What do you do as a customer when a retail manager or worker treats you incorrectly? Do you decide not to shop there anymore? Do you decide to tell that manager what you think? Do you try to find a customer service number for that location and tell the corporate office? There is not a wrong or right way to handle this situation. Some people feel that based on the situation that they will choose what the next steps will be. Hopefully they decide do something that does not contain a violent act.

No one is perfect especially in the retail world. There are all kinds of reasons that people will act out against the customers they are trying to serve. Unfortunately the customers do not always understand and they feel they should be taken care of regardless of the situation. This is true in most cases. During the holiday season or a really big sale, sometimes customer service is not always the best and managers get frazzled. No matter how many classes they take or how many years they have been in the industry, everyone will have a bad day and chooses to react in a way the customers will not like. As a customer you have a choice as well on how you want to handle that situation.

It is said that cooler heads will prevail, but that is just a saying. Depending on the situation, we may decide not to be cool about it at all. We hope that the person in charge or the corporate office will correct the issue that you had with the retail associate, but that is not always a guarantee. No retail establishment wants to lose out on customers, but at the same time they will not be able to satisfy everyone. They do their best not to let a situation escalate, but it will happen from time to time. No one is perfect. Think before you act and everyone will be fine.

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

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Walking into any retail environment could be dangerous. For the well trained shoppers, they know how to avoid the aggressive sales agents and to focus on what they want. There will be a point in which they will have to speak to someone from the store in order to make a purchase. Oh wait, I guess they have self check out at some stores now. So you can totally avoid human contact if you desire it. Why do people avoid sales people?

Many believe that sales people will try to overpromise them something and not deliver. There sometimes is a gap between what a self storage manager promises a customer and what they actually can give them. Just like any other retail environment self storage is very competitive. There are self storage facilities all over the place. They are battling each day for the business of a customer. Unfortunately there times in which the manager says something that they are not able to come through on. Then they end up losing the customer in the long run. Believe it or not, people actually want they are promised.

There are property managers that say that they are not lying to the customer when they know they are not able to come through on a promise. There are those that feel they will just deal with the problem if one actually comes. Many retail companies that decide to falsify their information hope to never get caught and the customer just continues on like all is ok.  As soon as that customer or customers find out what is going on, they will have to decide on their next move. The customer could decide to make a big deal about it and confront the retail environment about going back on their promise, just go with the flow and take the loss, or just go to their competitor. No matter which choice is made, the self storage facility or retail company will hear a complaint. Those complaints add up and could eventually hurt your business.

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

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The purpose of appointing agents to mystery shop is to retain the maximum number of old clients and attract new ones. The success of a business is determined by the strength of its client base. Earlier the complaints of the end users and clients were taken in the form of written feedbacks. The unsatisfied clients would leave the premises of the retail outlet disgusted. They did not have the patience or the time to fill in the complaint forms. Hence this method of taking customer feedback turned out to be a failure. Employing agents to get a firsthand experience of the satisfactory and dissatisfactory aspects of the clients is a much better option.

The agents are instructed by the firms to mystery shop for the non tangible issues of client satisfaction as the tangible elements like delivering whatever was promised is not very difficult to gauge. The intangible factors are the ones that are going to affect the client impression and satisfaction. Hence they are more important. There are many intangible factors. The clients tend to compare the level of their actual satisfaction to the level of the satisfaction they expected. Another intangible factor is the degree to which the clients trust the products and the facilities offered by the firm.

The clients are the makers or breakers of the career of a firm. Nowadays there are too many firms vying with each other to satisfy their clients. The clients have a tendency to compare the satisfaction that they get from one firm with that they get from another firm. The agent appointed by a firm to mystery shop finds out the degree of client satisfaction of individual clients by interviewing each and every one of them. He also senses the degree to which a client under consideration is satisfied and if he has developed any loyalty to the firm or its products and amenities. He also observes very finely if the extent to which the clients feel they are being respected and their needs are being attended to well by the staff that they interact with. Each and every buyer likes to be regarded as a unique person with creative tastes. Hence every buyer expects to be paid special attention however common it may be in reality.

The agent whose sole purpose of visiting a retail outlet is to mystery shop for his firm, checks other factors also apart from client satisfaction. He is entrusted with the responsibility to see if the staff is following the legal guidelines conveyed to them by their employing authorities. The next most vital thing that they check is that if the salespersons of the firm are being honest in every step of the transaction. The salesperson is supposed to give accurate information about a product or a feature to his client. He should not suppress any relevant information or use dishonesty to make a sale.

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

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• The appearances of the properties are maintained at a superior level. Specially, the amenity areas and important common areas are treated with sincere attention, to keep sparkling clean and in superb condition. This creates a better impression to the prospective residents. All tools and maintenance items are kept out of sight in storage units .

• An efficient apartment property management organization work as a problem solver to the residents and the clients. A transparent communication is maintained among the staff, owners and residents, so that searching for a solution never becomes critical. Problems are treated as an opportunity to prove the credibility of the company.

• Regular inspections of the building are conducted by the company, so that major repairing cost can be avoided. Any feasible suggestion regarding the improvement of the appearance of the building is then and there implemented. Routine repair parts are kept onsite in storage for quick repair work.

• All administrative functions and sales presentations are regularly monitored, to strengthen the weak points and make the strong areas stronger.

• The apartment property management organizations goes through a continuous process of improvement by using information from property inspection reports, administrative audits and reports from the residents. The organizations also arrange promotion of employee satisfaction to minimize their attrition level.

• The opinions from residents are of highest importance to the companies. Residents are surveyed in a regular basis to identify their grievances, if any. Any kind of grievance is taken care of immediately, to give total satisfaction to the residents.

• Renewals are conducted with a personal touch, so that each resident can feel the warmth of the management organization. This enhances the personal bonding with the resident and the company.

• The apartment property management organizations maintain a successful relationship with the residents to ensure regular on time rent payment, hassle free renewal of their lease and reference to their friends. This also helps to avoid any dispute between the owner and the resident.

• Their clients are guaranteed to have full satisfaction with their service. Each client is treated with unique attention, as the dimension of his requirement will never be alike to his next door neighbor. Clients are requested to suggest recommendations for improvement of the company and they are implemented in time to time basis.

• The reputed apartment property management organizations are generally very much committed to maintain best employee relationship. The employees are motivated and educated with their specific career development plans and periodic training programs. Employees are rewarded for better performance, through proper recognition and bonus programs. The company always encourages their employees to become the problem solver.

• The companies are very much cautious about selecting the right candidate as their employee. Normally they recruit eligible candidates, who are bright, accommodating, motivated and passionate about their responsibility. Within a few months, these people turn to become the assets for the organization, and with their sincere committed attention they always provide better service towards the clients.

Storage

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

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1. First and foremost reason to change company, is that your real estate management firm is not being able to manage your property in a perfect way. You might notice that their management is not being accountable to their promises. You are not receiving the reports in regular manner, as it was mentioned before. Thus you will not be able to make a future plan for your property. In this situation, you may talk to your existing manager for the company, to clear out the issue. But, if they still do not bother to work better, then you should go for a change.

2. The real estate management firm is often clueless and is totally ineffective at dealing with the properties. You might be spending more money for simple repair works, or the property might remain vacant for a long period of time or the company is unable to find suitable candidate as tenant, etc. These entire situations might lead you to an unprofitable state. Instead of earning from your property, you start losing your hard earned money. This is the time to start interviewing other companies, where you can gain your lost peace of mind.

3. The real estate management firm might send you the wrong person as a manager for your property. It is quite an unfortunate experience. Because, you should have full faith in your manager. Whatever decision he takes, that should be in conformity with you. But, he might turn somebody, who is ripping you off. Your manager might hide certain facts from you, or lie to you, or make up stories so that he can gain out of it. If you find any of these to be true with you, then immediately go for a change. To become trustworthy is one of the most important attributes of the managers.

4. If you are managing your own property, then a real estate management firm might become useful to you. Sometimes it so happen, that all these works related to your property becomes unmanageable. If you have a large amount of property, then the size of the work will be tremendous. You might find that through out the whole day you are running for something or other related to your properties. This is not possible for a long duration as this might bring a bad effect on your health. At the same time, you could have use this time for some other business planning. In this situation, you might go for hiring a management company.

5. You or your existing management company must be able to offer the right direction for your business. The management firm should have adequate experience to identify the pros and cons of your business. If you notice that the company does not have proper expertise to guide you, then you must go for another reliable company.

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

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If you are looking for some reliable companies that are providing mystery shopper assignments the best place to look is the internet. But, you need to be careful also, since there are many fraudulent companies, who shall provide you assignments, but will not pay you in return. Moreover, if you need some steady assignments, you should work for one of the most stable companies. Here are some tips on how to get the perfect assignment of hired shopper.

1. If you search the internet you shall come across several websites that are related to focus groups. To get an assignment, you need to join the focus groups. It may happen that you may be called to meet at a specific location, where you can understand or your work can be explained. There are many companies that prefer online chats, so you maybe asked to come online. The main aim of such a meeting is sharing information. Information is shared and kept in online storage so that you get to know about the different products and services.

2. There are companies who carry on telephonic interviews and telephonic surveys. You can obtain some of these telephonic surveys. If you carry on the work of telephonic survey, then you can be assured that you are paid certainly more, than what you would have received if the survey was carried online or through post. So the next time, some one asks you to be a telephonic mystery shopper , do not deny the assignment, because you are sure to earn more.

3. If you are being asked to fill up any hired shopper form on-line, do not forget to do so before the due date. You need to ensure that you are not waiting till the last date to submit the form. If your form has been delivered to you through post, you should return it as soon as possible, so that the company has a good impression and treats you as someone who can be relied upon. As a mystery shopper , it is very important that you are honest and responsible. Your work will depend on judgmental skills and honesty, hence it is important that the company understands that you are honest and responsible.

4. If you are seriously thinking of making a career in this field, it is necessary that you are updated with the skills of the professions. You need to think and train your self on how to improve your performance, so that you can provide some of the best services. In this effort you can call the company for whom who are working and ask for a feedback. This will give you a good opportunity to brush up your skills so that you can become one of the most efficient mystery shopper .

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

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Any person who wants a career of a legitimate secret shopper has to take certain steps. These will at least guide you to find out legitimate shopping companies.

1. Take help from the forums for shoppers on the internet. You can learn various tips and tricks for getting the right job on their online storage database. You will also get a huge support from other experienced shoppers and whenever you are in any problem they will help you with their valuable advice.
2. Search the internet for shopping companies. Go through their individual websites to find out details about their business.
3. Create a list of all shopping companies, and then select the legitimate secret shopper  providers which you feel safe and secured. For this you can take help from the forums. Any shopper having working experience with these companies might share with you.
4. Rank the companies on the basis of the information found from the forums.
5. Apply to these shopping companies through their online application form.

However, applying to all these legitimate companies does not guarantee you regular flow of work. You have to keep in constant touch to find out the list of available assignments in your locality. Use a file storage unit for all the information on the various companies you research. Whenever, you find a suitable job, you should apply for that at that moment.

The legitimate secret shopper providers will keep their functions transparent to you. Actually, they have a huge responsibility to carry. Most of the successful organizations depend on them for receiving the factual feedback from them. So, they always maintain their standard of work to a high level. If you get associated to such a company, you will get regular assignments and can acquire knowledge while working with them. You will also be benefited with good payment per shop and lots of fringe benefits.  At the end of the day, you will feel satisfied being associated to these reputed companies.

Once you are registered as a legitimate secret shopper , you will get proper training from your shopping company. They will teach you about the basic rules for your shopping occupation. This whole process of training will be performed through internet, so you do not have to visit any training center. Next you will receive the assignments with a separate set of instructions for each assignment. Actually, the instructions might be different from assignment to assignment. You have to follow the instructions honestly, to collect the required information at your shop. If you follow the set of instructions, the job will become pretty easy and you will be able to send the exact information, what they had asked for.

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

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A real estate management specialist should know what the factors that affect a real property are. One of the greatest factors is the health of the general economy. Any slump in the economy as a whole will not leave out real properties. The general affordability decreases in such a time and people do not generally turn towards real property. This brings down the demand and the prices fall. But it has a very interesting side. If the people cannot buy the houses they still need to live. So they rent houses and the demand for the rented houses grows. When the economy recovers the demand of the houses to buy grows once again. One more factor that affects the condition of the real property economy is the condition of employment in the country and also the interest rates. These two factors are vital as far as the condition of the people goes and both have direct influences on the housing industry. Apart from these factors that influence the national and international economy, a very important local factor also pushes up or brings down the prices. It is sudden increase or decrease in population at any particular place. The price of real property is directly proportional in both the cases.

The people dealing with real estate management needs to understand the changes in demand and supply of the various real properties. The real property market depends heavily on the general economy and any fall in the growth of the general economy is reflected in the property market as well. A great indicator is the behavior of the market. The market cycle starts from a good business environment when the vacancies are low and the demand seems to rise steadily. But once each and every person wants to have a share of the pie and starts to venture into the property market, the supply equals the demand and then exceeds it leading to a phase when the vacancy rate is very high. This phase is the start of the bad time for the lease market. The cycle ends with drastic reduction of rates and halt in further addition of properties. Slowly the demands begin to rise and the market once again catches up.

So it is a very important job of real estate management to identify which stage the economy is going through. Managers must analyze the prevailing trends and always be shopping the market to get themselves prepared for any fluctuations. They must also use this analysis to judge each property in this light. This will help them to plan the lease and other related things to overcome any bad effects and gain in case of any positive movement. Real estate management does not only mean managing the daily affairs of the property, but also to get hold of the best opportunities to get the maximum benefit for the property. As the economy is directly related to the property market, the management is all about understanding it and gaining from it.

Self storage industry rental trends are a little harder to predict, as people want storage in the good times and need storage in the bad.

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

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Mystery shopper reviews are periodically conducted by independent outside companies that your employer has opted to work with for the purpose of evaluating the standards and customer services practices of their organization. The people who conduct the mystery shopper reviews look and act just like any ordinary customer. You never know who they are or when they will be coming in. Thus, you had better be on your best customer service behavior with everyone who enters your work place. If you are taking your bad day out on the patrons of your establishment, the trickle down effect can be disastrous for business, and employers will not tolerate such a drain on their pocketbooks or in the minds and hearts of their loyal customers. 

Most employers value their employees. They do not want to come across as the big brother type who is always looking over your shoulder. Mystery shopper reviews can be used for incentives, too, in that any employee who gets positive reports by the independent agents can be eligible to receive cash bonuses, or perhaps a day off with pay. Mystery shopper reviews do not have to be seen as a way of keeping tabs on who is bad or good in within the ranks of an organization.

Used properly, they are an incredible tool that can be the catalyst for intensifying training efforts and hiring practices. It allows companies to actively asset and achieve higher standards and make those standards known to all potential employees and customers alike. People enjoy working for companies that value quality and high standards. Even if your morning starts out with you bumping your head on the corner of the cabinet door, by focusing your efforts on the quality of service that you are providing your customers, you are attracting and exhibiting good business. Smile and the world smiles with you, even though you may still feel that tenderness on your scalp.

Taking pride in your work, and having fun with what you do, whether it is selling high end wooden furniture or key chains and tiny trinkets in an airport gift shop, will make your days go by faster, allow you to maximize your customers enjoyment and it has the added benefit of helping you forget about the terrible morning that you had.

San Antonio Car Storage

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

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There are many companies calling around to different consulting companies looking for the key formula to improve their current state of business. Right now, the best thing you can do is ask the customers that you serve, get out there in the community and ask questions. That is one reason people are turning to secret shopper services in order to find out and get a realistic look on how their business is serving their clients. Let us take a detailed look at how secret shopper services work and how they can benefit any business.

First, the thing that most businesses have to do is figure out what part of the business do they want to get a realistic view on. Depending on the business type the basic secret shopper services might not work as well. For example, if your business is solely based online, then walking into the business or calling the business on the phone is not going to happen. Most likely the right service for that type of company is to test how long it takes to get their questions answered when there is a problem.

We will talk about two of the basic shops that your business can use. The report process will be the same but these are two different ways that your company can benefit from secret shopper services . Those two basic shop options are the walk in shop or the phone call shop.

When we talk about a walk in shop, it is exactly how it sounds. An agent walks in to your business and shops you. What are they looking for you might ask. Well they are looking for the things that you want them to look for. If you want them to judge how fast they were contacted, they will judge that and report back to you. Most people want to know how fast their associate contacts you, how they contact you and what they do after the initial contact. In most retail environments, well at least the good ones, they want the associate to ask the customer questions to determine their needs so they can satisfy those needs. Then after those needs are taken care of, can they close the sale? What was the body language of the associate telling the shopper? Were they paying attention to them or were they looking around at other things? This is why most companies like the walk in shops because there is more to evaluate than just what is said.

The same shop can be made on the phone for your company. The only difference is that you can not see the facial expressions or the body language. All you have to go off of is the tone and inflection in the voice of the associate.

After both these types of secret shopper services are completed, the agent gives a full detailed report on what they heard and observed. Some shopper companies go deep to give you almost work for word what was said or record the conversation. By doing that, they are giving you the exact wording as if you were there. You as a company can always coach and train about what was said and what should be said in the future.

The agent does great with going after the specifics that you were looking for and more. They were listening for key phrases that you want your associate to say and they make sure that the associate is not just giving away your products or services at a discounted rate that might not be approved through you. Usually after the shop is completed, they give you a summary of the call or walk in shop so you can get a quick snap shot of what they saw and heard. You will not always have the time to read each report word for word so the summary of the findings will help you tremendously.

Anyone who is a savvy business owner has some type of secret shopper services in place. It may not be call that, but there is some kind of checks and balances on how performance is tracked. Companies are built to grow. By not taking advantage of the different secret shopper services available to you, could hinder your roots from soaking up the nourishment they need to grow bigger.

Kansas City Boat Storage 

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

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Excuse me, can you assist me in finding a shoe size, says Ashley sharply to the tall associate working in the shoe store. Of course, she responds while quickly walking over to Ashley. The two discuss shoe sizes and colors while the Kim and Sarah go next door for coffee.

She sure is pushy today, Maybe being in an actual store is making her a little big headed about this whole secret shopping thing, says Sarah. Do not worry about her. She is always like that, says Kim.

After getting coffee and waiting about ten minutes they return to the shoe store to find Ashley standing over the tall sales associate with a shoe in her hand. I asked you for a size eleven not ten and a half. This is not good customer service. You rolled your eyes at me when you walked in the back to get the fourth shoe, she yelled. This is being reported, she continued while whipping out her grading report and a small pink ink pen.

What is the matter with you! asks Kim. This incompetent sales associate cannot seem to provide good customer service. She cannot find the shoe size that was asked her for, and she rolled her eyes at me, yells Ashley.

Miss, I am not trying to be rude at all. I did not roll my eyes at you, and this is the only size we have in this style shoe, says the associate with tears in her eyes.

Ashley, lets go. So sorry for your inconvenience ma’am. My friend is just having personal problems today, says  Kim. Do not worry. Free secret shoppers do not act like this on a regular basis. Normally, we are free secret shoppers over the phone and online. This will never happen again miss, she said as they quickly leave the store.

As the girls exit the mall in silence there was a great tension between them. Finally, Ashley yells, Look. you guys do not need to try to save me all of the time. We have had nothing but positive feedback since we started this job and for you guys to undermine my authority is just plain rude!

Unbelievalbe! We try to get you to work with us. Free secret shoppers are not supposed to act the way you just did in there Ashley, says Kim. Although we are shopping them we are not to speak to them in a rude manner. We are supposed to shop and rate their levels of customer service. You are a disgrace to the company, Kim continued. After this ordeal, Ashley stuck to free secret shopping over the phone and the others girls continued to shop weekly at the mall without her.

Columbia RV Storage

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

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She carried that love with her throughout her life. In college she grew flowers in pots on her dorm room windowsill. To her dismay, in her chosen career in property management apartments seemed less than eager to allow beautiful gardens to flourish within their complexes. In their tight view of property management apartments relied on landscapers, professionals that would give a clean, uniform look to their land. There were few flowers. Instead were neatly trimmed hedges and plenty of manicured green lawn space.

Why be uniform? It feels so stale and contrived. Carole mused as she looked out over the man made hills and neatly rowed foliage of the apartment complex. She watched as children ran through the courtyard, which was just a big green lot with nothing but a couple of young trees too small to be standing on their own without the aide of posts and wire. Why clear the land and then replant a tree that will take fifty years to mature? she wondered. Why not plant a beautiful flower garden instead? A place where people can sit, relax and feel the serenity and pulse of nature in the midst of the city?

She thus began her quest. She knew that in the realm of property management apartments were unlikely to grant such a proposal. Maintenance fees would be higher. Manpower would be necessary to tend and weed the flower garden.  A designer would need to be hired in order to plan and carry out such a task. From the desk of the higher ups in the business of property management apartments would not see this as a financially viable idea, and Carole knew that.  She also knew the sense of well being that came as a result of spending just a few minutes of your day in the midst of fragrant and blossoming flowers. Butterflies and ladybugs would be a delight to folks young and old. The scents would be heavenly. She envisioned benches, winding pathways and even a covered gazebo. In her minds eye the courtyard had already been transformed, and she set out to bring that vision to fruition.

Carole put a questionnaire on the door of each household. It was an amazing success. Not only did she receive the positive response that she was looking for, she also received offers of help with the gardening, the design and the planting from some of the residents that lived in the complex. They became enamored with the idea of transforming the boring plot of grass that was their courtyard into a beautiful place that could be viewed from their windows and doors.

The following spring, Carole sat in bliss and satisfaction as butterflies fluttered around her and bees buzzed past her ears. The apartment tenants had never been happier or felt more connected to their homes. Carole thought of her Granny and the peonies that she loved so much as a child. Thank You, Granny she whispered softly. Even in the rigid world of property management apartments could change their cold stance and open to the natural beauty of flowers.

Columbia RV Storage

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

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Lacey and Matt soon found out that with the benefits of finding a national real estate management service, they would eliminate many of their problems with finding a new house so far away. Lacey had been very apprehensive about the possibility of not seeing a house until she had bought it. The company they chose was helpful on this point, sending all the pictures, video clips and information about the house that the couple needed, and even more besides. Lacey and Matt had the opportunity to look through countless pictures and information about different homes, which made them both feel so much more comfortable with the situation. They soon realized that dealing with national real estate management made them much more relaxed in this naturally stressful situation, and neither of them regretted going through such a company for their needs.

The young couple now had plans beginning to form. They had narrowed down their choice of homes to just three, and were planning on taking a flight the next weekend in order to see all of the homes and make a final decision. What was even more helpful was that the national real estate management service they had chosen to work with helped them find a local inspecting agency which would be ready to send an inspector to the house of their choice at any time. This helped them greatly, as they did not know the area they were moving to at all, and did not have any idea of a good inspection agency to hire.

They flew out of state and saw the three remaining houses on their list. After long deliberation, they chose one. Immediately after the choice was made, more problems came into Matt and Laceys heads. Lacey told Matt that they would need a moving company and truck that would have an office in both locations, the home they currently lived in, and the home they were moving to. Matt told her that this would probably not be a problem at all. He had spoken with a representative from the company they were working with and she had told him that they would be happy to help them find a moving company. They would get the information and make the phone calls they were necessary, and get back to Lacey and Matt when they had found a moving company that would fit their particular needs. Lacey could not believe this!

All in all, the couple was very happy with this company, and their move ended up being much less stressful than they had anticipated. If they ever needed to do something similar to this again, they both knew exactly what steps they would take.

Columbia Furniture Storage

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

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More honest than your mother in law, more informative than your gossiping neighbor and more valuable to your business than a pile of spun gold, the secret shopper company will come to your rescue and help you in your time of uncertainty and woe. With honor and unmatched courage, the fearless agents at the secret shopper company will enter your humble establishment incognito. Under cover of ordinariness they watch and interact, all the while digging for clues to your business slump. Not even you will recognize these masters of disguise as they slip right into the line at the checkout or innocently ask your sales person if they can try on the same dress in a different color.

These highly trained specialists and wonders of the working world are masters at observing every interaction, recording everything around them with keen eyes and astute powers of discernment. These warriors fight for the truth that is within the heart of your business. These brave men and women understand that at the core of every company is a soulful and highly regarded mission statement. This mission statement is a promise to all who enter, and must be upheld at all costs. If your mission is unclear, have no fear. The secret shopper company is here to uncover your mission statement, cast a bright light on unacceptable attitudes and behaviors and offer insight and wisdom to you, loyal business owner.

At the shopper company, the honest, unbiased truth of your establishment will be revealed and you, the business owner, will be illuminated by that truth. It is then that your company can come to know how it can shine like the opalescent gem that it was meant to be, spreading its message of fair and pleasant interaction, satisfaction and a guarantee of happiness and a smile to all patrons big and small. Do not let another day of insincere interactions, aggravated and unsatisfied customers and inattentive staff pass you by. Call the secret shopper company today and see how glorious your business can be. 

In these dark days of business failure when shop after uninformed shop fall prey to the disease of no customers, you must take responsibility and insure beyond a shadow of a doubt that the most important aspect of your company, your customers, are pleased with your business, and their experience with you and your employees was superior. Only by offering such high quality to your patrons will you be able to insure the success of your business. Make your customers number one. Make them glad that they walked through your doors. Give them the best service of their lives and a lollipop before they go. And if you find yourself in times of trouble, call the secret shopper company . You will be glad you did.

Columbia RV Storage

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

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Linda works for mystery shopper services . When she got the call to go to Amandas store, it was one of many that she would be doing for the week. Linda has a child who she usually gets to take with her on most of her jobs, so she loaded up her daughter and headed to Amandas local retail store. She knew from what the mystery shopper services had told her and the forms they had given her, what she would need to especially keep an eye out for.

When she arrived at the store, she met with two very friendly and helpful employees, both of whom at different times during her shop helped her with things she needed or questions she had. She noted that the facility was fairly clean and very well organized. Linda was pleased with most of what she saw. When she and her daughter got to the register to pay for what they were going to purchase, the woman running the register did not smile at her. She barely lifted her head as she completed the transaction and handed Linda the change due to her. Linda smiled and asked how she was doing, and the employee frowned and said she would be doing better if she did not work at this store, she was way underpaid. Linda nodded in understanding and made a mental note.

When Linda got home that afternoon she filled out her report thoroughly, noting everything she had noticed, and emailed it immediately to the mystery shopper services . They in turn, after reviewing it and send it directly to Amanda, the district manager. The total turnover time from when Linda sat down to write her report to when it reached Amandas hands was approximately 48 hours. Amanda was very well pleased. She read over the report and noticed the employee who had been less than friendly. She was happy that the store had had no other problems, though and was generally clean and organized. Amanda ended up having a meeting with her rude employee to help her with tactics to be more agreeable and helpful to customers. The entire process was just what Amanda had wanted and expected.

Columbia RV Storage

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

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Retail establishments of all kinds can use this valuable tool as a means to gain insight into their employees performance. Sporting goods centers whose cashiers ring up tennis rackets and golf clubs, music stores whose representatives sell top of the line instruments and local grocery store owners alike can all benefit from a secret shopping service in that the employees customer service can be rated at all levels of engagement with the customer, from the front door all the way through the checkout line. Casinos and other recreational venues are prime shopping grounds, as are banks. Anywhere a customer is greeted and serviced by a staff person, you are likely to find these mysterious random shoppers who are there for more than just goods and services.

It is easy to see why a secret shopping service proves to be such a valuable asset to business owners and managers. They provide management with the information necessary to allow for the implementation of new tools, trainings and incentive programs for their employees that are specifically tailored to their businesses standards and values. Even health clubs and other membership based organizations are enhanced by the experience. How does your businesses membership program measure up in the eyes of the customers that agree to join it? How can it be improved or enhanced? How are your members being serviced? These are just a few of the questions that can be answered.

And what if your business is done primarily over the phone? Is there a secret shopping service available to assist in that capacity? Absolutely! Whether you are a Customer Service Representative for a local marketing firm, or you take orders over the phone, your performance can be measured and rated against your companys standards of excellence.

There are even shopping services available in the travel industry. Imagine a company that provides bus tours or vacation packages. Is it possible that they be shopped and rated? Why not? If you were the owner of a vacation package company, would you not be interested in more than just a comment card at the end of your customers vacation? Of course you would, because knowing what the customers best experiences were as well as their disappointments and annoyances puts you ahead of the competition. How? It allows you to modify your business in accordance with your customers needs and wants. You give them more of what they like, and less of what they do not. After all, that is what all companies want to do, is it not? That is what keeps your customers loyalty, and keeps them coming back again and again. Now that is just good business!

Frankfort Boat Storage

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

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These include those that just want general information about services because they are curious, they actually know that they need, or they have alternative motives. Ninety-nine percent of the time it is a bona fide consumer who genuinely needs to know what services are offered and what other aspects are involved.

Just a small percent of the calls are callers whose job it is to pose as a customer and get information about the facility. They secretly evaluate the representative on a number of areas including how they answer the phone, the information given during the call, the effectiveness of their selling techniques, and their customer services skills. Many of these representatives do not know that they are been shopped by a pretend customer. However, many experienced representatives can still tell which consumers genuinely needs their services and which ones are just fishing for information.

Who are these mystery shopping providers ?
Mystery shopping providers are companies that provide the specialized service of cold calling a facility in order to evaluate their level of proficiency and customer service. These mystery shopping providers can be a true asset to many businesses that receive a high level of calls because it can help the facility improve and bring more customers to the actual location. Many times the pretend customer may tell the representative that they were evaluating them and discuss the problems areas of the call, if any. Other times the pretend customer will not tell the rep what their true intentions were and simply send an evaluation to the main headquarters of the facility.

What are your qualifications?
At this moment, mystery shopping providers are fielding applicants for the skills necessary to able to present themselves as potential clients without being an easy give away. There are not defined requirements, but there are certain personality traits that are useful to the company. These can include the ability to keep up a specific persona, the ability to complete the desired task in a professional manner, and experience with telephone work, as this is how contact is made with the facility in order to evaluate the representative and their customer service skills. Basic knowledge about the services or products the facility provides is also crucial because it makes it easier to question the rep. Extensive knowledge may prove to be more valuable because the pretend customer can secretly steer the call in such a way as to touch base on parts that may need some work.

Turn telephone calls into profit.
Not everyone has a great telephone voice or can multi-task while taking a telephone call. Some people are not good at selling and some are simply not good with many different types of people. This is just how life is. However, every person can make small adjustments and improvements that can make a big difference. With the right foundation and training, these insignificant shortcomings can gradually improve and result in a more confident representative for the facility. These improvements can play a vital role in the image that the facility portrays to the public, and results in more business and higher profits. Mystery shopping providers help with these slight improvements through their evaluations and feedback and are also a vital player in receiving higher profits.

Chicago RV Storage

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

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What do these types of companies have to offer your company? The question should be what do they not offer you. Depending on whom you choose to assist your company there are many different services that can be used in order to build your business. They can help you assess your business through the eyes of the customer. With the help of your expertise as the business owner, you can ensure that the secret shopper companies are looking for the behaviors you deem as important. In the same regard, the shopper company can look out for the habits you feel are detrimental or unsatisfactory. They can do on-site shops, on the phone or even on your website.

You are the best at understanding your business. By knowing your business, you can create effective and creative evaluations for your company to use on your associates. With the different secret shopper companies that are out there, the most successful companies provide on-site shops. With on-site shops, you can read the associates body language and their eyes. Sometimes the associates might be able to put on a good voice on the phone in order to get the callers into the facility. After they shop your associate, they gather all of their data together in order to give you a complete report on how they performed for you. How the associate does in this evaluation gives you a snap shot on how they truly perform when you are not around. They do not know the person is evaluating them that they are catering to. They will usually not change the way they take care of a customer unless someone intervenes and tells them they are not doing well with the general public.

There are secret shopper companies that can offer to have someone call into your business to see how they operate when a new potential customer calls your company. They could also offer you the option of evaluating how long it takes your company to respond to customer emails or questions.

One service that some secret shopper companies can offer most clients is the option to performance manage and develop your people. Some companies have a multiple step program in order to ensure that they go through a vigorous program in order to track their improvement. Not many companies offer this kind of service that can visibly help your company succeed. This is just one of the services they offer that could be a potential gold mine in your companies. One thing that will always benefit your company is being able to get a second opinion about how to better serve your customers.

As you can see, hiring a company that can provide these kinds of services would be greatly beneficial to your company. You have to decide which company will work for you and help you reach the goals that you are attempting to reach. Make sure that you do plenty of research that can benefit your business in the long run and make you the most profit.

Northbrook Storage

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

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But is a secret shopper job all just a ruse? The answer is a resounding NO! A secret shopper job is an extremely useful and highly valuable tool that companies and businesses of all kinds can utilize in order to find the strengths and weaknesses within their organization. They do this by hiring people to pose as customers, patrons of their establishment or consumers, who then go through all of the normal channels, such as ordering a meal, standing in a line waiting for customer service representatives, and more. These customers are silently rating the performance and quality of the services that they are receiving. From the perspective of business owner or manager, so much can be learned from these undercover visits. After all, when you know the boss is looking, you will always be on your best behavior. It is when the boss is away that your true customer service skills will be shown. This is prime time to commission a secret shopper job to evaluate what they see and experience and report back their findings. Great strides in customer service, quality and performance have been made in businesses, companies and establishments across the company because of the valuable, even priceless feedback of the incognito secret shopper job .

If you are interested in this position, then here is some good news. There is absolutely a legitimate secret shopper job  for you that will pay you good money. Just do your homework. If you are filling out an application, be it online, through a newspaper advertisement or any other source, and the company asks you for money of any kind or for any reason, beware. A legitimate company that is seeking out employees will not ask for or accept any money from you, period. Even if they are asking for money for a membership to a database of companies that are offering a shopper jobs, take heed. There are many ways that you can go about finding a legitimate company on your own, without having to pay someone. What you will be paying for will be watered down and uninformative most of the time. There are many books and websites that can be found that have listings of companies that currently hire secret shoppers in their organization. It may take a little bit of digging, and some persistence to get through the fakes to the real thing, but the rewards are great. This position requires a good deal of honesty, the ability to work well in public and social settings and a degree of discernment of ones surroundings and experience. If this sounds like a good fit for you, then welcome to the world of being a paid shopper. 

Chicago Furniture Storage

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

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There are actually, as you probably know, a lot of scams out there that are related to things like working for a secret shopping company . It seems like a straightforward job, but now days anyone will take something and try to twist it around. That is why you have to watch out for scams, or at the very least people who try to make working for a secret shopping company harder than it needs to be.

First of all, you have to watch for website or various businesses that offer to give you a list of various places you can work for a fee. Do not do this! There should be no reason that you should give money to anyone for this, there are certain websites with lists of these same places on them for free.

Secondly, do not think that this will be an easy job that will make you rich. It is surprising how many people think that working for a secret shopping company will earn them bundles of extra spending cash, when in reality it is a job that will only ever pay decently if you put much more than 100 percent into it. There is usually much traveling involved, and only rarely will you get reimbursed for gasoline expenditure. And while the time you travel does count toward the hours you eventually get paid for, even with this included, the time usually will not amount to much more than an hour or two, as most of these jobs do not take hardly any time at all. You will want to make sure that you know ahead of time if you will be getting paid in addition to the gift cards or reimbursement for merchandise.

Doing this kind of work is not always as simple as it sounds, either. It sounds easy. Just go to a store, shop around and observe the service, and then get paid for it, right? Well, there is of course a form to fill out afterward, and while this is not at all difficult in itself, the form is usually required to be sent back in within a very tight time frame, usually with a turnaround time of 48 hours at the most. Thus, when you think your job is done and you get home after a day of shopping or restaurant bouncing, you have to do your paperwork before you can truly relax!

Lastly, if this is the type of job you think you want to get into, whether full or part time, make sure you are on the same page with your employer. Talk to someone, in person if necessary, to know that you have the details ironed out and you know what to expect, and what is expected of you. This type of understanding can make it well worth it.

Aurora Storage

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

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What if you could earn extra income from your home? What if you did not have to rush from your full time job straight away to your second job?

Here is the answer to your quest for finding supplemental income – join a group for mystery shoppers . Many people overlook this industry and pass it off as too good to be true. Granted, there are some scams out there, however, there are some serious organizations looking for mystery shoppers to fill positions with them.

Some of the most commonly thought of industries that hire mystery shoppers are the fast food restaurants, dinning eateries, retail stores and even doctors offices. However, the goods and services industries that use shoppers are endless. Some you may not have thought of before, like salon and spa industries, travel agencies, hotels and resorts, self storage, car dealers, special interest stores – like electronic stores and game stores, and many more.

The bottom line is that if you already have a full time job, then you are already trained at something. That something probably qualifies you to be hired with other mystery shoppers in that industry.

Do you have a knack for putting together puzzles or trains? Search online for hobby stores that might be posting jobs for mystery shoppers .

Now, do not quit your day job over the hopes of striking it rich in the first week. Any legitimate request for shoppers should pay between 10 and 50 dollars, on average. In some cases, it may be less but you may get perks like a free meal or a complimentary product. And in some cases, your only pay may be the free meal ticket.

You should explore the details of each job before accepting the assignment so that you enter it with a clear understanding of what the company wants from you, and what they will pay you.

These shopping jobs are also not a reliably steadfast source of income because the shopping jobs are requested in intervals by separate companies. This may mean that you will have 3 jobs in one week and then nothing for several weeks to come. One determining factor in how steady the flow of shopping jobs may be is the population of the city you live in or near.

You must also decide how far you are willing to travel to perform your shops, and what is the minimum you will accept for payment. It is important to realistically determine that before an opportunity presents itself or you may find yourself with regrets. If you have not set a radius for yourself, you may be tempted to take on assignments that draw you very far from where you live. The cost of traveling so far may soon outweigh the compensation you receive for the shopping job. You should never end up on the losing end or in the red after you have made a shop for another company.

After considering all these things, take a look around your local community and explore what opportunities you may be able to take on for part time shopping work.

Pompano Beach Storage

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

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You can manage your properties many different ways. If you are not on top of your game, you could loose a lot of money very quickly. A real estate management company can have someone help you manage the properties or you can try to do it all yourself. Depending on the extent of your properties, that could be a very daunting task trying to manage the properties.

Have you ever seen on TV the people that flip houses? That is just one aspect of what a real estate management company can do. There are many different ways people get involved in property investing. Trying to find a way to get all of your properties together to keep track of them can be hard to do. There are many examples of people that flip houses and spend a lot of time on one project and could potentially loose focus on the other properties they have. By having a real estate management company assist you, you do not have to be on point, and you do not have to work all the time. If you decide to take this responsibility on yourself, the moment you get off schedule or invest more than you originally planned, you could be in big trouble financially. As stated above, in this kind of business, you might want to consider hiring someone or people to help you manage the properties. This is especially a great idea if you plan to getting involved in the manual labor instead of contracting out the work.

You have to do your research when it comes to finding a good business to handle your land. You should look at a property completely, in its entirety in order to see if you should invest. In the current economy, where you place your money is very important. In this market, you could gain a lot or you could loose a lot. The choice is up to you and how passionate you are. Land investing is a very difficult professional to be in. You have to invest a lot of your time in order to make your business successful. Many have succeeded and many have failed. No two people have the same experiences or the same focus in this type of business.

A real estate management company can make sure that you are organized and you have everything prioritized. If you have multiple properties, if you are looking to sell them, they can help you ensure you know how long each one has been on the market. You cannot let the properties that you have go stagnant. You have to do whatever it takes to ensure that you do open houses, get opinions from real estate agents, etcetera in order to get your property to sell.

Use your passion, your gut, and your smarts to find the best investments for your company. Not every property is going to be your cash cow. You are going to make some great decisions and then some decisions that will make you look like a hero. Find a good real estate management company to help you.

Miramar Car Storage

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

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Can they give excellent directions to the facility, rental property or home for sale? Can they give well known landmarks to the locals, while at the same time give detailed and easy to follow directions to out-of-towners, or someone new to the area? If there is several self storage or rental communities in the area, can they make it easy for the customer to know which location is theirs? For example, tell a caller that it is the first driveway past the stoplight, or the building with the red roof. Telling a potential customer that you are the facility or property located next to ABC self storage is not a good idea. Instead mention crossroads or other popular travel paths. If you have a large mall or industrial park nearby people might be able to associate that location as nearby your site or property. 

Are your access hours occasionally flexible for special customers? Construction workers, salespeople, doctors and landscapers can be great customers, but they may need odd access hours to accommodate their working schedules. Offering to stay a little later to accommodate these customers will show in their appreciation and their loyalty to your business. Some self storage sites will allow certain customers with pre-approval to have 24 hour access to the site. These customers have been cleared with the owners and extra information is usually on file if needed. Also, by charging an extra fee for extended gate hours will keep some folks away. The average renter does not usually need extended hours and will find the time to go to your site when the regular hours are posted.   

The first thing to do to make your real estate property management staff the best that it can be is basic training, no, not push ups and sit ups. Rather, the basic training about the ins and outs of the self storage and rental property business. Accomplishing this will allow you to make certain your staff is well trained. There are many different companies out there that offer training. Doing some homework to make sure the training you are paying for fits your business will allow your training dollar to go farther. On-going training in sales and customer service will keep your staff the best it can be.  

Real estate property management is a job that many people can do. You must have some customer service and field experience to be successful. A good balance of people skills and great selling techniques will go a long way in the real estate property management business. Make sure your business is up to date on their sales and service skills and your business will profit.  

Miami RV Storage

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

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Hardwood floors can be a very nice feature for any home. But they can also be costly to maintain, not to mention a lot of work to take care of. 

Commercial varnish remover can be expensive to purchase and dangerous to use when a property management company is working on refinishing wood floors. There is a much cheaper and less dangerous concoction he can make himself. Combine a cup of cornstarch with a half of a cup of cold water. Add a quart of boiling, three quarters of a cup of sal soda, a half of a cup of ammonia, and one tablespoon of vinegar. Apply this mixture to the wood floor while it is still hot. Re-warm this homemade varnish remover as necessary. After the varnish on the floor loosens, wash it away with hot water and a cloth. 

Once the hardwood floors are in pristine condition they will want them to stay that way. Unfortunately, shoes can leave ugly black heel marks on hardwood floors. A frugal property management company knows that putting a little toothpaste on an old toothbrush will take care of this problem. With a little elbow grease the scuff marks will simply disappear!

And they will want to remind their tenants that putting old socks on the legs of furniture will help to prevent scratches on the wood floor while moving furniture around.

There are many different wallpaper removers available on the market. Most of them have a pungent odor, and all of them can be expensive. There are different options available with staples found around the average home. One option is to mix some vinegar and water in a pan, and heat it up. Dip a sponge into the mixture and apply it to the wallpaper. Then remove the wallpaper. A second option is to mix fabric softener with hot water, then let it soak on the wallpaper and peel away!

A thrifty caretaker also has a few practical hints when it comes to painting. Lining a roller pan with aluminum foil can make things easier. When they are finished painting, they simply throw the aluminum foil away, and the rolling pan is ready for next time. And it is usually inevitable that paint will spatter everywhere when a nonprofessional is doing the painting. They know that baby oil on a rag wipes up paint spots, and costs less and smells better than turpentine!

Indentations are often left on carpets when the furniture is moved. This can be unsightly and can turn off a potential renter. A property management company knows an efficient way to remove these marks is to use a steam iron. Turn the iron onto the lowest steam setting, and then hold it a couple of inches above the carpet. If the carpet contains non-natural fibers, then a hairdryer on a warm setting should be used instead. If an iron or a hairdryer is not available, then placing ice cubes on the indentations will also work. Use a vacuum attachment or a brush to fluff up the carpet.

The longer an apartment stays vacant, the longer that it is not producing income. So it is imperative that a property management company work as quickly and as economically as possible to get a new tenant into the home. 

Self Storage Rentals

Rhode Island Boat Storage

Bogart Storage

May 2006 Self Storage Blog Archive

Self Storage Quote Revisited

Self Storage Article Directory – Furniture Storage

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

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Secret shopping helps address some of the things that bother most people in the self storage world. One of them is the lack of personalized service. Some managers out there in the self storage world just treat callers and customers as if they are just a transaction. The caller asks for a price and then their wishes are met. We give them the price. Unfortunately, that is usually the end of the call. Many of us reading this blog might not know a lot about self storage, but we do not know the ins and outs of all business we need to do. With secret shopping, we can ensure that our associates are taking care of the caller completely. This is the best way to know what is truly being said in the interactions between our managers and the clients we want to turn into renters. All associates should step in to the customers shoes when trying to serve them. How would you like to be treated when you are shopping for something that you are in need of?

With secret shopping, we get the unique opportunity to try to understand what the caller or customer truly wants and we can see what else we need to do to get more clients into our rental facility. Take a step back. How do you like to be treated when you enter a customer service environment when you know someone is going to try to sell you something? Most would say they like to be treated as if they are a person wherever they go. They want to feel that their needs are different from the next person. Now most people despise the over the top, wishy washy, hey would like you a drink of water sales environments. On that note, it still makes most feel good that someone is at least trying to be different. Most people do not visit places that do not even try to be helpful. Sometimes, as customers, we are forced to go to those non-helpful places to get our needs satisfied. You do not want to be that self storage facility that people just go to because they have to. You should want your environment to be inviting. 

With most environments, it is hard for most managers to see how their employees are treating the customers. With secret shopping, it allows us to get a true gage how the customer is served. To all the self storage managers out there, next time you are on the phone or a customer walks in, just think about how you want to be treated. Do not let the last customer who was angry deter you from better servicing the next. Do not let what is going on at home hinder you from blowing the next customers socks off with your service. You can never know if you are talking to a secret shopping agent who is evaluating your level of customer service. Put yourself in their shoes, how do you want to be treated if you walked through the doors of a self storage facility?

Training

Nebraska RV Storage

Helotis Storage

November 2007 Self Storage Owner Blog Archive

Self Storage Rates Revisited

Self Storage Article Directory – Climate Controlled Storage

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

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Gyms should provide the same professional atmosphere that any other business would provide. Given the nature and purpose of a gym, they should create different images, healthy, clean, friendly, and accessible. Given those images, the gym interior should try to recreate feelings associated with those images. When done properly, a person entering a gym should get the impression that it is warm, happy, and inviting. Employees should be dressed professionally and be neat and clean (or at least have a uniform with no visible holes or stains). Employees typically will work closely with the gym members so their appearance is an important factor.

Maintenance is the next priority. Maintenance involves making sure that all equipment is working properly, and that no repairs are needed to the structure. Depending on the gym, there can be a lot of equipment that needs to be maintained. For a gym, start out by keeping the exercise equipment in tiptop shape. These are the bread and butter for the gym so all pads need to be replaced after showing significant wear. All belts, pulleys, and chains should not show any heavy signs of wear. Imagine if one snapped while a member was using the machine. Water fountains should always be functioning, or there should be alternative methods of obtaining water in case the fountains break down. Everybody at the gym is going to be sweating so keeping up hydration is an important health factor. Some other gym attractions need to be maintained as well. Some gyms have hot boxes or saunas. These should have regular maintenance, as they can be a fire hazard. All hot tubs should have properly function jets and temperature controls. There is nothing worse than having tight muscles from working out and not being able to relax them away in a hot and bubbly hot tub. Regular property maintenance should be considered as well. This process can get extensive, especially if it has been a while since the last time repairs were made. Walls should be checked to make sure all cracks and holes have been patched and painted. Any missing or broken ceiling tiles should be replaced. All leaks should be fixed. Special care should be taken with the locker room and shower areas. Many different chemicals are used to keep these areas sanitary. Some of those chemicals can cause metal surfaces to rust (i.e. sprinkler systems and faucets).

First impressions are important so the general appearance of the property counts for a lot in the eyes of. The first thing people see will be the outside. Trash should be picked up outside and all signage on windows should be attention getting and professional. Upon entering the gym another demand is a clean interior. This means that all trash needs to be picked up. All carpet and floors should be swept and all exercise equipment should be dusted. Being fully stocked also gives the impression that anything they customer wants is available. Empty product spots tell the customer that what they want might not be in stock and they may go elsewhere. So sports drinks, water, and protein bard should be always stocked. All windows and mirrors should be free of fingerprints and dirt. With all these considerations for property management, any gym should be successful or at least look successful.

Self Storage Quotes

Mississippi RV Storage

Columbia Storage

February 2008 Self Storage Blog Archive

Craft Storage

Self Storage Article Directory – Self Storage

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

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Real estate management services often manage several rental communities at a time in any local area. Future renters can look through lists of availability and sometimes specify their search to locate the price range, amenities, location and features that works best for them. Real estate management services are happy to assist possible renters. However, there are some things you can do, as a future tenant, to present yourself in the most positive light to your local real estate management services.

Try a few of these things to let your local real estate management services know you are a serious renter and qualified to be an ideal tenant.

• Pre-qualify your finances by searching for rental properties that cost no more than one-third of your income so that you will not be too far stretched to afford the other necessities and luxuries of life. Even if real estate management services allow a renter to over-extend their financial circumstance, you should be cautious to do so in order to avoid a financial burden and possible credit problems should you fall behind on your rent, which would also affect the possibility of being approved for future rental properties.

• Gather copies of your proof of income. It is usually a good idea to have at least your last check stub, but your last two check stubs are ideal as proof of income.

• If you are self employed, real estate management services may require copies of at least the past two years of your tax papers in order to prove you have a stable income.

• Research the neighborhoods of the rental communities you are interested in. (Asking real estate management services specific questions about the safety of the community may not result in the most honest answer. Real estate management services sometimes cannot disclose security problems because of liability reasons.)

• Discuss any pets with the real estate management services you consider. Real estate management services will be able to tell which of the properties they represent allow pets and which of them do not.

• Do not lie about things that may appear on your credit report or past problems with landlords or other real estate management services. Being up front about these problems may result in more lenient property owners to extend a rental opportunity your way. However, lying about these situations will certainly not make you a considerable candidate for renting a property.

• Call ahead and make an appointment with a representative of the real estate management services you are looking at. This will not only prevent you from driving to the office and finding the real estate management services manager busy with another renter or out of the office showing a property. Real estate management services will appreciate the courtesy of making an appointment. In fact, some real estate management services will not meet with prospects without an appointment.

• Avoid waiting until the last minute to start looking for a new rental property. Real estate management services may take a few weeks to process your application. In addition, you would look like a more responsible candidate if you begin filling out applications at least one month before your lease is up in your current rental property.

Following these simple guidelines will allow you to put your name at the top of the list of prospective renters.

Self Storage 

Florida Self Storage

Brooklyn Storage

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

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To be the best mystery shopper, you definitely need to be focused. You have to know your plan of action and execute it. When you are not focused on what your goal is, how can you help the company that is paying you to provide the service for them? When going into a store or calling someone on the phone, to be the best mystery shopper you do not need to be distracted by what goes on around you. Stay alert and be ready for whatever comes your way.

To be the best mystery shopper you need to be able to adapt to the situation. With the companies that know they are being shopped often, the best mystery shopper can answer their questions without making the shopped person think they are being shopped. Most companies have associates that will try to throw even the best mystery shopper off course to see if they are a real customer or someone shopping them. The best mystery shopper has to be quick on their feet and a quick thinker. One example that has been seen is when some people make their secret shops over the phone. The company being shopped sometimes asks if they know where they are located so the caller knows how to get to their facility. Most cases, the mystery shopper says they know where that facility is coming from. Then the person being shopped asks them where they are coming from so they can give better directions. Well, most people would be stuck and stutter before giving the answer, but the best mystery shoppers replies in a way which will not give the associate a reason to believe they are being shopped.

The best mystery shopper should be prepared for what they have to do. If they shop on the phone, they should have a fake name and phone number to give if they need to. Some people try to wing their presentations and get caught sounding as if they do not know the answer. The person being shopped will most likely know at that point they are being shopped and then all of a sudden become the best sales person ever known to man. To be the best mystery shopper, you have to prepare and you have to pay attention. The slightest incorrect statement or slippage of words could result in the failure of the mystery shop.

As you see above, it is not as easy as you think to be the best mystery shopper. You have to be focused, pay attention, be prepared and be quick on your feet. Your mind has to be able to consistently fool the person being shopped. Do not let your over confidence in doing mystery shops allow you to make the mistake of being discovered as a mystery shopper.

Business 

Delaware RV Storage

Kansas City Storage

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

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There was an example of a facility that usually does a great job taking care of their customers and their lack of vacancies further solidifies that observation. While secret shopping one of their managers, the manager was getting agitated. Sometimes the managers of these storage facilities know that someone is secret shopping them. Sometimes they play along and try to do the best they can do, other times the manager gives them the information they want without trying to build rapport.

In this example, the manager decided to give a half-effort. This manager gave out the price too early and then tried to go back and sell the facility without much luck. After secret shopping the manager, the shopper revealed themselves as a shopper and the manager started getting angry. He went on to inform the shopper that he knew they were secret shopping him and that is why he gave the presentation that he did. He was angry that he missed a real customer on the other line and has to now talk to this person. He could not understand that secret shopping is in place to help him get better at what he does so he can take better care of the customers. He did not agree with that at all and felt that secret shopping was harassing him and trying to judge him. The shopper proceeded to try to help him better serve the customer but to no avail. The call was eventually ended stating that the secret shopping expert could not help the manager if they were not willing to be helped.

When this example was made public for everyone to know, it was shocking that someone would allow this type of behavior to come from one of their managers. It is known that companies pay good money for the secret shopping service to shop their managers. As a business owner, what are you doing to ensure that your managers are receptive to learning how they can better help the customers? With secret shopping, it is the best method to allow business owners to hear and see how their managers are taking care of their clients. So after hearing this example, how does that make you feel? Do you have someone on your staff that is not receptive to learning how they can better help your potential clients? Do you think you can benefit from secret shopping to get a true gauge on how your business is really doing when you are not at the facility?

South Dakota Storage Units

StorageMart Mandela Parkway. Oakland, CA 94607

Car Storage

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

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The rental application is pretty standard throughout the industry, and generic forms can be downloaded off of the internet by the property manager at little to no cost.  Each adult fills out these forms that will ask for their personal information, as well as residential, credit, and employment history, along with references and any additional pertinent information.  A diligent property manager can get a good idea as to the character of a particular person as a tenant with just the data available on the application form.

The name, date of birth, and social security number will allow a property manager to find out a lot of just basic information, plus run credit and background checks on the individual if necessary.  A property manager that pays per check will want to do this step last.  There are plenty of other things that can be done at no cost to help reject unfavorable applicants. 

The most important place for a property manager to start when qualifying customers is to contact references and previous landlords that have been provided on the rental application.  This is an easy task that will take very little time, but can produce a wealth of knowledge.  If the names and or telephone numbers given are false, then this is obviously not a good candidate for a new tenant.  If one of these references has some negative things to say, then that might be overlooked.  If several of them have unflattering things to say, then the potential renter needs to be overlooked.  Very little time and money invested, yet a potential problem avoided.

It is also essential for a property manager to verify the potential tenants employment and other forms of income, such as alimony, SSI, pension, etc.  Even a seemingly perfect applicant needs to earn at least three to four times the monthly rent in order to make ends meet.  If the potential tenant has only been with this current job for a short period of time then previous employers need to be contacted.  A history of job-hopping shows a lack of responsibility and may invite problems.

Most states have a website that provides public data.  This as well as local newspapers can provide a plethora of information.  It is good for a property manager to know upfront if a potential renter has any outstanding warrants, or if they are being sued for breaking a contractional agreement.

People have a strong tendency to repeat past behaviors, both good and bad.  Being aware of these behaviors ahead of time can save a property manager a lot of headache and expense in the long run. 

Running a few simple steps upfront is easier than evicting someone later on down the road.  It is up to the property manager to get the best tenants possible.

StorageMart Willits & Park . Basalt, CO 81621

Property Management

Secret Shopping

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

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1. If you have not already given your name, tell the caller instead of them having to ask
2. Let the caller know what your office hours are so they will know when to come by
3. Ask the caller if they have any additional questions, and let them know to call you if they think of any questions after the call has ended
4. Thank the caller, and end with your self storage company’s name.

Even if the caller was not listening to your every word, they will remember if you were friendly and helpful. That first and last impression on the phone will stay with them and be part of the reason that they choose which self storage company to rent from. By doing your part at the end of the call, you can make sure that the caller has a good picture of your self storage facility. The end of the call is just as important as the beginning and the middle of your sales presentation, make sure that you end on the high note for great customer service.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS agent.

CA Storage Units or CO Storage Units

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Furniture Storage section.
 

Storage Units

Storage Units Locations

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

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During different times of the year, the caller’s storage needs might change. In the winter, they might be in need of a storage space due not wanting some of their belongings to get to cold. This would be an advantage for those facilities that have climate control. During the spring/summer months, you might hear many home remodeling storage needs. 

Many people out there do not think of calling a storage facility when they need to do some remodeling. They can get their belongings completely out of the house so they possibly won’t be damaged. Some local storage options offer a free truck or a mobile vault to suit the caller’s needs.

So depending on the time of year, the caller’s needs will change. Be aware of this and be able to create some value around why they should store at your facility. With your ability to identify why their needs and accommodate them, your facility will reach capacity.

Joel Little, Experienced Sales Manager.

Self Storage

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Wine Storage Section.

Property Management

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

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Some people hunted for flashlights, some called emergency numbers, and others went outside.  Standing outside we saw that the lights were out in the entire neighborhood, and then we saw the fire engines rolling by.

Soon thereafter we heard a whirring noise.  Our emergency generator had kicked in.  Our lights were out, but the computers and telephones were still working.

So it was time for the phone reps to go back to work.  We could see our computer screens just fine, but it was difficult to see necessary numbers on our telephones.  We improvised by having a designated flashlight-holder; anytime a phone rang, she came by and shined the light on our phone.  We contacted our director Tron and asked him to stop and purchase more flashlights.

The computer guys scrambled around to find box fans.  I was amazed at how quickly the server room got hot!  The computer things were all cranking away, but the air conditioner went out.  Luckily, December in Mid-Missouri is pretty chilly, so they were able to open a window and use fans to blow the cool air around.

In the kitchen and the bathroom we lit jar candles to help see in the complete darkness.  The pleasant scents helped with the ambience.

And wouldn’t you know it?  As soon as Tron walked in the door with more flashlights, the lights came back on.  It seems someone hit a telephone pole.  The power company was able to get things restored in about an hour, but PhoneSmart was not deterred.  We were able give free storage quotes and rent storage units for our clients within minutes!!

Written by Ann Sheehan

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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What can you do to be more considerate in your self storage business? Remember that every customer, no matter how they are dressed or how they look has feelings and is a real person. Treat your self storage customers like you would like to be treated when you go somewhere. Besides keeping your self storage property clean and tidy, make sure your customers feel safe. Ask them about how they feel about your property. You might be surprised at the answers they give. Consider others, then concentrate on yourself, it will make you feel better.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS agent.

Self Storage

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Self Storage Vendors Section.

Property Management

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

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Once again, our PhoneSmart Director Tron Jordheim has come up with an outside the box solution.  Instead of the customary Hold Music/Elevator Music that we all hear while waiting on hold for a self storage quote, he has recently installed a fun repertoire including Knock Knock and other jokes for those folks that have to wait for a self storage representative.  Even if a person waiting for self storage finds these jokes to be childish or maybe even annoying, at least the caller is probably paying attention, and that is the ultimate goal!
 
Here’s just a sampling of Tron’s wit:

Knock Knock
(Who’s There?)
Norma Lee
(Norma Lee who?)
Normally, I ring the bell!!
 
Knock Knock
(Who’s there?)
Ben
(Ben Who?)
Been knocking so long my knuckles hurt!
 
Why did the cookie go to the doctor?
Because he felt crumby!!
 
Knock Knock
(Who’s There?)
Althea
(Althea who?)
I’ll thee ya soon!

Compiled By Ann Sheehan, PhoneSmart Call Center Representative

Self Storage 

Self Storage Article Directory 

Secret Shopping

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.

Self Storage 

Self Storage Article Directory 

Secret Shopping 

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

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No matter what business you are in it is important to realize that they only reason you are there is to serve people.  You’re not a storage company serving people; you are a people company providing storage. Your main focus should be on serving the customer. Some will be harder to please than others will but everyone has that one thing that will satisfy them.

Go for the WOW. Sometimes there will be customers that have a complaint. It is important that you listen to them without interruption and if possible repeat what their problem is so you both are on the same page. After you correct the problem, try to go for the WOW again by going above fixing the problem to give them something that they were not expecting.

This will help erase the bad feeling that they had previously and leave them with a positive image of your company.

Written by Heather Gerling, Restaurant Manager

Self Storage

Self Storage Article Directory

Secret Shopping Blog

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

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When you have several hundred people waiting to get into your store, what is the best way to handle the customer service part of your job? My suggestions are that people are going to have in mind a least one item to look at and buy; otherwise they wouldn’t be waiting at the door just to look around. Have plenty of associates on the floor to direct traffic and don’t forget to suggestive sell. With the craziness of the day, people are going to want to get in and get out, and your associates will just not have an excessive amount of time to spend with each customer.

What do we do here at PhoneSmart when it is busy? We try to cover the busiest times of day with scheduling. Sometimes, we will get that unexpected rush of self storage calls and we switch over to super focus mode. Depending on the client and how we answer their self storage calls for them can impact our busy times. Self storage inquires start early for us and goes into the nighttime hours, much longer hours than any self storage office.

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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Dance like no one is watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like no one is listening, Live like it’s heaven on earth.

Take tomorrow and slow down, think about what you are grateful for, kiss your kids, pet your dog, share a smile with a stranger, walk outside and take a breath of fresh air. You are alive today, make it count. Oh yeah, don’t forget to eat a lot of turkey. Mmmmm turkey.

Here at Total Quality Assurance Services we blog every weekday for two different blogs sites with a total of three blogs each day. We post a self storage blog, a property management blog and a TQAS blog. PhoneSmart prides itself on being a leader in the self storage call center industry. Remember, you could go with another company to answer your phones, but why would you; we turn your missed calls into profit. We have trained sales professional that are capable of handling your future self storage rentals. 

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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• An older woman called wanting to know the price of parking spaces. She and her husband were thinking about buying an RV, but the salesman told her to be sure they had a place to park it before they purchased it. I asked her how she heard about our facility.  She said our competitor recommended us. He told her he had plenty of spaces available, but their location was very unsafe and that he would not advise her to park there. Unfortunately, we had no available spaces. Maybe because the competitor was sending us all of his business!
• An employee of a tow-truck company called. It seems they needed to repo a car that was inside of an enclosed self storage unit. I had to transfer that caller to the manager for further assistance, because I saw all kinds of problems with that issue!
• I spoke with a woman that was in tears. Her husband’s job had transferred them to a suburb of Chicago. While they were in Illinois searching for a new place to live, their current 4 bedroom, 3 car garage was robbed. Witnesses saw the moving truck, knew the family was moving, and thought nothing of it. She needed a small self storage unit to store the few items that were left behind. They had to wait on the insurance adjusters to know when they would need a self storage unit.
• A woman said she was calling for her son, and just needed prices. She said he needed self storage by Saturday because she was kicking him out of the house. She needed the room for family that was coming for Thanksgiving.

Granted, my callers today were rather unique.  I am hoping tomorrow to speak with some customers that are a little more run of the mill!

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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• Project your best telephone personality. Keep a smile in your voice and on your face, even if you are having a bad day.
• Always be polite and mind your manners. Sometimes the caller needs to vent off some steam, but never stoop to that level.
•  Always give the caller your full attention. Avoid multi-tasking and remain focused on the job at hand. Callers can tell if you are reading your emails or making your grocery list instead of focusing on giving them a self storage rate.
• Remove any distractions from your area. It is tempting to read the headlines if there is a newspaper sitting on your desk.
• Establish a good rapport with the caller no matter what the situation is. This works quite well to help diffuse an upset caller.
• Keep the call on track. Never be rude to the caller, but if the conversation gets sidetracked gently lead it back to the task at hand.
• Stay apprised o the caller’s mood. If they suddenly become sad, or agitated, or confused, etc., act accordingly. Let them know that you are listening and that you care.
• Mimic the caller’s pace and telephone style, without being condescending. Speaking to a lawyer from New Your City will have a different tempo than with an elderly grandmother from Nashville.

Great telephone etiquette is vital to any self storage owner and business. Sometimes it may be difficult, but remember the initial feeling that person gets while speaking with you will be everlasting.

Written by Ann Sheehan, PhoneSmart Call Center Representative

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog, an inside peek into the world of secret shopping and mystery shopping.

Storage is available at 2006 Williamsport Pike, Martinsburg WV

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.

65202 Self Storage

Planning a move to Chicago, Illinois? Visit our partners at the Chicago, Illinois moving information center.

64114 Wine Storage

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

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We all know there are a variety of reasons why people are in need of storage. They might be de-cluttering their house, moving from an apartment to a house, storing business documents, etc. It is up to us to determine that and then find a storage solution that would benefit them the best. With someone who is attempting to sell their house within two weeks, need information on how they can save money by renting for three to six months. Probably not, but will that same customer like the idea of being prorated for the days they use so they don’t have to pay for the full month? Yes. Would the business customer who needs to store business documents like to know how they can save money towards their bottom line if they store for a year? Absolutely. What customer would love the idea of paying one dollar for a week (some companies run a one-dollar move in special) so they can transition their belongings from one house to another? I do not know of one person, or business, that would not.

The whole idea of customer service in self storage is to get people to rent and to have repeat business. Let us get out of the mundane one-size fits all strategy, dig deep, discover their true storage needs and find a solution that can work for them. Treat customers like you want to be treated and provide them an excellent. If the caller does not want to volunteer information, ask questions that get it out of them. The more information you have, the better you are able to accommodate their needs.

Joel Little, Experienced Manager.

Thanks for reading our property management blog. Self storage and property management go hand in hand.

64114 Wine Storage

Rent storage at 2360 Gallatin Road;  Madison, TN  37115

Are you moving to San Antonio, Texas? Visit our partners at San Antonio, Texas 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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By nature, I am a down to earth person. I am very positive and I am not quick to anger. That all changes when I get an email and I have an associate receive eight points out of a possible 116 points. When an associate has been with me for over a year and knows their job in and out, there should not be a reason for this at all. This where I as a business owner, need to decide whether I demote him, document his performance and say you have one more chance, or revert him back to a trainee. One fluke bad score should not threaten his job, but it should be a wake up call. Several consistently bad scores are a red flag to me though.  
 
It is not easy managing a business, most of my staff are great, but some people choose not to do what you ask them. At the same time, I do not want to sacrifice my customer base because my employees are not doing what is asked of them. Sometimes you will ask yourself, What do I do now? The best way to handle the situation should be strongly based on how the customers are being treated, how other coworkers are treated, and not too much on how long they’ve been with the company. Without the customer, you would not have a business and with uncomfortable or offended employees, you get even more poor service.

Joel Little, Experience Manager.

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog. We take a closer look at how to use a secret shopping program.

64145 Wine Storage

Rent storage at 1615 Charlotte Road; Nashville, TN 37203

Are you moving to Queens, New York? Visit our partner at Queens, New York 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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You can use the feel-felt-found in just about every selling and customer service situation you run into. Feel with people what they’re feeling. Let them know their feelings are legitimate. Let them know other people have felt that way. Maybe you even felt that way before coming to work for the company. And then tell them what folks found when they allowed the process to happen and did business with you. It works quite well, especially when you have some good, real-life stories at hand to illustrate the point. Here is where references and notes of recommendation can help a whole lot, too.

Written by Tron Jordheim

Thanks for reading our property management blog, an inside look at the world of sales.

64155 Self Storage

Rent storage at 11333 Owings Mills Blvd, Owings Mills, MD 21117

Are you moving to Queens, New York? Visit our partners at Queens, New York 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 must say that it was a nice change when we went out to eat at an all you can eat pizza buffet that we recently discovered here in town.  From the moment we entered until the moment we walked out the door, we felt like we had been going there for years.  In our Call Center, we also like for our employees to make the caller feel comfortable and to let them know that we too, are human.   

We can laugh, smile, and enjoy the business conversation at hand. It doesn’t need to be a stuffy call. Whether you’re in the self storage, shoe storage or yacht storage business, you too should want to be human with your customers. Make them feel comfortable and do all that you can to assist them.  So before you take a call, shake yourself loose.  Don’t be so tense.  Relax yourself and enjoy the conversation at hand.  Your customers won’t forget you.

Written by Robin Turner, Call Center Manager

Thanks for visiting our secret shopping blog, an inside peek at the secret shopping and mystery shopping industry.

Storage available at 1005 E. Main St, Mt. Joy, PA 17552

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 Saint Paul, Minnesota? Visit our partners at the St Paul, Minnesota moving information center.

40505 Self Storage

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

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Be cheerful, friendly and helpful and chances are by the end of the day, your mood will have turned around. Make yourself smile at every customer that comes in and that calls you. The positive vibes will be returned, by sharing a joke or a laugh together. Don’t be grumpy; be happy that you have a job that you get to help people with their self storage dilemmas. A little customer service goes a long way in any business.

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

Thanks for reading our TQAS blog, a blog about the items needed to have a successful business.

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.

Storage available at 625 Lowther Rd, Lewisberry, PA 17339

66221 Self Storage

Planning a move to Chicago, Illinois? Visit our partners at the Chicago, Illinois moving information center.

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

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Province Abbreviations
      QC  Quebec
      ON  Ontario
  SK  Saskatchewan
      AB  Alberta
BC  British Columbia

American Words              Canadian Equivalent
     State                                     Province
   Zip Code                              Postal Code
   Electricity                                 Hydro
  The letter Z                                Zed
   Ummmm                                    Eh?

     Measurements
American         Canadian

       Imperial (yards)   Metric (meters)
         Fahrenheit           Celsius 

Holidays
Canada observes most of the same holidays as the U.S., with a few exceptions.
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Victoria Day (the last Monday on or before May 24)
Canada Day (July 1)
Civic Day (1st Monday in August)
Thanksgiving (Second Monday in October)
Remembrance Day (November 11)
Boxing Day (December 26)

Compiled by Ann Sheehan, PhoneSmart sales representative

Thanks for reading our property management blog, an inside peek at the property management industry.

Storage Available at 1391 Vermont Ave, Lancaster, PA 17603

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.

66061 Self Storage

Planning a move to Pompano Beach, Florida? Visit our partners at the Pompano Beach, Florida 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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With top sales employees, this is where the invisible fine line is drawn.  It’s not like you’ll see a big flashing red light with sirens going off, warning you that you have gone too far, but that little voice that tells you to be careful where you tread. And if they’ve stepped over the line, they’ll quickly know by picking up on the customer’s signals and be careful in how they respond.  This is also where top sales people are watched closely. 

A prospective customer, who isn’t in the best mood, may see a rep as a pushy sales rep who forced them to make their purchase elsewhere because they weren’t 100% satisfied with how the call was handled by the rep.  This, in turn, could also be the same call that our self storage client, is so completely pleased with that they praise that rep on a job well done.  To each his own.

Written by Robin Turner, Call Center Manager

Thanks for reading our property management blog, a diary of property management and call center life.

30622 Self Storage

Rent storage at 1010 N.E. Crain Hwy, Bowie, MD 20716

Are you moving to Chicago, Illinois? Visit our partners at Chicago, Illinois 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 had an elderly gentleman call and inquire about self storage.  His main concern wasn’t whether they had good security or even what the price on the storage unit would be per month.  His main concern was if the store offered a senior citizen discount.  I didn’t show any information regarding a senior citizen discount so I told him I would check on it for him.

In the meantime, I proceeded with the call.  The unit was only $39.99 a month.  I asked for the credit card reservation; however he wasn’t going for it.  Not until he found out if they in fact offered a 5% senior citizen discount.  To you and me $39.99 a month is a pretty good deal for storage no matter where you are.  And a 5% discount would only save him $1.99 a month.  To him, that $1.99 savings per month, was going to make the difference in whether he actually rented the self storage unit or not.

What do you have in place to ensure that your property doesn’t lose a customer like this over $23.88 a month for a total of $286.56 a year?

Written by Robin Turner, Call Center Manager

Thanks for reading our property management blog, a blog about the self storage, shoe storage and property management industry.

Planning a move to Broooklyn, New York? Visit our partners at the Brooklyn, New York 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.

60504 Self Storage

Storage available at 111 Cedar St, New Rochelle, NY 10801

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

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Most customers don’t begin by telling you exactly what their needs are and they may not even know what they are. It’s your job to seek out the information vital to giving them the best solution.

The simplest way to know your customer’s needs is to do a little investigation and ask some questions. Begin with the basics and build from there; the following are a list of essential questions:

• How soon will you need that?
• Are we a convenient location?
• What will you be storing so that I may find you the best size?
  OR
  If the customer already knows what size they want, confirm that it’s the best size by comparing it to a familiar size. Ex.: Ok, a 5×10 is about the size of a walk-in closet. Does that sound about right for you?

All of these questions will guide towards the final sale and can have an effect on which option is best for the caller. Because these questions should lead to the sale rather than follow it, you must ask these questions before giving a price and before closing the sale.

Getting agreement from your customer in each of these areas will lead the callers to selling themselves on your facility. They’ll be in the yes mode and ready to close the sale. Nurturing your customers’ needs not only gets your customers what they want, it will build excellent rapport and loyalty towards your business.

If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that.Word of mouth is very powerful.
Jeff Bezos

Written by: Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive

Thanks for reading our property management blog; a diary of a self storage sales management business and self storage call center.

64153 Self Storage

Rent storage at 1515 Church St, Lake Charles, LA 70601

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Every month I try to sit down with my associates to say that I am interested in their growth. We talk about business all day and sometimes it means all the difference in the world to them to know that their manager cares about them. The people at my location are not robots that say and do what I tell them; they are unique individuals that contribute their own unique experiences and ideas. Before I talk any business with my people, I ask how they are doing. If they are having an issue at work, they know they can talk to me about it. When problems arise they know I value the working environment and will address the problem.

It would mean all the difference if we as property managers or managers of facilities would take the time to get to know our people, check in periodically or just stop by the stores to say hi with no other intentions. It will show our people that we are human and have another side to us than just our business side. By doing that, you will have higher retention, less turnover and highly trained individuals. If we as property managers can accomplish this, we will see our businesses soar. 

Written by Joel Little, experienced manager

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07094 Self Storage

Rent self storage at 9702 W 67th St, Merriam, KS 66203

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What has happened to common courtesy? Things like holding a door for someone, or letting a car pull into traffic or saying excuse me, please and thank you. But as we get more technology advanced we have even more courtesy that deals with gadgets. People driving with their cell phones (not paying attention), walking into a boat storage business talking on their cell phones, wanting to smoke in public areas, wanting to charge their gadgets (phones, laptops, etc.) in a restaurant or other places. I admit to talking on my cell phone a little while I am driving but it is not glued my ear the whole time I am in the car. And I certainly would never walk into a place of business talking on the phone. I already have too much going on to juggle too many things at once.

Are you showing courtesy to your property management or self storage customers? A little courtesy will go a long way in your property management business. It might not all happen at once but try to work in a little courtesy each day. You will see your customers respond to it and they in turn will spread a little courtesy to someone else.

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

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

We have storage at 2403 Rangeline St, Columbia, MO 65202

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

94612 Self Storage

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I went to Best Buy and they swapped phones for me. I called Sprint to transfer service to my new phone. The rep assisted me and told me it could take 2 hours to have service and 4 hours for my voicemail to transfer. That was at 5:30pm. At 11:00pm I still had no service. I was pretty annoyed because I had already taken the time to manually transfer every single contact into my new phone.

I called Customer Service at 11. After a minute, a man answered the phone with some sort of muddled verbiage that I couldn’t understand. He had to repeat himself several times before I could figure out what he was saying; he sounded as if he had just woken up. That was frustrating because I could tell he was just giving bad service and didn’t give a hoot about me as a customer.

Of course, he said he couldn’t help me; he had to transfer me. When he did, he hung up on me. By now, it was about 11:15pm. I called back only to find that Customer Service closed at 11pm. That made me angry because that man on the phone intentionally offered poor service because it was time for him to clock out.

My sister finally found an alternate number and the office was still open. The associate had my phone on within seconds of the call. What?! You mean to tell me it didn’t really take two hours and the first rep could’ve had my phone on six hours ago?! I was more than unhappy with their service.

Coming from the Quality Assurance side of things, the point that bothered me most was the man I spoke to. He knew before answering the phone that it was time for him to leave. My call must have made it in the queue before closing time. I can just picture him huffing and puffing before he had to answer one last phone call. His annoyance conveyed clearly over the phone. I have half a mind to believe he never intended to transfer me; he only wanted the opportunity to hang up and leave. This was the worst customer service I’ve experienced in a long time.

In order to provide excellent customer service, associates should answer each phone call with a smile, ready to help the customer. It shouldn’t matter if they just started a shift, just got off the phone with an angry customer, just stubbed their toe or have 2 minutes before closing time. When they answer that phone, they represent their business and should be prepared to offer excellent service.

In our self storage call center, our reps are professionals at what they do. A customer would never hear a hint of personal trouble, sleepiness, or anything contrary to a genuine willingness to help in the voice of our reps.

Written by Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive

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

Rent storage at 819 Eola Rd, Aurora, IL 60504

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

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Customer service expectations are widely varied on the customer.
Here are some different types of customers that I have noticed. 

•  I want to shop without your help
•  I want to shop without your help but please be close by for questions
•  I need help navigating the store (aka, I don’t have time to look around)
•  I need help as soon as I walk in and I will need help all the way to check out
•  I am the bargain hunter and will spend most of my time comparing like products
•  I will act as if I don’t need help but someone better help me when I think I need it
•  I will want to know all the specials in case I want to splurge
•  I don’t know what I am looking for, I am just here killing some time

The best advice I can give to please all of these customers is to greet everyone, then feel out what there needs are. Some will let you know upfront, some will take time to figure out. Once you have figured out their needs, direct them to the appropriate area and make sure to let them know you are there to help. Some people don’t know to ask for help, they will just assume that someone will be by to help them.

Great customer service begins with training. To be a great sales person, you must be able to provide excellent customer service. This is especially true in the property management and self storage industry. If you want to be able to sell climate controlled storage, you must be able to recognize the need for it and then be able to present it to your customers.

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

Thanks for visiting our secret shopping blog, a blog about customer service, secret shopping and the mystery shopping industry.

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Storage available at 8195 Jumpers Hold Rd, Pasadena, MD 21122

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

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The idea behind the service is excellent. So I am disappointed that I’ve been having trouble getting responses to my emails. There have been a few tweaks that need working out and in our business, time is money. Isn’t that true for any business? If the phone systems are working properly then our shops aren’t getting done. After several emails concerning one issue, I received a reply. Even the reply was a bit disconcerting because they offered no explanation or resolution to the problem.

So what do you do when you find a valuable service, but the customer service is more than lacking? I guess you have to decide if the service is that valuable, or if you can find it elsewhere. I’ll be looking elsewhere.

Written by Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive.

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Rent storage at 3950 SW 99th Ave, Miami, FL 33165

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

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Customer service is something that every company needs to get good at. Even though it is very important for a self storage business, every industry knows that customer service is important. The best way to succeed in this area is to make sure that you always have somebody who can answer questions that customers may have. This is not to say that you need to have somebody on call all day long, but you should at least make a representative available during regular business hours.

Of course, have a customer service rep is not always good enough. You need to make sure that they are capable of actually dealing with any concerns that may come up.

As you can see, the self storage industry is driven by customer satisfaction. If you want your business to succeed, you need to make sure that you offer great customer service. This will definitely help you in the long run.

Written by our Guest Blogger

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

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Rent storage at 1200 US 1, Big Coppitt Key, FL 33040

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

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Mystery shopping providers and sales training managers can’t afford to have an off day all week. If you do, your clients are likely to notice; they’re right to notice. So what can you do if you seem to find yourself on the wrong end of an error?

Own up to it, make it right, and make restitution. Keep in mind, there are a limited number of second chances. So make your apology sincere and never make that mistake again. It’s important, especially in customer service or mystery shopping, that you consistently deliver quality products. Because once your reputation is tarnished or trust is broken with your client, it can take twice as much effort to rebuild, if you’re lucky.

Written by: Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive

Thanks for reading our property management blog; a behind-the-scenes look at the rental and property management industries.

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Rent a storage unit at 11471 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles-Pico, CA 90064

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

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Are you giving genuine customer service or a rehearsed rendition of customer service? Whether you are answering a call in the call center, greeting a customer walking into your store, or taking a call in your office you must be genuine. It doesn’t matter if you have had to greet 3,479 people. All of them are entitled to the same customer service. Trust me, you might get away with a few that are not 100% but most people can spot a fake when they see or hear it. Being genuine also puts the customer at ease and allows them to open up to what you have to offer. Our secret shopping training materials stress smiling when you answer the phone and building good rapport with the customer. Both of these actions will help make your secret shopping evaluations go much smoother.

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

Thanks for visiting our secret shopping blog, a blog that speaks of stories, tips, advice and more for the self storage and mystery shopping industry.

We have storage in 4725 NE 4th St, Renton, WA 98059

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My immediate thought was, why not help the customer now to keep the customer happy, rather than lose a customer. Although I was not there on site, my first concern was for the customer. In my personal opinion that should have been the managers first concern rather than him getting paid for it. Here at the PhoneSmart call center, our motto is to Provide excellent customer service for our internal and external customer  while making money hand over fist. By working here I have learned that it is best to help the customer in any way possible. We work in customer service to provide for the customer, who should be our first priority.

Written by Glenetta Haymon

Thanks for reading our property management blog and inside view of the self storage and property management industry.

Rent storage at 615 7th Ave, Longview, WA 98632

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

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