Daily Facility Maintenance

The key to meeting expectations and keeping customers' business

By Tom Berlin

Americans arebecoming more sophisticated. Starbucks and other coffee shops have educated us on thesundry ways to enjoy coffee. The Internet has connected us to an entire universe ofinformation. Cable and satellite television has allowed us to peek into the lives ofdifferent cultures. And the American economy continues to provide most people with anunprecedented standard of living.

As a result, our expectations of what is acceptable to us, as consumers, have risen.This is a trend impacting all retailers. For example, one long-time discount departmentstore chain is in the midst of renovating hundreds of its stores in order to staunch theflow of its customers into more contemporary discounters that feature newer stores withwider aisles, brighter lighting, nicer displays and an overall cleaner environment.

Self-storage is no exception to this scrutiny. As the population becomes more educatedabout our product, their expectations and requirements of a facility are reaching higherlevels. In the past, a metal building sitting in the middle of an unpaved field wascompletely acceptable. For some prospective tenants, it still is. But the vast majority ofour customers has become accustomed to, and even demands, a higher standard.

As is regularly pointed out in industry trade journals such as this one, many newself-storage facilities are virtually indistinguishable from the most upscale officebuildings or residential developments. They feature every new technological bell andwhistle available, and provide customer service rivaling that of the fabled Nordstrom'schain of department stores.

Many of us with older facilities try to do whatever we can to compete by upgrading ourproperties with new storage doors, computer-controlled gates, surveillance cameras, dooralarms, etc. But these are high-cost, capital- intensive improvements. Don't get mewrong--these are very worthwhile expenditures. We all need to consider installing what isincreasingly becoming the norm at self-storage operations. But there is one area that isoften overlooked by managers and operators that can keep a facility competitive even asnew facilities nip at your marketshare: daily maintenance.

The Importance of Maintenance

Managers and operators are always extremely busy with the day-to-day activities ofrunning their facilities. It's easy to forget the important role a facility's appearanceand cleanliness plays in the decision-making process of the prospective tenant. Often, thecustomer doesn't even realize the influence of these factors. He just knows he"didn't feel comfortable" at a particular store and moves on to a competitor.Small d ifferences between competitors can decisively impact a potential customer'sstorage decision.

Certainly, every owner needs to ensure that his roofs don't leak, lighting on theproperty is adequate and working properly, paving is in good condition and doors operatesmoothly. However, the daily "housekeeping" at a self-storage facility can be acritical factor in the facility's success. A new store that looks dirty will givecustomers a worse impression than an older location that is immaculate.

Our managers complete a daily checklist of housekeeping items. This helps ensure thateasily overlooked items are still completed. Since each facility is different, everymanager should develop his own list of duties that need to be handled every day. Here is asample of the items on our list:

Office

Exterior

Our managers do both the interior and exterior housekeeping at the beginning of theday. The manager, in some cases, is scheduled to start work before the office opens inorder to get everything accomplished before our first customers arrive. When a manager isdoing the morning site inspection, he can also overlock past-due spaces and removeoverlocks from paid spaces.

Some of the activities listed above may need to be done several times a day if anoffice or property is especially busy or the weather is bad. It is important to keep inmind tht the acceptable standard for cleanliness should be immaculate.

Maintenance of Vacated Units

Whenever a tenant vacates, the site manager should perform a thorough inspection of thespace before it is rented again. Our managers use the checklist on the following page forthis purpose.

The completed checklist is placed in the vacant-space file. When a store is audited,the checklists for all vacant spaces are reviewed and the spaces inspected to ensure theyare ready for the new tenant.

Keeping a property clean at all times is one of the most important aspects of a manageror operator's job. It is neverending, but it can mean the difference between a potentialcustomer choosing to store at your facility or moving on to your competitor.

Tom Berlin is vice president of operations for Farmington Hills, Mich.-based PogodaManagement Co., one of the largest owners and operators of self-storage facilities in theMidwest. For more information, call (800) 326-3199.