29 Sep 2022
Self-storage industry is a dated industry with a recent interest in keeping up with the trends in automation and technology. In the hills out west, you can find self-storage sites utilizing index cards instead of PMS Software, over in the southwest you can find owners who haven’t made the shift to implementing credit card processing services, and up and down the east coast there are owners paying managers above minimum wage to sit on sites that have a foot traffic count of less than 10 people a month.
The shift in our industry needs to reflect mobile applications, responsive websites, and total automation put in the hands of the user. Making the shift now before it’s too late is what will give individual facilities the one-up in the years to come.
What owners need to recognize is that very soon the consumerism market is going to be predominately of the Millennial and Gen Z age groupings who do everything from their phone. There is also little to no argument that their counterparts in Gen X and boomers aren’t able to jump on board as they are equally equipped to use smartphones, mobile apps, and emerging tech.
Automation and technology integrated into the human experience of renting storage units are the future of self-storage. Across the country and through many of the large REITs we have seen the introduction of two-way video software, virtual managers, live personal assistants, or whatever each individual company chooses to name its software platform. This software introduction is not necessarily new technology in the world of tech, but it is a new way to utilize this technology in the self-storage asset class.
However, the question then quickly becomes how do I implement this technology without giving a large cut of my proceeds away to a third party management company? That’s where KISS Solutions makes a significant impact in the industry. It is the only software solutions company readily available to install on-site without a third-party management component.
Utilizing this smart tech doesn’t mean that you have to give up the control of your self-stroage facility. Instead it does quite the opposite, in allowing you to have full control with a hands on approach from afar.
Mason Shaw is the Operations Manager for American Storage South, which owns facilities in the surrounding Charlotte area. In addition, she is the Product and Sales Manager for KISS Solutions. A software solutions company she helped co-found with Robert Kapp, Owner of American Storage South. KISS Solutions offers automation and technology platforms to help run the daily operations of self-storage facilities. For more information about KISS Solutions, email team@kisssolutionsusa.com . To reach out to Mason, email her at mason@kisssolutionsusa.com
