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Are you currently using a secret shopping or mystery shopping program? If so, are you getting all the benefits a secret shopping program can offer? Does your program offer a basic evaluation? Does your program offer any additional training to go along with your shops? Well, if they don’t or you are not currently working with a secret shopping program you should check us out.

PhoneSmart has been in the secret shopping/mystery shopping industry for about 5 years. We have grown from handling a few climate controlled storage clients to managing many clients. The services we offer continue to grow with our expanded customer base, and knowledge we have obtained from doing thousands of shops and evaluations. We can help your company with basic training, with items like our training packet. Or, we can help you customize a secret shopping program that will meet your needs. Side by side with calls and evaluations (secret shopping), we offer continuous training to help your managers maintain an excellence in customer service. Contact PhoneSmart for information on how we can start your company on the road to great customer service. Call 1-866-839-6715 or email our director, Tron Jordheim for information. It will be worth your time to check us out.

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

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

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PhoneSmart phone reps strive to get an agreement from every potential storage renter in five different areas.  Getting these agreements accomplishes three different things in the shortest period of time:

1. It ensures that both the caller and the phone rep are talking about the same storage facility
2. It reinforces to the caller what all they get for their rental fee
3. It gets the caller into the habit of saying yes.

The first agreement is location.  It is always important to get the storage customer to agree that this location is convenient for them, whether it be close to home, or work, their child’s school, etc.  Location is the number one reason people give for choosing a particular storage facility.

The second agreement is timeframe.  Does the customer need a storage unit this weekend, or next year?  The answer to this question can determine both the availability and the price of a space.
 
Thirdly, we get an agreement on the actual unit size.  When a customer says they need a small unit, they may be thinking a 10×10, we may be thinking a 5×5.  And when describing unit sizes it is always a good a good idea to give the customer a visual that they can relate to, such as a 10×20 is the size of a one-car garage.
 
Fourth, we need to get the customer to agree to the importance of all of the amenities we provide. Things like,  the access controlled gate, so only customers get into the area, the extensive line of moving supplies to help with storage needs, 24 hour access, for better convenience, and so on.
 
Our fifth agreement of course is the price, with any available discounts.  Once this final agreement is made, we simply explain to the customer that we need to reserve that storage unit for them.  When done properly all the agreements, and the reservation, are made in just a few minutes! 

Written by: Ann Sheehan, call center guru

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

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A client recently cancelled their mystery shopping program. There was no problem or discontentment with their secret shopping program and it wasn’t even because of budget issues. They simply said that it had gotten old and that they needed to change things up a bit.

Old? I was a little shocked by that. I sat back and began to think about their specific shops and what course they’ve taken in the last two or so years that they’ve been our client. It was clear to me that they hadn’t been implementing their secret shopping program, or at least not implementing it effectively because we’ve seen little improvement. So yes, I can see that after two years, the managers would be tired of being shopped. If they don’t know how to use a tool then it won’t help them.

It annoys me to no end when Joel has his Best Buy papers lying all over our house. To me, it’s junk, trash, worthless clutter. To him, it’s useful and necessary. It is an essential tool that enables him to do his job better. Is he able to perform his job when I accidentally (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) throw away one of those papers? Yes, of course he can. But he would be more equipped to increase his performance if that memo about the newest features on plasma TV’s hadn’t crinkled itself up and fallen into the trash can.

This client and I might have something in common. To those managers, secret shops became clutter, useless information lying around the office. Most likely, they paid little or no attention to the calls and evaluations they received every month because they saw no value in them.

This is where it gets tricky. We’ve all heard the saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Maybe Tron, our resident dog trainer, would disagree but I say you can make that horse drink. Pushing on the horse’s neck will probably only get you a swift kick in the pants, but brining a little water to his mouth might convince him. No, I’m not saying your managers should eat their evaluation papers. I’m saying that they might need a little coaxing and encouragement. Show them that there’s nothing to fear about secret shopping and that they can use it to their advantage.

And if they are tired of the kind of mystery shopping they’ve had we can always change things up. We offer many levels and kinds of shopping so there’s no excuse for letting your managers get bored with it. But remember, we aren’t mind readers, if you are looking for something different in your mystery shopping program, tell us. Chances are, we already offer that service.

Written by: Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog and inside view of our self storage mystery shopping program.

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Just because you have all the tools doesn’t mean you can build it.

In your current occupation, have you every felt like you have all the resources but still can’t reach your goals? Sometimes, we have everything we need to accomplish a task or to reach a goal and somehow we fall short.

Start over. Go to the beginning of the process and begin again. Look at it with fresh eyes. Take stock of the tools you have assembled, are you missing any pieces?  Ask co-workers for tips on how they were able to overcome an obstacle that they might have had. In our call center it is feasible to listen to a neighboring cube to hear how your co-worker walks the customer through the sales process. It is helpful to hear words and phrases that you might not have heard of, and often what works for one can work for many. We also have trainers, shift managers, and a call center manager as well as others to answer questions and help the reps on the floor.

Bottom line, don’t fret. Stay calm. You will often find the lost tool to make your set complete. This in turn will help you achieve you goals.

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

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

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When was the last time you had a sales training session with your self storage managers or property managers? With the many daily tasks they have, sales training sometimes keeps being put off until tomorrow; this could be the biggest mistake you make in your property management business. After all, new customers and sales are what keep you in the green. If your managers aren’t equipped to overcome a customer’s concern, then the customer will walk out the door with that concern (and not a key to your self storage/ apartment unit).

PhoneSmart is the perfect reason why you don’t have to put it off any longer. We can train your sales team and create an ongoing monitoring/ coaching program to keep your sales team in tip-top shape. Call us today and ask for Tron Jordheim, PhoneSmart Director.

Written by Sarah Little, TQA Executive

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Self storage operators train their employees on how to fill out a lease, how to run the collections report and make the calls, the correct procedures for auctioning a past due tenant’s things, and the list goes on. But how often do you consider that self storage is a sales industry? Have you given you staff sales training?

Giving your employees the necessary tools to do their job is important. I recently heard a secret shopping call in which the manager told our shopper he doesn’t like talking on the phone, even with his family; that it just wasn’t comfortable for him.

Don’t make the mistake of overlooking sales training. After all, if your managers don’t know how to build value, use a good price stall, get agreement and close the sale then they won’t even get to filling out the lease, assigning a gate code and so on.

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog and inside view of the self storage secret shopping industry.

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

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Customers desire and deserve great service and I make sure that my people are there to give it to them. I always make sure that they remember me and where they got that great service. 

I remember taking care of a customer and getting them all set up with everything that they needed to bring their experience to life. We were sitting down chatting about stuff other than their home theater system and building a great connection. Unfortunately, time came to where I had to move on to the next customer and they wrote me a check for the transaction. I looked at the check to verify all the information was correct and then I looked at who they wrote it out to. They wrote the check out to Circuit City!!! I looked at the young lady and she looked back at me with a confused look on her face. I asked her where she was and who she was making this purchase from, she said, Best Buy.  I agreed with her and then showed her the check she had written. She seemed embarrassed and then wrote the correct check. I asked her if I didn’t take care of her and if she got a better experience at Circuit City and she said emphatically,no. But she was just there and she apologized.

As I evaluate these self storage calls and listen to the property managers talk to the calle’s in efforts to get them to rent from them, most don’t remind the caller about who just helped them. As most people are looking for pricing, they might call a couple of different facilities. It is up to you to differentiate that experience for them and engrain in their head which facility to rent from. Always end the call with, Thank you for calling (your company name here).  This way the caller remembers who took care of them and their needs.

Written by: Joel Little, GO BLUE MACHINE!!!

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog and inside view of the self storage and sales industry.

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

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Getting an agreement from a potential customer in five important areas is the basis of every storage rental call.  These agreements are essential for three reasons.  First, it shows the caller that you are a professional and you know what is important in storage.  (I live on the property, so I take care of it and watch it just like you would your own backyard.)   Second, if at the end of the call the customer says they are not interested in renting you can go back over the Five Agreements and determine what is holding them up.  (You did say we are very convenient to your dad’s house, right?)  And third, it gets the customer in the habit of saying yes.  (You will be coming in Saturday to rent this unit, correct?).
The Five Agreements are:

1. Convenience.  Location has been found to be the number one reason for a person’s choice in a storage facility.  (A competitor may be half the price, but if someone has to drive an extra ten miles then it is a waste of both precious time and expensive gasoline.)  Therefore convenience should always be the first factor in which you get an agreement. 

2. Timeframe.  It is vital to know early in the call when the customer will need a space.  If he needs to park his car next winter it is still very important to sell the store.  Making a good impression now will insure that he will remember you and rent from your facility in the future.  On the other hand, if a college student needs to be out of her dorm by tomorrow, then she needs to commit to renting a unit right now.

3. Security.  Customers are funny about security.  Some are very concerned about it because they are storing all of their worldly possessions.  Others say they do not care because they are storing their ex-wife’s clothing.  Either way, it is important to discuss the features/benefits so the client knows what all is included in the price of storage. 

4. Size.  It is important to help a new renter get an idea as to what size bin they will need.  A small unit will mean two completely different things to two different people.  It is a great idea to help a caller visualize a unit by comparing it to the size of something they are familiar with.  (A 10×10 is the size of an average bedroom, or a 5×5 will hold about thirty standard file boxes.) And always assure the customer you will show them the different sizes when they come to the property.

5. Price.  It might seem like price would be the most important factor when a person is considering a storage facility, but in reality it ranks rather low on the list.  But always be certain to remind the caller that your location is convenient, you can assist them now, your security is first-rate, and the size they need is available today.

Happy Renting!

Written by: Ann Sheehan

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

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

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The PhoneSmart Contact Center has come a long way in its six and half years.  Originally, we were simply a call center for our parent company, StorageMart.  Now we answer calls for about 94 clients – over 500 stores!  Plus we have expanded into other areas of the storage business such as taking reservations via email, responding to website inquiries, training store employees, etc.

One of our great training tools is called the Role Play Helpline.  Storage facility staff members call and tell our rep what phone skills they would like to work on.  Some employees are brand new and are just trying to learn the trade.  Others are seasoned veterans looking for some fresh ideas and tips on how to better sell their storage units to customers via the telephone.

I recently had the opportunity to work with a storage consultant in both of these instances: 

Isaiah called on the Role Play Help Line and was extremely nervous.  It was only his second day on the job, and his first time calling.  He had previous retail and customer experience, so he was not new to a sales environment.  He simply needed to work on getting his script in order and gaining some confidence.  He improved ten-fold by the end our conversation!

Sarah has been a storage facility manager for several years, so she just called to practice.  She did an awesome job; I am sure her location has a high rental percentage!  The only suggestion I had for her is to avoid the dreaded….um.  This is a truly American habit that many of us, um, don’t even realize that we, um, have!

Are you looking for an effective and easy way to help train your employees?  Give the PhoneSmart Role Play Help Line a try!  I think you will be very impressed!

Written by Ann Sheehan

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

PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

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