?  Which major credit card would you like to use today?

The secret shopping evaluator knows the former questions make it too easy for a customer to take the easy way out and just say, no.  The latter questions force the caller to participate in the conversation.

The third word is, Ummm. The secret shopping evaluator knows that this is not really a word per se, but it might as well be. Americans use it constantly, and are not even aware of the habit. The secret shopping evaluator realizes though that customers notice the ummm, and oftentimes think less of a salesperson that says it repeatedly. The secret shopping evaluator often recommends to people to count how many times in a fifteen minute period that they uttered, ummm.

The outside objective view of a secret shopping company can be of a great deal of assistance to any type of business, especially a call center. And the secret shopping employees know that by simply tweaking their spiel every now and again that every salesperson can stay at the top of their game.

Relocation to Miami

Louisiana Car Storage

Austin Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Here are some things that might fall under the responsibilities of a homeowner association property management company.

Building Standards- this allows the developer to obtain an overall look and feel in the home building. Such things as how much brick, siding or other exterior material should be used. The developer will then allow a certain number of builders to submit designs for the neighborhood. When more builders are allowed, you will have a diverse selection of homes for sale in the same area. This will attract new homebuyers, first time homebuyers, families, newlyweds, couples, retirees, and more. 

Exterior Structures- this regulation allows the developer to control what each homeowner can put in their yard as far as fencing, sheds, etc. Depending on the developer the regulations can be extremely varied.

Landscaping- for continuity of the overall look of the neighborhood, a developer can put in the bylaws that certain levels of lawn care and landscaping must be maintained. Trees, bushes and plants can be included in the type of landscaping that each homeowner must have. 

Here are some of the things that a homeowner association property management company might also regulate.

Vehicle parking- how many vehicles can be parked on the street and in the driveway. Oversized vehicles like RVs and semi trucks are often barred from homeowner association property management rules. This type of restriction will also prevent the abandoned car and the car restoration in the driveway type of homeowners.

Public area access- pools, parks, playgrounds, lakes and more, are a homeowner association property management companys duty to monitor unless passed on to the homeowners association.

Pets- a homeowner association property management company along with the developer can place restrictions on what type, what size and how many pets a homeowner can own.

Because the laws of a homeowner association property management can be so varied, it is important to find out if the neighborhood you are looking to purchase a home in, is governed by a homeowner association property management company. Many people find that homeowner association property management companies can be too regulating and restricting. The homeowner association property management is definitely not for every homeowner.
 
Looking for a new home is exciting and frustrating at the same time. Find out right up front what neighborhoods have a homeowner association property management company. If you like the idea of a homeowner association property management then your real estate agent can guide you to those neighborhoods. If you do not like the idea of a homeowner association property management then ask your real estate agent to show you some homes that are not in a neighborhood that has homeowner association property management. 

Many times a homeowner association property management company uses the bylaws set by the developer and the city and county laws to maintain the neighborhood. Some homeowners think that having a homeowner association property management company will make their neighborhood, safer, cleaner and more beautiful. Ask your real estate agent for a copy of the neighborhood bylaws and see if they are what you are looking for in a neighborhood.

Local Self Storage

Iowa RV Storage

Columbia Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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1. Visually inspect the outside of each apartment, storage unit, building or other structure that you might manage.
2. Repair any damage to outside structure including roof maintenance.
3. Contact all residents and do a visual inspection of the interior of the rental.
4. Do a spring check up on all air conditioning units.
5. Change air filters and run the air conditioning to make sure it works.
6. Turn on or uncover any outside water spigots.
7. Make a to do list for the lawn care maintenance.
8. Schedule a mower if you do not do the mowing yourself.
9. Start the lawn on a weed control and fertilizer applications.
10. Visually inspect parking lots for potholes, loose parking blocks and any unwanted debris.
11. Plan to get swimming pools, hot tubs and playgrounds in order.
12. Start planting some spring flowers or bushes to brighten up the grounds. 

Property management is not just an outside job. Many property management personnel have other duties like, collecting rent, approving applications for rental inquiries, and answering the phone. It takes balance and organization to be able to handle a great property management job. All the hard work will pay off on your first compliment from a customer, client or resident.

Many times in self storage property management you will find a husband and wife team that live on the self storage property. This is a great idea for many reasons. The first reason that the husband and wife property management team is a great idea is for security. When you tell a potential self storage renter that managers live on site for added security, they usually think that is pretty neat. This is another reason that the husband and wife property management team is a great idea is for everyday duties. One person can man the office and deal with the phone and walk in customers while the other person works on the property itself. When you have a husband and wife team, their housing on the self storage site is considered part of their salary. It is all just a big backyard and the property managers look out for it 24-7.

Springtime for self storage is crazy. It is the beginning of the busy season and allows many self storage facilities to come out of their winter hibernation. Property management is very important all year round in self storage. People trust the self storage company to have a safe and secure facility for them to store their belongings. So, property managers must be out on the property everyday, checking buildings, roofs and parking areas. Cleaning makes up a large part of the property managers time. A clean property is very important in keeping and gaining customers.

If the idea of property management intrigues you, then check around at your local self storage facilities. You might find the perfect job for you if you are organized, self motivated and trustworthy. Or if the idea of having a job that includes housing seems like your kind of job then maybe property management is what you need to be doing.

 
Self Storage

Delaware Furniture Storage

W New York Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Secret shops can be done in person or over the phone. When an in-person secret shop is done, the shopper goes to the business to be shopped. They act like they are any normal customer that is looking for goods or services. The secret shopper will observe things like, store cleanliness, customer service, quality of goods, attentiveness of employees and more. The shopper will then complete the report or evaluation after leaving the place of business. The shopping report or evaluation is then sent to the company or owner who requested it.

When a secret shop is done over the phone, some of the same principals apply. The shopper calls and secret shops the person who answers. The shopper that calls will usually let the person who answered lead the call. Do you want just anyone answering the phone at your business? No, you probably want someone who is friendly, helpful, listens well and can provide excellent customer service. Telephone secret shops are a great way to see how your employees are answering the phone and treating your customers.

Secret shops have been around a long time and called many different things. One thing to keep in mind if you are thinking about having your employees secret shopped, inform them that they might be called and secret shopped over the phone or in person. If employees do not know that they could be secret shopped, they might be upset. But, if you explain to them that you are instilling a new program to help them with their sales and customer service skills, then they will feel better about the shop. You do not want your employees to feel defensive. You want them to feel open about suggestions to better the business. After all, if the business is good, then your employees have work.

There are many companies out there that provide secret shops. Most companies that offer secret shops will work with your business to customize the report or evaluation. Secret shops are like most things, the cheapest ones are not necessarily going to the best ones. You want to have money in your budget to afford the secret shops and all the other things it takes to make a business run, so shop around. Do not try to enlist the help of friends, as their evaluation of your business might not be as observant or impartial. It is best to let a company that offers secret shops do the work.

The last thing to know about secret shops is that you will need to go over the results with your employees. Do not just let the shop sit in someones in box, make sure that your employees are aware of the good things and not so good things that they did during the shop. This is where you will get the most out of your secret shopping dollars. The shop has been completed and evaluated. Now you need to sit down and go over it with the employee.

Self Storage

Connecticut Self Storage

Columbia Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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However, do not mistake the fact that becoming a mystery shopper for us is so simple to mean that our shoppers are untrained or incapable. Most of our self storage secret shoppers come from our own sales force and call center. They have thousands of phone calls under their belt and know what kind of questions self storage customers ask in real life. They are able to apply the common self storage consumer to the secret shops they make and yet spice things up by peppering their secret shops with the right amount of uncommon questions or scenarios to keep clients guessing about who their monthly secret shopper really is.

Perhaps the fact that we have such a knowledgeable pool of secret shoppers is why we do not have to do much training on becoming a mystery shopper for us.

There is one important note to make. The difference between becoming a mystery shopper and becoming a certified evaluator for our company is vastly different. While becoming a mystery shopper may take very little training, becoming a certified evaluator takes quite a lot of training. In fact, we only use the highest performing sales representatives from our call center. We select the best representatives that have a solid grasp on the foundation of the sales techniques we use so that they can in turn, train self storage managers and offer valuable tips and training through evaluating the secret shops completed by the mystery shoppers.

So a typical secret shop may be completed by a person knowing very little about self storage, which is ideal so that the call is very realistic. A certified evaluator who could offer valuable sales training advice to help the self storage manager improve their sales performance would then evaluate the recorded call. So the combination of experienced and new secret shoppers benefits our clientele, while always offering qualified training from our certified trainers.

Another very important difference in becoming a mystery shopper for our secret shopper company is the kind of mystery shopper one is interested in becoming. We have the standard Mystery Shopper Program, which is the program that requires little sales training, and then we have the Feedback Secret Shopper Program.

Becoming a mystery shopper for our Feedback program is the most extensive training. While certified evaluators must know the sales techniques we teach, a certified feedback shopper must be able to offer instant coaching and training to the storage managers they shop, immediately after they have made the shop. Feedback secret shoppers have to be able to pretend to be a self storage customer, respond to the questions asked by the self storage manager and interact with them, all while keeping track of the managers performance on the score sheet. Then they must be able to reference important parts of the call during the feedback and coaching portion of the Feedback Shop.

Becoming a mystery shopper for our business offers opportunities for those new to secret shopping companies as well as a place for expert sales representatives in the self storage world.

Self Storage

Arizona Furniture Storage

Orland Park Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Also available at that facility may be warehouse space or office space for rent. The secret shopping caller may ask if that office space is offered or it can be offered that office space is available if needed. A secret shopping caller may need to rent office space for their business. How about wine storage? Some self storage facilities may offer wine storage for a prospect or secret shopping caller who may own a restaurant. Or perhaps the prospect has a vast collection of wine bottles and they just do not have anywhere in their home to store their wine bottles at certain set temperature.

How about renting a mailbox if someone wants a postal box office for either a business or residential account? Say someone prefers not to have mail sent to their home but would rather all mail go to a postal office. Perhaps one day it will come to a point where a prospective self storage customer will literally be able to purchase clothing at the self storage facility of their choice. Perhaps selling t-shirts with the name and or logo of the self storage facility would be something to look into for extra sales. Offering luggage that people can purchase while in the office can be a good way of getting customers and secret shopping people to purchase additional items.

How about offering magazines in a magazine rack placed next to the counter with a selection that people can purchase?  Perhaps the secret shopping or regular customer at the self storage facility getting ready to rent storage is in the mood for a soft drink, or a bag of chips? Having soft drinks and chips that a renter or secret shopping person can purchase may or may not be a good idea. If the prospective renter has children it would be beneficial. The one stop self storage facility is just about at most self storage facilities these days.  Not all self storage facilities are up to par yet however and do not offer something as essential to a self storage renter or secret shopping person who just moved into the area needing a truck to rent so that they can move their household items, furniture or personal belongings into a self storage unit. Yes, the phrase one stop self storage facility is indeed a catchy phrase and a very useful marketing tool.

Self Storage

Arizona Self Storage

Lombard Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Having a covered loading dock at every self storage or property management facility, is a nice added amenity that would entice just about any person seeking a self storage unit.  It is a nice property management feature that a potential customer seems to especially like. When a call is received for one of self storage clients that happen to have a loading dock, the prospect on the phone is usually impressed. If the call is analyzed as to what the call sounds like to inquire about self storage or a property management site, and the person on the other end list two handfuls of amenities offered, including a covered loading dock, the prospect renter feels like they are getting more for their money than just a self storage unit. All in all, the prospect renter is truly getting an additional product and or service. If a new self storage or property management renter is moving their items into their self storage unit or apartment for the first time they will appreciate a covered area. Covered areas are nice especially when it happens to be pouring dogs and cats.

If that storage facility or property management site does not have a covered loading dock, the self storage renter may not want to rent a storage unit and may put it off for another day. Putting off renting all because they do want to have their belongings dampened by rain. However if the self storage facility or property management site does have a covered loading dock, the prospective renter will more than likely go ahead and attain that unit or apartment. The covered loading area is great when it happens to be raining because his or her items will be kept nice and dry. It would be interesting to research and look into how much storage and property management business is not being generated at the storage facilities or property management sites that do not offer a covered loading dock in areas that have considerable rain and or snow certain times of the year.

Self Storage

Alaska Motorcycle Storage

Hillside Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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In one example, a manager of a facility started the call pleasantly and introduced himself. From there, the call went south. The caller went into asking the manager questions in order to get their belongings stored. The caller, a secret shopping agent, asked the caller for prices on particular sizes and the manager gave them the prices of the spaces. The caller then asked for two more sizes just in case the previous ones did not work. The manager stopped the caller and asked them what they were storing, which most people would do. The caller explained their situation and the manager said to them, That is all the prices I can give you. It would take days to go over all the prices that we have. The secret shopping agent, pretending to be a real customer, was kind of put off by that, and started apologizing for bothering him. The manager then realized that he was slightly rude and started to apologize to the caller.

In the example above, secret shopping could really help this manager by sending him the call and the evaluation from the call. With the evaluation of the call, the manager can see what he could do differently to serve that customer. With secret shopping, it gives people a different perspective on the same event.  It is believed that even without the evaluation the manager could tell what he could do to improve.

In another example, a secret shopping agent shopped a manager that was believed to be a great example of customer service. The call was over nine minutes long, which you should never put a limit on great customer service as long as the call flows well. The secret shopping agent tried to just get the price out of the manager without listening to why the caller should rent with them. She went into full detail on what their facility had to offer them. In this example, this manager should hear the call and receive praise for taking great care of a potential customer.

Secret shopping can help an owner manager their employees performance in a couple of different ways. One way to coach is to take the opportunity to give manager praise for doing a great job. As a property owner, you cannot just come down on your managers all the time trying to get them to improve without ever giving praise for doing a good job. How do you know that your people are doing a good job? Secret shopping can definitely help you.

OH Storage Units

StorageMart I-95 & Griffin. Dania Beach, FL 33312

Boat Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The condominium property management service is a business that is hired by the community to oversee the maintenance, cleanliness, safety, and overall wellbeing of the area. The condominium property management company often provides their services for many condominium associations at once, since they are able to outsource the majority of their services.

The assessment paid to the condominium property management firm normally is made up of two different components- utilities and maintenance. The utilities usually include the costs for sewer, water and light, and trash pickup. Maintenance includes the upkeep and repair of all of the common ground and the exterior of the buildings.

There is usually a water meter outside of each building, instead of each individual unit. Therefore it is impossible to tell how much water each particular condo uses. It is also impossible to tell which owners using the trash service have paid their bill in full and which owners are freeloading. And of course the private streetlights are advantageous to everyone in the area, not just a particular condo. Therefore, the condominium property management company pays the bill for the sewer, water and light, and trash for the entire community out of everyones assessment fees. Condo owners like this arrangement because it is a few less bills they must be concerned about. Utility companies like it because they are paid in a timely manner. It works out well for everyone!

Another instance when condo owners are grateful that the condominium property management company is responsible for these utilities is in the case of a waterline break or a sewage backup that occurs in the common ground. The condominium property management service is burdened with arranging for the plumber, whether it is day or night. And the condominium property management company is also responsible for paying for the repairs from the maintenance fund. Again, one less headache for a homeowner! 

The condominium property management company takes care of all of the lawn care for the common areas including the grass, bushes, flowerbeds, and trees. They also maintain any swimming pools, playground equipment, and parks. Plus, the condominium property management firm is responsible for the exterior painting of the buildings, as well as the repair, replacement and care for roofs, gutters, down spouts and exterior building surfaces. They supervise any repair and replacement of driveways, sidewalks, and private streets.  And in the wintertime the condominium property management is responsible for snow removal, as well as spreading salt on icy surfaces.

A condominium property management company stays busy all year long taking care of the maintenance of a condo community, using money from the homeowners monthly assessment fees. All unit owners receive a copy of the community assessment budget each year so everyone knows how their money is being spent.  The condominium property management company is usually required by association bylaws to have a meeting for all homeowners to attend and vote on particular issues. And if the condominium property management company is not living up to the community standards, then they are always replaceable!

NV Storage Units

StorageMart Rt 59 & Lake Street (Rt 20) Elgin, IL 60120

Furniture Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The first noticeable change our company made this year was that we started the hiring process much sooner. We now have plenty of time to get our new hires trained and well versed in the storage industry. Our spring storage rush is approaching fast and our summer storage season even faster. Our company has always believed in internal monitoring with a secret shopping program. The type of prospective applicants we have had recently seemed much more experienced and available for consideration for the openings we have available. Maybe the change in the type of applicants we had is due to the over spending during the Christmas season or the college students moving to Columbia during the Winter break. Either way, it has made a noticeable difference. We are planning to do the same at the start of each year seeing the results we encountered this year.

We will continue to hire about every 3 weeks until our call center cannot bear to add any additional employees. This way we have plenty of time to prepare for this summers expected high number of storage inquiries. We know they will only continue to increase as we get closer and when we are in the heart of the summer season. Overstaffing will not be an issue since we will fill any open time with additional storage sales training exercises. Plus, by starting an early training regime we can monitor the staff with our own secret shopping evaluations.  

During the storage training regime, we can usually predict who will make it in the required training time frame before we send them to the wolves to see if they can make it on their own. Those who are motivated and sincerely interested, will do anything to make it will make it work for them. Those that show this type of interest should be given a second chance.  Invest in them as they are trying to invest in your storage company.  These dedicated personality types usually tend to be there for the long hall making your turn-over rate smaller than normal. And, surprisingly they can also end up being one of your tops storage sales professionals. Taking risks are part of the business. Make sure that your secret shopping program is set up to handle new employees as well as old employees.

Letting these people go without the extra attention will just set you up for the next trainee who walks through your door. So, find their weaknesses and encourage them with the idea that even the best of the best need extra training to stay on the storage team. Secret shopping is a great tool for this job. If they have a great personality and an ambitious drive to learn the storage trade, then invest in the additional training time with them. Secret shopping will help your employees see their strong and weak spots. It is important to not give up on someone you think would be a great employee.  Everyone has their own learning pace and secret shopping will help you determine what areas the employee needs to work on. 

Do not try to overload them with monotonous training regimes, instead give those breaks so that they can work on other projects and feel needed in other areas. This builds their confidence and shows them that they are needed within the company. Secret shopping can be a program that helps boost your sales, try it.

North Dakota Storage Units

StorageMart Halsted & Chicago Ave Chicago, IL 60622

Boat Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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We call a storage facility and pretend we need storage. We ask for a price and what we hope for is that the store manager sells the facility first, before giving a price. When secret shopping we have to act like we know nothing about storage. This can be hard because we are also a call center that takes over flow calls for storage. We turn their missed calls in to profit.  What the manager needs to say is all about the great features, the security, easy access, and then the great price.

While we have been secret shopping we have gotten all kinds of responses. One time, a rep was secret shopping and the store manager said when he answered was, have you been calling here? The rep said no, and he said, well someone keeps calling here and hanging up. He was so worried about someone hanging up on him that he did not even ask the rep (the customer) if he could help them. How would you like to rent from that guy?

There was another time while secret shopping, the store manager was so good that the rep (the customer), gave her real full name, we usually give false names. But she was so thrown by the managers great service and the way he sold the store, when he asked for her name she blurted out her real name before she realized it. She probably would have rented too, had she really needed storage.

Now there are other companies that also do secret shopping for storage. At our call center we feel like we get secret shopped a lot.  We think we know, but it is not always true. The best thing to do is to treat all customers like they are secret shopping in real need of storage. Sell the property give them the best service we can and most important is reserve the storage unit for them.

The purpose of secret shopping is so the owners of storage facilities know how their employees are doing on the phone. This is also a great way to see how their managers are running their store. Are they selling their facility? Are they giving the customers all the security and benefits for renting with them? Are they giving good correct information to their customers, and inviting them to their facility? Or even the best, are they reserving a unit for the customer?

So many reps have secret shopped and heard managers of their location just throw the price out there. They do not ask any questions to the potential customer. The best question to ask is, when do you need storage, so the manger knows what he is working with. Then you can determine where to go from there. If the customer needs it now, the manager then can create a sense of urgency of availability and reserve the storage unit. If the mangers or employees are not doing this, the only way for the property owner is to know is to the have their facilities using a secret shopping program. It is good for their profit and for the managers to learn how to sell their storage facility.

Maryland Storage Units

StorageMart 10700 W 159th Street Orland Park, IL 60146

Car Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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When signing up with any mystery shopping providers, make sure that there is no charge to join their business.  While some mystery shopping providers have a fee, most do not.  Those that ask for a fee do not have any better opportunities than the free mystery shopping providers do. 

You only need to provide your name, address and e-mail.  The site will then match you up with stores in your area that are looking for mystery shoppers.  Mystery shopping providers will contact you by e-mail and ask you to take on a shopping challenge.  You will then have to enter the specified store and make a purchase.  The amount of the purchase will be nominal and mystery shopping providers will reimburse you for the purchase. 

The first time you go on a mystery shopping expedition, you will probably be nervous.  Relax!  No one knows you are a mystery shopper.  You can then go home and fill out a simple form about the service, prices and the experience.  Once you send the form to the mystery shopping providers, you will be paid a commission as well as the reimbursement for your purchase. 

Different mystery shopping providers offer different payments.  Some will ask that larger purchases be made and then returned.  In some cases, you will be noting the return process of the store for the mystery shopping providers. 

Once you get the hang out of doing this, you will probably start working for several mystery shopping providers.  You may even be assigned to go to different stores in your local area.  You may get to a point where the mystery shopping providers recognize your work and ask you to do special assignments.   Most mystery shopping providers will pay you extra money for special assignments and in some cases, you can keep larger merchandise as well. 

When checking out different mystery shopping providers on the Internet, find out how they pay and if they will pay through an online payment service, direct deposit, or snail mail.  If they send a check, find out how often you can expect to receive a check and how long their accounting process takes from time of completion to delivery of payment.  Some online mystery shopping providers pay once a month and include any money that you made doing other surveys for the site. 

If you like to shop and be among people, check out one of the many mystery shopping providers on the Internet.  These companies will allow you to become a mystery shopper in your own neighborhood and get paid for doing something that you love to do.   Once you realize how easy this exciting opportunity is, you will probably be recommending friends to join as well or maybe you will keep your newfound career a mystery from your friends.  You do not need money of your own to get started in this fun business, just a willing spirit.  Check out the various mystery shopping providers on the Internet to find out which site is best for you. 

Idaho Storage Units

StorageMart Rt 59 & Lake Street (Rt 20) Elgin, IL 60120

RV Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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If the caller gets a rep from our company to answer his or her questions pertaining to renting a storage unit, the potential renter will know these things.

What size unit they will need or what size unit will work for them
They will know the amenities of the self storage facility they are looking to rent a storage unit at
Monthly rent and any other information they need to know when it comes to renting a storage unit
Any specials, discounts, free trucks, etc.
The types of unit the self storage facility offers (climate controlled, ground level, etc.)
Directions to the property
How the facility does their billing (anniversary date, monthly, etc.)

It can seem to be a bit nerve-wracking to pay for a service or a product a potential renter has never had before.  The call may feel as though they have no idea what they are doing or how to go about renting a storage unit from a property management company.  The caller will eventually feel confident enough to rent a storage unit from the property management company at the end of the conversation. They will breathe a sigh of relief once having realized that renting a storage unit is easier to do than they thought.  The potential renter will end up making a statement like, they had no idea how easy it was to rent a storage unit from a property management company.  The potential renter feels confident in the reservation they just made even though the caller has never seen the self storage unit they are going to rent or the self storage facility for that matter.  When all the tools necessary to be able to assist the potential renter are readily there and available, renting a storage unit from the property management company will be one of the easiest things a potential renter will find they will have ever done. The main reason why people feel renting a storage unit from a property management company may be stressful is because they may feel they need to make several phone calls to several self storage facilities or visit several self storage facilities before renting a storage unit from a property management company.  Renting a storage unit is easy, especially when you have our company reps helping potential renters on their storage needs from a property management company.

Colorado Storage Units

StorageMart Butterfield & York Hillside, IL 60162

Wine Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Is this what your average dining out is like? Did you know that there is actually a job where people get paid to eat dinner? Yes, paid to eat. It sounds to good to be true but there are actual restaurant secret shopping jobs out there.

Restaurant secret shopping is like retail or service oriented secret shopping except that you will be asked to visit a dining establishment instead of the mall. Most companies that hire someone to do restaurant secret shopping are looking for the average Jane or Joe. Not someone too flashy or someone too meek but someone who represents the average customer of that restaurant.

Here are some things that you probably will be asked to notice while you are dining. Different companies will want varied items on their restaurant secret shopping evaluation.

Were you greeted when you walked in the door?
Did your server approach your table in a reasonable amount of time?
Were you told of any specials?
Did you food arrive in a reasonable amount of time?
Was your food hot and pleasant looking to the eye?
Was your order correct?
Did the server check on you for refills, etc.?
Did the server tell you about the desert menu?
Were the bathrooms clean?
Was the restaurant clean?
How many other people were dining in the restaurant?

Of course there are the basic questions on a restaurant secret shopping evaluation like, date, time, what you ate, etc.

You will find jobs about restaurant secret shopping in different areas of the country. Some corporate restaurants will hire outside associates to monitor their sites. Sometimes a newspaper will hire or have on staff a person who does restaurant reviews that are printed. Either way the outcome is the same, the person who hired out the job of restaurant secret shopping wants to know how the restaurant scores.

Not everyone is cut out for a restaurant secret shopping job. Even though the thought of being paid to eat sounds great, you are often traveling and consuming large amounts of food in one day. Having a restaurant secret shopping job takes organization, determination, and willpower. The willpower part comes with not eating everything that is put in front of you because you have two more restaurants to visit. Plus, you also have to realize that if you are dining in a smaller privately owned restaurant and the review is bad, you could affect the whole business. This happened recently in our town after a local newspaper sent a restaurant secret shopping columnist to a place and they got bad reviews. The restaurant claims the article ruined their business and the place has since shut down.

So, the next time you sit down to enjoy a meal at your favorite restaurant, look around, there might be someone doing a restaurant secret shopping evaluation nearby.

StorageMart San Pablo. Oakland, CA 94612

Shopping

Property

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Cars and motorcycles are popular items for people to put into self storage facilities or property management companies, and for a variety of reasons.  One person may need to store just for the winter because of the hazardous driving conditions.  Another customer may only have two parking spaces available at his apartment complex, but has three vehicles.  Still another may be getting deployed to Iraq and needs the storage unit until she returns.  This type of self storage facility has to be very secure and have storage units with drive up accessibility, like many good property management companies.  Self storage facilities equipped with these types of units are found all over the United States.

It is a little more difficult to find self storage facilities or property management companies that can handle large recreational vehicles.  People need to store these vehicles because home owner associations usually frown on these monstrosities being parked on a driveway or on the street.  Self storage facilities and property management companies that specialize in RVs often have both indoor and outdoor parking, as well as 24 hour access available for their adventurous customers. Oftentimes amenities such as dumping stations and wash bays are also provided. These property management companies are usually found in areas near large lakes and parks, as well as close to affluent neighborhoods with stringent HOA rules.

Some self storage facilities and property management companies specialize in boat storage.  People put a great deal of time and money into their vessels and proper off-season storage is essential.  These self storage facilities usually have a large climate controlled warehouse and a system where they are able to stack the boats upside down, three or four boats high.  Because they are able to store a large number of boats they are able to keep the costs down for each individual customer.  These self storage facilities usually have a set rate for storage throughout the winter months, and then everyone comes back in the spring to retrieve their property.  These locations are common in the northern United States, where there is obviously a limited boating season.  These self storage facilities can be found all around the Great Lakes.

Self storage facilities and property management companies that specialize in storing documents and files are becoming increasingly popular.  Many types of businesses are required by law to keep files for many years.  These documents can take up valuable warehouse space that can be used for equipment or inventory.  Renting larger office space just for document storage can be very costly.  As an added bonus, many self storage facilities that specialize in document storage offer additional services for their clients.  These locations are able to bar code each box of files for better organizing and easy retrieval.  They also often provide document shredding services, to safely and securely destroy files that have out-lived their useful life.  These self storage facilities and property management companies are used by large accounting and law firms, hospital and medical clinics, as well as small home based businesses with very little storage space.

In a few select areas, art storage is very specialized and trendy.  Preserving art is an intricate affair that requires temperature and humidity control, extremely high ceilings for large pieces, and a private viewing area.  Self storage facilities and property management companies that specialize in art obviously have extremely high-tech security measures in place.  These self storage facilities are usually located near larger cities, where there is a higher concentration of art enthusiasts.

Many self storage facilities have become far more specialized over the years because that is what the customer wants and needs.

Bellevue location, 7332 Tolbert Rd, Nashville, TN 37209

Shopping

Property Management

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Do you know how your staff meets and greets customers when you are not present?  How do they answer the phone?  Do they present a professional image of your company? Do they offer information so the customer can make an on the spot decision?  Do they express why your company is different from the competition?  These are all important questions that can only be answered through anonymous secret shopping visits either on the phone or in person.  This said, what will secret shopping do for you?

Well, where do we start?  Your managers and staff will be the best trained, highly motivated and professional in your industry.  Your business will see an increase and so will your profits.  Results show companies using secret shopping services increase their bottom line by 20 to 30 percent and who does not like that!  You only have one chance to make a first impression. Secret shoppers will show you how to make it your best.  Statistics show most people only shop in 1.4 establishments before they make a buying decision, therefore if you miss them the first time around you may never see them a second, losing to the competition.  Secret shopping is hands down the best evaluation tool for your managers and staff.  Having a secret shopping company on your side will give you an objective view of your business and show you both your strengths and your weaknesses so you can provide the necessary training to improve your staff and therefore your bottom line. Your managers and staff will be trained to listen to your customers needs and possess the tools to enable the customer to make an educated decision. Your staff will know the benefits of what your company has to offer and learn to express them effectively.  You will receive feedback on a regular basis and even be able to listen to recorded phone calls should you choose.  Some secret shopping companies have on-going training. Use it!  They are looking out for your future. 

In summary, does your business need secret shopping?  Well that is up to you, but ask yourself this, How successful do I want my business to be?  The ball is in your court.  Secret shopping is here to help your business be successful and grow, the sky is the limit.  It is time to raise the bar and set your business above your competition letting your industry know you are striving to be the best.  So now what?  What is the next step?  Where do you start?  What do you look for?  Come back to the blog next week and we will answer those questions for you.

StorageMart Industrial Blvd Athens, GA 30606 (866) 748-6951

Shopping

Property

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The truth is, the self storage industry needs mystery shopping as much as any sales, retail, real estate or hospitality industry. More specifically, your self storage business needs to discover what is mystery shopping. Consider that a prospective tenant may have two or three local businesses where he can get a free storage unit quote. One of those local facilities is your store. Will your manager have the right training and knowledge to close the sale over the phone and make a self storage reservation for your business? If you can not confidently say, YES! Then you should explore more into exactly what is mystery shopping.

Secret shopping allows you to gain an objective view of the level of customer service your staff offers as well as benchmark their sales skills and create a plan to improve each area. You may still be asking yourself, What is mystery shopping going to do for my self storage business?

Our self storage clients enjoy the various mystery shopping and sales training services offered through our Sales Team Management programs. We take an interest in the improvement of the sales skills and success of your leasing team by customizing services that will reflect the personal goals of your business. Asking what is mystery shopping only opens the door to more questions.

We do not offer a cookie cutter answer or mold for every self storage owner to fit into. When you ask us, What is mystery shopping? We ask you what kind of service you are looking for. Do you want a service to monitor your staff and see if they pick up the phone? Or do you want a service to improve the telephone sales skills and customer service of your staff? What do you want to gain from a secret shopping program and what do you expect from your mystery shopping provider? In your perfect scenario, what is mystery shopping going to accomplish for your business?

It is our aim to deliver cutting edge sales training. The unique factor in our company is that we have a highly trained sales force at the ready to teach your staff. By taking advantage of our years of experience and hundreds of thousands of self storage phone calls, your staff will be able to lead a customer through qualifying questions as they build value in your store and seamlessly close a new rental all over the phone.

What is the answer to the questions, What is mystery shopping and what is mystery shopping doing in the self storage industry? With our company, secret shopping is a sales training tool that will invest in the success of your sales team and improve the level of sales skills and customer service. Self storage secret shopping is a growing trend because smart business owners realize the potential revenue increase that secret shopping brings to their bottom line.

StorageMart Olmos & San Pedro San Antonio, TX 78212 (866) 748-6951

Shopping

Property

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Cheney Real Estate Management handles investment property, new construction, and even rentals.  A large segment of their business in this day and age is Real Estate Owned or REO property.  When a bank forecloses on a property oftentimes the original owner owes more on the property than what it is worth.  This is referred to as an Upside-down Mortgage.  Since the bank is unable to auction the property and receive the full amount of the debt owed on it, they end up being the property owner.  Because banks are not in the business of managing and maintaining property they rely on a company such as Cheney Real Estate Management to do it for them.  Unfortunately, with the current housing market on the decline, REOs are becoming more and more common.

Cheney Real Estate Management provides a large assortment of services for its clients.  They are able to take care of the daily grind with rental property.  Cheney Real Estate Management is a member of five different multiple listing services, so they have a vast network available to them to find new renters.  They can do a full credit and background check on all new tenants.  Cheney Real Estate Management collects the monthly rent payment, deals with tenants that are late with their payments, and they can coordinate evictions with a third party.

Cheney Real Estate Management takes care of maintenance and repair issues as well.  They have an on-call service available for landlords and tenants alike.  They manage ongoing maintenance issues such as lawn care, winterization, and snow removal.  Cheney Real Estate Management will even refurbish and re-key a space once it is vacated.  And of course Cheney Real Estate Management provides its clients with timely and accurate reports.

Cheney Real Estate Management has a user friendly website allowing current and potential clients to see what all the company offers. The website even has pictures of properties available for sale or for rent, as well as details about the property. Cheney Real Estate Management is truly a full service brokerage and property management company, and an asset to any type of property owner.

Property Management

Shopping

StorageMart US Hwy 1 and Bocca Chico. Big Coppitt Key, FL 33040

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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People usually have some idea as to what they will be putting into a self storage unit.  Whether it is junk from the garage, or files from the business, or an entire three bedroom home, they usually know.  But what they do not know is what size of a storage unit they will need.  That is where a phone rep from either the call center or the self storage office comes in handy and why it is important to have a secret shopping program in place. Some smaller self storage properties can monitor their own employees but larger sites often require an outside secret shopping program to help their managers.

A great way to help a caller determine what size of a self storage unit they will need is by comparing sizes to things they can relate to.  Instead of simply telling them they need a 5×5 unit, explain what it looks like and what it will hold.  Tell them that a 5×5 unit is similar to a small guest bathroom size, and will hold a little furniture, some boxes, and some files.  Let the caller know that this is a good sized storage unit for a sales rep needing to store samples. By being able to know what your managers are telling self storage callers, you can continually help train them with a secret shopping program.

A 5×10 storage unit is like a walk-in closet size, and will hold the equivalent of a small efficiency apartment.  This is a popular sized storage unit for pharmaceutical reps and for homeowners de-cluttering their house to put on the market.

A 10×10 is comparable to an average bedroom.  This is probably the most popular sized storage unit that people rent.  It holds the equivalent of a one bedroom apartment with major appliances. Many secret shopping programs will test the manager to see if they will offer the correct size for what the shopper is storing.

A 10×15 storage unit is similar to a large family room.  It will hold a two bedroom home with appliances.  A small VW Bug is able to fit into this size of this unit.

A 10×20 unit is a standard one car garage size.  It will hold a large three bedroom house, or is popular for storing a regular sized vehicle.

Most facilities have a 10×30 storage unit as their largest space.  This is like a one and a half car garage size, and holds a four to five bedroom house.  This size is popular for businesses needing to store a large amount of inventory. Having a secret shopping program can insure that your managers are not recommending a 10×30 for only 10 boxes.

Secret shopping programs can be tailored to meet your self storage facilities needs. Self storage facilities have different sized units available because people have different needs. Listen next time one of your managers takes a call and see if they are offering the correct size unit. If not, you might want to think about some additional training like a secret shopping program.  But it is always important over the telephone to give the customer an idea as to what the different sized spaces will hold and a secret shopping program can help your manager with that.  Comparing the size of a self storage unit to something that can be found in a person’s home is a great way to accomplish this. 

Secret Shopping

Property

StorageMart Bandera and Loop 1604 12430 Bandera Rd Helotes, TX 78023

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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An example of this would be hearing something that the shopper may never have thought to try them self, on an incoming call.  In most cases, however, the one who truly benefits the most would be the person on the other end of that secret shopping call.  When you are secret shopping you can be anyone who you want to be and use any type of self storage scenario you feel the mood for.  Using various scenarios is always the best way to evaluate and educate someone so they get use to different situations.  This way they can be prepared and have new ways to handle those odd ball calls.  We have 2 types of services in which both are beneficial.  It is up to what you are looking for and what you are looking to gain in the process. 

My favorite is our Feedback Secret Shopping because at the end of the call we can reveal who we really are and that we were in fact secret shopping them.  It seems that in the beginning when we started this type of secret shopping service that it was a bit touchy as these store managers were not familiar with us and took being secret shopped in maybe not the best light.  As they got to know us and our true intentions they looked forward to us secret shopping them again.  We see the level of interest and sales increase and we can watch them grow by way of feedback and evaluations given to them.  It is not only us helping them to be better because if it was not for them taking advantage of our suggestions, and using them, it would not work anyway.  Sales techniques continue to increase with these self storage managers and employees as they get called every month. 

Not only do we critique them on their presentation, but we take advantage of also receiving feedback as to how they thought we did as a secret shopper.  Our Secret Shopping team gets better and better each month as they too are critiqued on what they could do differently to sound more like a real prospective renter. There are advantages to both sides.  We freely take the helpful hints and tips to make us better, so we can in turn make the managers and other employees better at what they do.  It goes hand in hand.

Before we end the secret shopping call with each individual person we ask what they would like their goal to be for the following month.  They are not hesitant to give a realistic goal for the following month and we are pleased to see each of them increase their scores, enthusiasm and knowledge.

California Storage Units

EZ Mini Storage

StorageMart Willits & Park . Basalt, CO 81621

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The Mystery Shopper Providers Association or MSPA is an organization that has been in the secret shopping and mystery shopping business for many years. The Mystery Shopper Providers Association has very strict standards to which it holds its members. Because the Mystery Shopper Providers Association believes in the importance of being able to provide a quality service that is reliable and trustworthy as well as an asset to the business community. The Mystery Shopper Providers Association not only has certification classes available for those who are interested in becoming a secret shopper, they also help the providers of secret shopping or mystery shopping services.

The Mystery Shopper Providers Association provides the secret shopping and mystery shopping industry with certified prospects that can be located within their website. The process is fairly simple, you can post a job along with some basic information and the location or city and state and the certified shoppers can look for jobs. If you are in the secret shopping or mystery shopping business, then you will find the information and seminars available through the Mystery Shopper Providers Association very helpful for your business. 

Do not be fooled by advertisements promising to let you shop all day, get paid and keep the items you shopped for. Like the old saying goes, If it is too good to be true, then it probably is. There are reputable companies out there in the retail and business lands that are looking for people to shop them, but you will not find a banner advertisement on the Internet for the job. Do not fall for the click here ads. 

The Mystery Shopper Providers Association is a good place to start if you are looking for legitimate secret shopping or mystery shopping jobs. You can find out information about the Mystery Shopper Providers Association on the Internet and their website. So, do not let your dream of being a mystery or secret shopper die. You still have hope, and the Mystery Shopper Providers Association is here to help you with information and certification to help make your dream come true.

Alabama Storage Units

Volition Mystery Shops

StorageMart San Pablo. Oakland, CA 94612

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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• Wine needs to be stored between 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit in order to slow the aging process.  This temperature needs to be kept at a constant, since fluctuating temperatures can cause the wine to expand and contract, loosening the cork.  This allows oxygen to mix with the wine causing the wine to go bad.
• Property management groups will keep the humidity between 70 and 80 percent. Any lower and the cork will dry out, causing high levels of evaporation and exposure to oxygen, again oxidizing the wine.  If the humidity level is too high then mold will grow.
• Wine needs to be kept in a dark area.  Light can cause the wine to form a haze and can have other unpleasant effects on its bouquet and taste. Light can cause wine to become Light Struck where it picks up the taste and smell of wet cardboard.  (You can put a bottle of sparkling wine near a fluorescent light for about a month to experience this.)
• Wine needs to be free of vibrations and kept away from any other items that emit odors.
• Vibrations negatively affect the evolution of the wine, and this product has a tendency to pick up odors of anything stored nearby.

In other words, the worse place on earth to store wine is on top of the refrigerator!  The temperature fluctuates, there is too much light, the compressor causes vibrations, the humidity level it not constant, there are always food odors in the kitchen, etc!

Alas, self storage facilities and property management groups are a perfect solution when it comes to the dilemma of where to store the wine!

There are many reasons people choose to use a self storage facility or a property management group to store their wine.  Space is obviously a huge factor. Folks living in a small home or condos owned by property management groups do not have enough room for proper wine storage.  Someone living in a rental apartment is usually unable to convert a closet or the basement to a wine cellar.  Plus, oftentimes once a person starts a small collection of wine the hobby becomes addicting and the collector runs out of space.  What started out as just a few bottles can turn into pallets!

Other reasons wine connoisseurs use self storage or property management groups is for the peace of mind.  Self storage facilities and property management groups that specialize in wine storage usually have a backup generator in case of a power outage, to ensure a constant temperature and humidity levels.  They often have misters (like in the produce department of a grocery store) to keep the humidity levels higher.  And self storage facilities and property management groups always have great security, so one does not have to worry about the neighbors during the Super Bowl party.  The inventory is usually all computerized, and the customers are often able to monitor their wine collection via the self storage facilities or property management groups website. 

Reputation is extremely important in the self storage industry and property management groups where storing wine is concerned.  And owners of self storage facilities property management groups realize that wine lovers are a very cliquish group, and that Word of Mouth can have a huge impact.  That is why with the Baby Boomers new love of wine has become self storage facilities providing the proper accommodations!  

Ohio Storage Units

Advenir Real Estate Management

Murfreesboro Rd Location, 2156 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37217

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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An auto repair shop can make sure that their mechanics always use paper floor mats and rags to keep the car they are working on clean.  No customer likes to pay their repair bill, only to find grease and oil all over their once clean car.
 
Hospital employees in the Emergency Room need to remember people are there because they are sick or hurt.  Even if the employee is having a bad day, the visitor is probably having a worse one.

A real estate agent needs to not only listen to what the client is saying, but also to what they really mean.  People might use some secret shopping methods for a new home often do not know what they need or what will work best for them.  This is where a good agent with good customer service skills comes in handy.

A veterinarian or a kennel should always know the names and particular idiosyncrasies of both the animals and their owners.  Pets are truly a member of the family.

Phone reps in a self storage call center need to keep in mind the caller is not mad at the phone rep per se, but is going through a difficult period in their life.  The self storage agent needs to provide the best customer service possible, even with a difficult caller. Phone reps are often monitored by secret shopping programs to help with customer service.

Teachers need to bear in mind a Parent/Teacher Conference is meant to help parents get on the same page in reference to their child’s learning.  Friendly advice to a distraught parent can go a long way.
 
Dentist’s appointments are usually made several months in advance, and people often forget about them.  A dental office that sends out a friendly reminder postcard and a follow up phone call will be much appreciated.

No matter what the business is or the mood an employee is in, providing excellent customer service is always essential and should be evaluated with secret shopping.  And it need not be difficult. Having a secret shopping company monitor your employees is a great way to provide extra training.   They just need to go a little above and beyond what is expected, and keep a smile on their face and in their voice.  Great customer service not only will keep current customers coming back, but it will ensure new customers in the future, try a secret shopping program today. 

Missouri Storage Units

Bestmark Mystery Shopping

Storage-Mart on South Federal Hwy. in Pompano Beach

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Another side business to the document storage business is shredding and destruction of confidential paperwork and data. This business must be able to provide the most secure and guaranteed service to those clients wishing to destroy or shred important legal or financial documents or data. If you are a smaller business then some shredding businesses will come to your office or place of business to do the shredding. This allows for no transportation of any documents or data and the misplacement of said work. Storage for documents is not a new business but it is becoming more widely used to safeguard businesses of any size. Even self-employed people can purchase a shredder for their own document destruction.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS agent.

Self Storage 

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Climate Controlled Storage Section.
 

Secret Shopping

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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If you are not familiar with The University Of Missouri, it is located in Columbia, Missouri, which is almost half way between St. Louis and Kansas City. Columbia is a great town and it is also the town that is home to PhoneSmart and the corporate offices for StorageMart. StorageMart is a leader in the self storage industry and PhoneSmart runs an inbound call center for self storage and property management businesses. If you would like information about how PhoneSmart can help turn your missed calls into profit, then call 866-639-1715 today. It will not cost you anything to call, so what are you waiting on? Go Tigers, what a great 12-2 season.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS agent.

Storage Unit 

Self Storage Article Directory  Visit our Wine Storage Section  

Secret Shopping 

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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On Sunday December 9th, an ice storm closed PhoneSmart Call Center doors because of Saturday night’s bad weather.  The roads were too icy and treacherous for employees to drive on and the number of car accidents in town, proved it.  Many of our employees couldn’t even make it out of their own driveways. 

On Sunday night the city had concentrated most of their efforts on the main roads to make sure they were as drivable as they could be, and then handled the side roads.  Monday we were back in business.  As the weatherman tracked the next big ice storm, which was headed directly for us, we kept track too. This one was the big one.  The ice storm that could potentially shut down power all over the city. We wanted to make sure that PhoneSmart would not close again as we still wanted to be able to answer self storage calls and give self storage quotes for our clients.  But how could we ensure that we would be able to stay open since we were in the path of it?

To Tron, the answer was simple.  Have employees spend the night at PhoneSmart!  But would anyone volunteer for it?  We had 3 employees who did. Liz, DJ and myself were up for the challenge.   We weren’t worried as we have a back up generator in case the power goes out.  Tron purchased a couple of sleeping bags, air mattresses, flashlights, candles and tons of snacks.  The cheesecake was delicious!  Yum!  And since I’ve not heard of any other businesses spending the night at their place of work just to make sure that it would be business as usual, I had to write this self storage blog.  

Luckily the stormed shifted its direction and just missed us, only giving us a lot of rain.  The next morning could still have been treacherous if that rain had turned to ice by morning.  Some say that the reason we didn’t get the eye of the storm was because we did stay the night.  Had we not stayed the night, we would’ve had the bad weather and PhoneSmart doors could’ve been closed again.   

Written by Robin Turner, Call Center Co-Director

Self Storage

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Car Storage Section.

Secret Shopping

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Many of our PhoneSmart client locations, especially in Oklahoma and Kansas self storage, lost electricity and phone service this past week due to severe ice storms.  PhoneSmart phone reps were able to keep callers abreast of the progress of the utility crews and the conditions of their local storage facility.

A woman from Maryland called.  She wanted to let the local store manager know that there were several young kids playing on the pond behind the storage facility.  Even though it was cold outside and schools were called off, she was concerned that the ice was not thick enough and someone could get hurt.  I was able to relay the message to that particular store manager.

It is only a couple of weeks until Christmas so many of our PhoneSmart self storage clients are closing their stores early on a particular day to have a holiday party. PhoneSmart reps are able to explain this to callers and give them the option to leave a voice mail message, or to call back during office hours the following day.

PhoneSmart reps are here to help our clients rent units to new customers, but we are also here to help answer questions and assist callers in any way we can.  We are so much better than just a simple answering machine!

Written by Ann Sheehan, PhoneSmart Call Center Representative.

Self Storage 

Self Storage Article Directory 

Property Management   

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive.

Total quality Assurance Services is brought to you by PhoneSmart – A quality assurance firm.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The PhoneSmart Call Center has bi lingual call center representatives on staff, everyday. Because we are open a generous amount of the day (longer than most store hours) we can catch those missed self storage calls. Some clients have the press 1, press 2 option installed on their greeting so Spanish calls go directly to the reps that are bi lingual. Other times, when the phone is answered and it is a Spanish speaking customer, the call is forwarded to one of our trained bi lingual sales staff.  Proper property management is important for you to have a successful self storage business.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive

Total quality Assurance Services is brought to you by PhoneSmart – A quality assurance firm.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The number one most common way the property management industry determines self storage rates is by the amount of space you require. Many have pre-determined areas that are rented on a monthly or yearly fee. These fees can increase or decrease with the size of storage space available.

Long Term vs. Short Term

When you are renting with a company that requires you sign a storage lease you will likely pay less than you would if you were if you were renting somewhere that allows you to give quick termination notice.

Climate Controlled or Not

If you require climate controlled storage you may find that you are paying more for your self storage rates. The truth is that climate controlled storage areas allow you to store your items without worrying about them mildewing or molding. However, if you are not concerned with having a possible mold and mildew issue, you may want to go for the cheaper non-climate controlled rates.

It is best to shop around for various self storage rates before settling with a company. Be sure that you learn how to understand the terms of the storage and any rules the company has. There are places that allow you 24 hour access and places that only allow access during certain hours. So, be certain you know when you can access your belongings.

Submitted by Guest blogger.

Total quality Assurance Services is brought to you by PhoneSmart – A quality assurance firm.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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A website is great for a variety of properties, including apartment complexes, office buildings, storage facilities, yacht storage, etc. Internet shoppers are able to take a virtual 3-D tour of what you have to offer without ever leaving their home or office. They can do it at their convenience 24/7, in the middle of the night or on a holiday. How many employees will do that for you?

This interactive tool will allow you to collect essential information from all potential customers. They are able to easily leave their name, phone number and email address for future follow-up. If they are not interested in your property, then you did not waste valuable time and resources trying to pursue them. 

The most important thing to remember about any website is that it must be easy to understand and maneuver. People are in a hurry in this day and age. If your site is too confusing, with a simple click of the mouse customers can and will log onto the link for your competitor.

Written by Ann Sheehan, PhoneSmart Call Center representative.

Total quality Assurance Services is brought to you by PhoneSmart – A quality assurance firm.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Christmas specials would be perfect to start right now, before the Christmas shoppers spend all of their hard earned money and don’t have any left over. As you know, the Christmas items are out and the Christmas decorations are up.  Which only means one thing, the Christmas shoppers may not have a place to put their gifts.

During the summer months, specials are offered everywhere because people are moving and the kids are off to college. But, what about the Holiday shoppers, that don’t have room in their home to hide the Christmas gifts? Offering a special self storage rate, such as a 5×5 or 5×10 self storage unit would be great to gain a few renters.  You know the average renter rents for about 6 months.  So offering a move in special won’t hurt, if you gain a new customer for the next 6 months, will it?

Written by Robin Turner, Call Center Manager

Thanks for reading our property management blog, a blog about the property management industry.

Planning a move to Oakland, California? Visit our partners at the Oakland, California moving information center.

Storage available at 7332 Tolbert Rd, Nashville, TN 37209

Find your next car storage, boat storage or self storage at your StorageConcierge – Your premier national and local self storage search engine and free quote provider.

Self Storage Owner — Where Self Storage Owners meet Self Storage Customers

30606 Climate Controlled Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The TQAS employee then takes a few minutes to discuss the call with the person at the other end of the phone.  We ask them how they feel the call went, what they think they did well, and what they believe they could improve upon.  We then give the store employee feedback, with both compliments and suggestions concerning the call.  Together we set some goals to be worked on during the next couple of weeks until their feedback shop the following month.   

Oftentimes the results from traditional mystery shops take several weeks to reach a client, and the circumstances of the original call are long forgotten.  With this new service everything is still fresh in everyone’s minds.  Plus, there is the added benefit for the store employee of speaking to our shopper one on one, and asking questions and discussing different situations.  This is a great training tool that many of our PhoneSmart clients have come to rely on.

Written by Ann Sheehan, PhoneSmart Call Center Representative

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog, a blog about the secret shopping and mystery shopping industry.

Storage available at 3340 Elm Farm Road, Dale City, VA 22192

Find your next car storage, boat storage or self storage at your StorageConcierge – Your premier national and local self storage search engine and free quote provider.

Planning a move to Kansas City, Missouri? Visit our partners at the Kansas City, Missouri moving information center.

30606 Climate Controlled Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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He called in on our Storage Concierge service that he found on line while searching for self storage.  I don’t remember which state it was that I was searching for storage in, but I looked up everything we had, everyone we answered for and I couldn’t find one self storage business in that particular state he wanted to give him a self storage quote. 

If even one storage property was listed on our Storage Concierge website for that state, they would have gained a new customer.  Call PhoneSmart and we can add your store to our Storage Concierge service, where you are sure to gain new customers.  And if you’re missing calls, or using an answering service to represent your company, leave it to us and learn some sales techniques along the way.

Written by Robin Turner, Call Center Manger and customer service rep.

Thanks for reading our property management blog, a blog about the property management industry.

Find your next car storage, boat storage or self storage at your StorageConcierge – Your premier national and local self storage search engine and free quote provider.

Self storage is available at 20 Onion Blvd, Shrewsbury, PA 17361

Self Storage Owner — Where Self Storage Owners meet Self Storage Customers

20601 Self Storage

Planning a move to Oakland, California? Visit our partners at the Oakland, California moving information center.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Customer service begins with you anticipating the needs and wants of your current and future customers. Customer service is building rapport with each and every person that walks through the door. The connection must be real, but the more you connect the easier it will become to build rapport with everyone. Customer service is being friendly, having a smile on, knowing your product, and offering to help resolve issues.

Having great customer service will help your secret shopping and mystery shopping scores improve. If you currently don’t have a secret shopping program set up for your self storage, craft storage or food storage business, contact us at PhoneSmart for information on how we can help you start on the road to giving great customer service. Call 866-639-1715 for information.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive and business blog writer.

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog, a inside peek at the secret shopping and mystery shopping industry.

Planning a move to Brooklyn, New York? Visit our partners at the Brooklyn, New York moving information center.

Storage available at 925 Old Trail Rd, Etter, PA 17319

66103 Self Storage

Find your next car storage, boat storage or self storage at your StorageConcierge – Your premier national and local self storage search engine and free quote provider.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Typically, I make a courtesy call when the bill is 30 days past due, to make sure customers have received the invoice and to find out where it’s at in the payment process.

Upon occasion, a customer will genuinely say that they misplaced the invoice. So I fax or email it to them and the payment is received within a week or so.

Collections is rewarding when you see the outstanding balance going down and down but there usually isn’t much satisfaction or pleasure in the task itself.

That’s why last week, when we received some checks in the mail towards several outstanding invoices, I was elated to see a note enclosed with the checks. Our client thanked me for the call and for sending them their property invoices.

Wow! How many collections agents can ever say they’ve been thanked for calling about an overdue call center bill? So I just have to say that just really made my day. And, maybe unfortunately for the remaining overdue clients, it pumped me up to make some more calls.

Written by: Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive and juggler of all things PhoneSmart.

Thanks for reading our property management blog and inside look at how to manage your self storage facility.

33040 Self Storage

Rent storage at 11510 N. Main, Kansas City, MO 64155

Are you moving to Miami, Florida? Visit our partners at the Miami, Florida moving information center.

Find your next car storage, boat storage or self storage at your StorageConcierge – Your premier national and local self storage search engine and free quote provider.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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I just did a role play with Jeannette. She was very helpful to me in presenting the move in special. Her approach is really great and I will use it on my next phone call. It is nice to try different approaches and see what works best. 
Jan
 

I just did the role play with Carmen and we both seem to have enjoyed it. She and I both made it relaxing and not intense. We were role playing not able to have a come back response for the customer when they ask us certain question like, is this 99.00 for the whole year for rental of the space? She helped me with selling points as well as telling me the good things I did.  Helping our customers should not be intense but should be enjoyable knowing that we are there when they need us and we have what they need.
Deborah #122 Kansas City Self Storage

I am sending this to let you know that the role playing line has helped me a lot.  I was having problems getting people to give me phone numbers and they helped me by telling me to say, it helps to have a number just in case the unit you need becomes available sooner or so we can call you with any information that might apply to you as a new prospective customer.
They have also helped me to get credit card reservations-by telling self storage customers, you know we are very limited on number of units available-so to assure you have a unit you might want to go ahead and reserve with $10 credit card payment today.  Believe me this has really helped you should see my bonus envelope this month. I was also having problems with keeping customer on line long enough to give them information before the price and they helped me in this area.  They told me to let customer know that I had to wait for the price to come up on the computer and until it does let me tell you about our property and the specials we have to offer. This really works too, as we are getting many more hot leads, etc.
Today I called and spoke to Julio and asked him since we are 95% full and unsure if we would have a certain size available when they needed unit in future-how to handle this.  He helped me by saying we could always let them know don’t have that size at this moment- we do have 2 units that are side by side and we could rent them for the price of the one you want, but would need to hold with credit card.  He also said that if the size they want should become available then we would call them.
So you see the Role Playing hot line helps as well as all the help we get from our upper management. Thanks for being there when we need you and keep up the good work.
Jean Hawkins #1610

If you would like information on how the Role Play Helpline can help your managers contact us at 1-866-639-1715 and ask for the secret shopping department.

Compiled by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive and business blog writer.

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog, an inside peek into the secret shopping and mystery shopping industry.
 
Planning a move to West New York, New Jersey? Visit our partners at the West New York, New Jersey moving information center.

Storage available at 9455 215th St W, Lakeville, MN 55044
 

Find your next car storage, boat storage or self storage at your StorageConcierge – Your premier national and local self storage search engine and free quote provider.

Self Storage Owner — Where Self Storage Owners meet Self Storage Customers

94607 Self Storage

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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When conducting a mystery shop in the self storage industry you do want to shake it up, per se, among the shoppers that call the stores.  Although some names are hard to remember, most people remember voices.  As a mystery shopping provider, you want to keep this in mind as you want to alternate the voice of the shopper that calls the client.  If you are retailer or in the self storage industry that conducts mystery shopping then you must remember to shake it up!  Rotating different shoppers throughout different clients will keep the shopped employees on their toes. Those shopped will not be as familiar with a particular shopper’s voice. 

Shaking things up also benefits the mystery shopper so that they have a chance to see different clients and the products that are offered.  The mystery shopper will benefit in the self storage industry by viewing different units types and sizes that the various self storage facilities have.  So don’t be afraid to shake things up and rotate!!

Written by: Angela Perry, business blog writer.

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog. We offer sales training and quality assurance to the self storage industry.

Planning a move to Miami, Florida? Visit our partners at the Miami, Florida moving information center.

Storage here: 9220 W 135th St, Overland Park, KS 66221

Visit our Self Storage Pod cast

Find your next car storage, boat storage or self storage at your StorageConcierge – Your premier national and local self storage search engine and free quote provider.

Self Storage Owner — Where Self Storage Owners meet Self Storage Customers

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Secret Shopping and Quality Assurance Services
Our professional evaluators at PhoneSmart’s Secret Shopping Service help your staff improve phone techniques, improving sales numbers in return. Most clients use the PhoneSmart Secret Shopping service twice a month to make sure their staff people are friendly and capable salespeople.

Sales Role Play Helpline
Now your staff can practice selling skills any time they have a few free minutes by placing a toll free call to our sales reps at our PhoneSmart Sales Role Playing Help Line. This is a great opportunity for your people to practice selling in challenging situations or just fine-tune the basics.

Sales Training Success
Take advantage of our years of sales success with PhoneSmart’s Sales Training Programs. All our collective sales experiences are in this easy to use do-it-yourself training program of audio CDs and work books. Use it for self-study or with a training leader. Use it in conjunction with our secret shopping and sales role-playing and see your staff turn into a super sales crew.

PhoneSmart director Tron Jordheim is also available to travel to your company or group and lead an engaging, enjoyable and very effective half or full day training session.

Sales Lead Follow-up
Do things get busy at your property and you find that leads are not getting worked and are going stale? Don’t let your leads go to rent somewhere else. With Sales Lead Follow-up Help from PhoneSmart we’ll make the follow-up calls for you. We can usually double your conversion rates on sales leads through our polite, professional, persistence. No matter how you are generating leads, we can help you rent to more people.

Web Leads from PhoneSmart
Get listed on www.want2store.com Buy a link to your web site for next to nothing and get ranked number one in your zip code for just a few dollars a month. Our site comes up in the top 5 in internet searches for “storage locator” or “storage finder” on Yahoo. Also take advantage of our relationship with other web search engines. Because of our large peer group of clients, we can purchase completed storage request forms wholesale and pass them on to you at a considerable savings. Don’t let internet requests for storage go unanswered- buy them from us at a discount!

Lead Generation from PhoneSmart
If you are looking for new rentals from new sources, let us help. We have several methods available to go out and find you more tenants using lead generating methods that you may not have available to you. Put PhoneSmart to work as your off-site sales force.

On-Site Call Recording
Stop asking yourself what your callers think of your telephone etiquette. PhoneSmart can help you record all your incoming phone calls so you can hear real calls and know for sure how your business sounds to your customers.

Ad Tracking and Caller Information Collection

Find out which ads are working. Get unbelievably valuable information about callers, their locations and habits.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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