The Kiosk Is Here To Save The Day

The kiosk can be a wonderful asset to any type of property management company. Newspaper and soda companies have used them for a very long time. The banking and airline industries have been using them for the past few decades. And in the last several years, the kiosk has become a very common property management tool at self storage facilities.

These interactive computer terminals are user friendly and take up very little space. They are connected to the Internet so everything is in real time. These features make the kiosk a perfect property management tool for any sized self storage company, from a small satellite location all the way up to a huge facility located in the middle of a big city. 

The kiosk can rent storage units, take payments, and sell locks and insurance. It is able to do many of the things that a self storage employee can do. The advantage to having a person working at a storage facility is the warm and fuzzy feeling that can come with human contact. The advantage to employing an automated property management kiosk at the location is that the machine does not call in sick, ask for a raise, or demand benefits. 

The kiosk allows customers to rent a new self storage unit without having to rely on a self storage employee. It lets the tenant see a virtual map of the various sized units that are available. This property management device then shows them the different prices and any specials that are currently going on. The customer next picks which unit will work the best for them and proceeds to rent their unit using the kiosk. The new lessee can pay for the unit, get their gate code, and then move into the storage space immediately.

The property management kiosk usually has a camera to take pictures of the new renter and scanners for a copy of a fingerprint and drivers license. The customer signs a digital signature reader. They are able to pay using cash, check, or credit or debit card. Everything is completely legal and secure. An intercom is often available that connects to a self storage employee located offsite or in a call center, in case the new tenant has any questions or problems.

A small self storage location or a satellite property can benefit from using a kiosk. The self storage property management company does not have to hire a person to simply sit around the location, waiting for a customer to arrive. 

A medium sized self storage location can take advantage of a kiosk as well. Customers are able to come to the location after hours and on holidays to pay their bill. They do not have to worry about their money being lost in the mail or misplaced in a drop box. And the property management company can keep costs down by not having to pay an employee overtime, or differential for working Sundays, or time and a half for working holidays.  

A large self storage facility can also benefit from a kiosk. These locations are usually extremely busy and very hectic, with a lot of customers and employees milling around. Tenants do not have to stand in line waiting for a self storage worker in order to rent a unit or make a payment. They can use the property management kiosk and help themselves.

Labor is a large chunk of the costs for running any business, including self storage. The kiosk is a great property management tool that can help alleviate the cost of that labor. This of course means a larger profit for the proprietor of the self storage company.

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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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