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Food Storage
By admin on December 22, 2007 | No Comments

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My mother does not know how to make adjustments; especially when it comes to food. She had eight kids and is accustomed to food shopping for 10, which includes her and my dad. But everyone has flown the coupe, and still she food shops for eight hungry hippos as if no one has ever left. Her food storage cabinets contain more cans than a grocery store shelf. The refrigerator is ready to feed the entire state of Rhode Island. She could set up some tables at the Rhode Island welcome center and people could help themselves and take home some leftovers.

Do you know anyone like this, who over food shops and needs more food storage? Well this is not just a domestic issue. Many food venders lack the food storage space in their own homes, or they refuse to use their own homes for food storage. Food venders seek relief in storage units for food storage. If a storage unit is granted, food venders are limited to package and canned goods for using storage units as food storage. Freezer and refrigerator food usually is prohibited.

Someone might be storing food for charity reasons. A social worker might be collecting food donations to help feed the hungry. In this case, storage units serve as temporary food storage until the food is shipped to its destination.

If you are planning on using a storage unit for food storage, take some precautions to insure that your storage unit doesn’t become infested with bugs and rats. Put bagged food items in sealed storage bins. This will prevent bugs and rats from smelling food in your storage unit. Storage bins also keep them from penetrating the bags of food. Store all the food goods off the ground. Use a shelf or table to elevate the food from the floor. Double bag and seal airtight all food items. Check the food for broken or damaged packaging. If packaging is broken get rid of the food by throwing it away or eating it. Leaving it in food storage is an invitation for mice and rats. Taking these precautions could save you and your storage neighbors from infestation. Your storage neighbor is already nervous about renting a storage unit next to food storage, so don’t give him any grief.

Food storage is best when kept in a climate control unit. Climate control will insure that your food items be kept at a constant 70 degrees. Your stored food won’t spoil from extreme temperature conditions. Preserved food doesn’t last forever; however, you don’t have to shorten foods live by letting it cook in 100 degree weather. Can drinks and bottle drinks are ultra sensitive to temperature variations. A can of seasoned can of soda will become stale from climate change. So, to insure the best quality from your product, keep food in a climate control unit.

Storing food in a storage unit can be a pleasurable experience if it is done right. Otherwise you may cause a nightmare for yourself and your storage unit neighbors.

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Make Storage Units Your New Years Resolution
By admin on December 21, 2007 | No Comments

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Make Storage Units Your New Years Resolution

Now that you have finished you Christmas shopping, its time to focus on yourself. Thats right. New Years follows just after Christmas, and you know what that means? Start creating your New Years resolutions. This is the time of the year people begin a new start in their life. Get into shape, lose weight, quit smoking, and stop cursing are just some the most popular ones. But how about getting more organized and clean around the house? Clean out the garage so you can park your car inside. Remodel the kitchen, or remodel the bathroom. Do what you think is best for you. That’s what New Years resolutions are for, you.

Though many New Years Resolutions are good ones, less than half are carried out by June. This is why renting storage units is the best New Years Resolution; once you start you can’t give it up. This is why finding storage units should be your first step. Because once you get your needless furniture, boxes and clutter into a storage unit, you have had made your New Years resolution successful. Your house is clean and organized. New Years resolutions lose esteem within the second month. Gyms and fitness centers are most crowded in January and least crowded in February. There may be many causes to the dwindling down effect, but the most popular reason for fitness resolutions is the delayed or lack of quick results. However, with cleaning and organizing your home with storage units, the results are instant. Maintenance is important, but you don’t have to keep at it.

Remember, the most important part of your New Years resolution is to rent storage units to clean out the clutter in your home. Do this as fast as you can. You can organize your storage unit later. Your first priority is to get the furniture, files, and other clutter that you don’t need out of the house. Once your house is organized, go back to the storage unit and organize that too.

The greatest thing about renting storage units and getting organized is that it is contagious. You might find more ways to get organized around the house and your family may find ways to get organized too. Once you have cleaned out the garage, your spouse thinks it’s a great idea to clean out the basement too. If you have space in your storage unit why not use it? Fill it up. Other project will evolve from this simple New Years resolution. You may want to remodel the kitchen and need a place for furniture storage. You may want to change the kid’s bedroom into an office. Put the bedroom furniture in the storage unit. Whatever projects get triggered from this New Years resolution, you will know that storage units are there to help.

Happy New Years to all and good luck with your New Years resolution. If it is getting your home clean and organized, call your local self storage property or self storage business today, so you can have it ready by January 1.

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Shoe Storage
By admin on December 20, 2007 | No Comments

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When I was 17 years old, I drove to the beach with a friend of mine. I had a Jeep Wrangler with the top down. Before I left my house, I grabbed a pair of my summer shoes out of my closet; otherwise, known as my shoe storage. I call them my summer shoes because I would ware them without sox. So by the end of the summer, they would stink up my shoe storage with the scent of bad feet. On the way to the beach, we stopped at my parents self storage unit to pick up my surfboard and beach chair.

The beach wasn’t crowded that day and I was able to park my Jeep close to the beach access. Since lockers were not available I left shirt and smelly shoes in the back of my jeep. I wasn’t worried about anyone running off with my shirt and smelly shoes, because, first of all it was just a shirt and smelly shoes; second, we were in a safe richy town. Plus, its not like the shirt and shoes were in plain view. My Jeep had a small compartment in the back that was great for shoe storage.

We had a great time on the beach that day. The surf was rolling in and the sun was hot. If we got too hot, we’d just jump into the ocean with our surfboards and cool off on some waves.

When we were done with the beach scene we walked back to the Jeep. I opened the shoe storage compartment to retrieve my shirt and smelly shoes. But to my surprise, they were missing. I was baffled. I couldn’t understand where they went. It didn’t even cross my mind until later that they were stolen, because I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to take my used pair of smelly shoes and my used shirt. The only thing that was left behind was the remains of smelly shoe order in the shoe storage.

The adventure doesn’t stop here. We stop at a convenience store to pickup our daily slurpies, only I was not allowed in with my bare feet. So I sent in my friend in to get my slurpy. That did not work out too well; he thought it would be funny to mix up my slurpy with coffee and root beer.

Next we went back to my parent’s storage unit to drop off my surfboard. I did not realize it until then that they had shoe storage in the storage unit. Unfortunately, the only men’s shoes that fit my feet were an old pair of my dad’s white loafers. I really wanted to go back to the convenience store and get an uncontaminated slurpy, so I put them on.

When I walked into the convenience store, the clerk recognized me as a bare footer and looked down to check my feet. He began laughing and the laughter became contagious to the other customers in the store. I walked out, slurpiless and drove home.

From that day forward, I locked my shoe storage compartment in my jeep every time I went to the beach. I don’t want to be caught bare footed again.

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Storage Units Make Moving Easier
By admin on November 4, 2007 | No Comments

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Kansas City, Missouri offers some of the finest steak houses in the country and people visiting from al over look forward to the famous Kansas City barbeque. Rockhurst University and St. Luke’s College also house some of tomorrow’s leaders and through all these people find a need for additional storage space.

Whether they are moving into the state or across town, it is nice to know they can find a place to store their belongings until their new place is ready. Frequent visitors appreciate the convenience of the being able to leave some of their items in a safe and secure storage facility between trips into Kansas City, Missouri and in zip code 64114 there are numerous facilities offering many different options to meet everyone’s storage needs.

Sometimes it is just for a few day while work is done on their house or for a few weeks while they live in temporary housing. Space available include small 25-square-feet spots and range to larger facilities up to 200-square feet, enough to hold most household items. Some of the facilities even offer a pick up service, where customers pack their own belongings and the company picks it up and takes it to their storage units. These services can be especially useful for those who do not have access to a vehicle large enough to make it all in one trip. It also saves them on the cost of renting a truck or making several trips to the unit. Having safe 24-hour access to their belongings is also appreciated by those who choose to use storage facilities as their schedule may not always allow them to pick up or drop off items at the convenience of the storage site owners.

Brought to you by: Self Storage Owner Blog and Self Storage Podcast Looking for Storage? Self Storage Please also visit our partners Self Storage Locations and their Self Storage Article Directory ; Self Storage Blog and Total Quality Assurance Services

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Renting a Self Storage Unit in Key West, FL Makes
By admin on November 3, 2007 | No Comments

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Renting a Self Storage Unit in Key West, FL Makes Sense Key West, FL is a small area where time seems to stand still. Heavily entrenched in the tourist business, it is world famous as the Conch Republic or Margarita Ville; cruise ships dock nearby, an international airport welcomes travelers from all across the globe, and hotels make good business in the area.

Renting a self storage unit in Key West, FL makes sense for frequent visitors as well as those who routinely rent out their homes to tourists. Yet those that benefit the most are the owners of local time shares. Consider the fact that a time share in Key West, FL will permit you access to one of the most coveted vacation destinations in the nation. Consider further that – depending on the number of people traveling with your – you may have to spend a lot of time either driving cross country with your luggage or waiting endless hours at the airport terminal to retrieve your goods.

How much more sense does it make to rent a Key West, FL self storage unit and keep your vacation duds and equipment right there! No need to strap your mountain bike to the top of the car – it is right there! No need to load up your water skiing, diving, snorkeling and fishing gear which will do you no good for the rest of the year in Arizona – instead, keep it in a climate controlled self storage unit in Key West, FL and when your two or four weeks of time share time arrive, all you need to pack is your overnight bag with toothbrush and razor!

Imagine how quick you and your family of five will breeze in and out of the airport! Looking for Self Storage? Self Storage

Please also visit our Partner Blogs at Self Storage Blog and Total Quality Assurance Services Rent a Self Storage Food Self Storage Yacht Self Storage Shoe Self Storage Automobile Self Storage

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Self Storage Owner
By admin on August 6, 2007 | No Comments

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Please visit our new site Self Storage Owner at http://www.selfstorageowner.com

You can visit some of our pages:

Self Storage Owner Home Page
at http://www.selfstorageowner.com/documents/home.html

Self Storage Owner Owner Page
at http://www.selfstorageowner.com/documents/self_storage_owner.html

Self Storage Owner Customer Page
at http://www.selfstorageowner.com/documents/self_storage_customer.html

Self Storage Owner Location Page
at http://www.selfstorageowner.com/documents/locations.html

Self Storage Owner Blog
at http://www.selfstorageowner.com/blog/blog.php

Self Storage Owner Podcast
at http://www.selfstorageowner.com/podcast/podcast.php

Self Storage Owner Link Page
at http://www.selfstorageowner.com/documents/links.html

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The Misadventures of Sarah Little
By admin on July 13, 2006 | No Comments

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Sarah Little PhoneSmart Secret Shop and Customer Service Specialist relates that some companies could use our Mystery Shops and quality control evaluations.

Welcome to the PhoneSmart call center blog and insider view of the self-storage and secret shop industry.

At 4:30a.m. on a Saturday morning I woke my baby up and my sister and I, along with the baby, went to the airport. We were on standby for an early flight to L.A. Of course it was the busiest travel day of the year, and all the planes were booked.

Having never flown standby before, we were unsure of the procedures. As we walked up to the boarding gate, 2 hours before the first flight left, I explained to the attendant that we were on standby and asked her to tell me what the procedure was. She snapped, “Just have a seat and I’ll call your name.” A little miffed, I took my seat.

About and hour and a half later the other passengers were getting on the plane. After there was no one left but my sister, baby and I, I walked up to the desk and asked if we’d be on the flight. Again, the attendant, with rude posture and rolling eyes, snapped at me, “I said I’d call your name if you were on the plane. It’s full and there’s no way you will get on this flight or the next!”

Very frustrated, my sister and I walked to the next concourse to wait for the next flight. I decided to call the airline customer service and ask about the occupancy of the flight we were waiting for. I also let the gentleman know how rudely we were treated. He politely apologized, and said he’d put us at the top of the stand by list for the 10 a.m. flight. There were, however, no seats available as the flight was overbooked. He explained that at least 3 people would have to miss their flight in order for us to board.

We sat there hoping that a plane somewhere else was delayed and that the passengers connecting to the 10 a.m. flight to L.A. would miss it. With our fingers crossed, we waited for another 3 hours.

The baby had enough of the airport. After a rude early morning wake up he was in no mood for sitting in the airport terminal. We had to get on that plane! Finally, he fell asleep for about an hour. Ahhhh, peace and quiet.

My sister and I were sitting across from a couple that was also on standby trying to see their daughter over the long holiday weekend. We cordially chatted about our destination and all the things we’d do while we were there. But secretly we each hoped that our names were higher on the list than the others.

9:45….my heart was almost pounding. The next flight wouldn’t leave until 1 p.m. I couldn’t wait for another 3 hours and I was sure the world would end before 1 p.m. if I had to wait any longer.

Every ticket holding passenger, those lucky folks, had boarded the plane. It seemed like the end, but just then the attendant called out, “Heath Gerling”. Heath? Who was this Heath that was higher on the list that the gentleman on the phone promised that I’d be first?

It was then that my sister, Heather Gerling, stood up and said, “Do you mean Heather Gerling?

The attendant followed with, “Sarah Little and Isaiah Little”. Oh joyous day!!! I made it. Fumbling around with my bags I leapt to the gate and boarded the plane. I could’ve kissed someone!

Four hours later… We arrived at LAX. The baby handled the plane ride ok; the stewardess played with him almost the entire flight. He was ready to take a long nap though; I was ready for him to take a long nap.

Our uncle was supposed to meet us at the airport to take us to Anaheim, which is about 45 miles away. I looked around at all the faces, but they were all unfamiliar to me. Where was he? I called my cousin who said they had forgotten until the last minute that they were supposed to pick us up. They didn’t have a car because everyone had taken them do run errands for the wedding on the next day. He said it’d be about 1 to 1 ½ hours before they arrived. (Which really meant about 2½ hours- they are always late.)

There was no way the baby was going to hang in there for another 30 minutes, let alone 2 ½ hours.

$120 later… we arrived via taxi at our hotel. It was my first, and hopefully last, taxicab experience. They are ridiculously expensive. It was not at like the movies. I expected to get in and tell the driver our destination and he’d immediately know where to take us. That was not the case. He had no idea where to take us. I had to call my cousin and get step-by-step directions. (What kind of taxi driver doesn’t know the city?)

The next morning, the morning of my cousin’s wedding, the baby had a high fever. He’d been up all night and I finally put him in bed by me. He was fussy and lethargic. It was clear that he was ill. I gave him some Tylenol and tried to get him to eat some breakfast. Nothing was working and he looked so pitiful. Finally I decided to take him to the Urgent Care.

A few hours later I arrived back at the hotel with a large sack full of medicines and Pedialyte. After a few hours he was feeling a little better; he’d at least tolerate sitting in a red wagon and going down the aisle during the wedding.

By the time we got back to Missouri I was thoroughly exhausted and convinced that traveling across the country alone with your infant child is never a good idea. After a trip full of unfulfilled expectations I must say that the airline and L.A. altogether let me down. I expected great service from the airline attendant who was so rude, and I expected the cab driver to know where I wanted to go- how was I to know where to go when I was in a completely foreign place?

When it comes to customer service there are expectations that your customers want you to meet. Do you know what they are? Do you meet them? How do you overcome their experience if you fail them? Your goal should not only be to create revenue, but to guarantee that you bring in profit by gaining customer loyalty.

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“Would You Like Fries With That?”
By admin on June 29, 2006 | 1 Comment

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Written by Angela Perry, trainer, phone rep and a women on a shopping mission.

Welcome to our secret shopping blog, an inside peek at mystery and secret shopping.

Over the weekend I went to Chicago. It was a great trip and I enjoyed myself. I found myself critiquing the sales personnel at the local stores.

The sales lady behind the counter asked me if I needed anything else to go along with my purchase. This is the same thing that we do as sales people in the storage industry. After the caller has reserved a storage unit, we ask them if they are in need of any boxes or other moving and storage supplies. In essence we are saying, “Do you need anything else?”

When I go to the fast food restaurants they have their special way in asking if we need anything else as well, but they do one more thing that is neat to hear them say. They ask if we would like to upgrade your current order to the next size. To convince us as customers to upgrade they use the key phrase “…for ONLY twenty-nine cents more.” Our mind as customers registers the value of the extra food for only twenty-nine cents for A LOT more food…what a bargain!

This is the same that we could do with storage. Of course you do not want to ask them if they want to upgrade to a larger size unit because that would be more than the twenty-nine cents. However you can suggest the moving truck if applicable or move in service that is available. Think of it like this what can you offer a customer to make their order complete? More than likely a customer is going to want a drink if they order a burger or fries, so in this case the drink would complete the order. The same type of thinking can work for storage…if the caller gets a large unit and the store has a free move in service then offer it to them to ease what they think of as the head ache of moving. The free move in service will complete their order.

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Technology and Its Benefits
By admin on June 13, 2006 | No Comments

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Chris Hires Phone Smart Call Center Operator and Reservations specialist takes us to the lighter side of irate customers

Welcome to the Phone Smart blog an insider view of the secret shopping industry

But I’m not there

Technology is a funny thing. It allows people like me to sell a storage unit to a person who is thousands of miles away (currently, the farthest I’ve made a sale is Hawaii, but I’m hoping we pick up some facilities in China soon…). It allows me to communicate with a person as though they are standing in front of me, and it allows you to read this blog. Unfortunately, technology does not allow me to be at the actual property that the customer has called (that is, unless they have called the one property where we happen to be located). This problem of not actually being there on the property creates some interesting scenarios.

“No ma’am, I’m not there at the facility, I’m at a sister facility. You got transferred to me because they were unable to get to the phone in the office.” I say in a kind and gentle voice.

The caller replies, “Ok Chris, I know this isn’t your fault, but that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Sometimes people are shocked that you aren’t there. I try to explain and help. “Yes she is in the office. No, she’s not available. No, I can’t just go tell her something for you, I’m not there.” There’s a certain amount of trust that comes with talking to someone on the telephone. You assume that because you dialed the correct number that you have been connected through the great and mysterious electronic superhighway to the actual location. This is just supposed to be how it works. So when a person in Los Angeles calls a facility down the street from their house, and then realizes that they are not speaking to Jim Storeowner but rather a 20-year-old kid in Missouri who presumes to know the answer to every question they have about the facility in LA, this seems to mess with peoples’ heads. It’s sort of like finding out about Santa Claus. Do you feel deceived? Yes. Do you still get presents? Yes. So just get over it, so I can sell you a unit and we both get what we want. Yeah, I’m in Missouri, but I’m a smart guy and I’ve got this computer that tells me basically everything I would need to know about the facility you’ve called. Well, except about the trucks. I have no information about those.

…Or the boxes.

…Also I have no idea what side of the street it’s on.

…And no, I can’t look at your bill and tell you how much you owe.

…But I can tell you how much a 10×10 costs! And isn’t that why you called me in the first place?

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Come on in; the water’s fine!
By admin on June 9, 2006 | No Comments

Angela Perry, Trainer in Phone Smart call center gives us insight on helping new call center representatives confidence.

Welcome to our Phone Smart call center blog and insider diary of the self-storage industry

This will be my son’s third year taking swim lessons for the summer months. He is excited and I have watched him grow and gain confidence. The first time he was asked to put his face in the water he was afraid. Now he is diving off the high dive board. When I train I always use this as an example of what is going to happen with their first call.

Naturally the newbie is going to be as nervous on his first call as my son was his first time in the water. His instructor helped him relax and as a trainer I help the newbie relax on the first call. The more role-playing the trainee participates in and the more live calls he gets to monitor the easier it is to become familiar with what is expected. The first time in the water is going to be a little scary as the first time on the phone can be scary as well. The longer that you are in the water the more comfortable you are going to become, just as it is with the more calls you take the more comfortable you are going to become answering the phone.

When it is time to take the first call, I tell the newbies that I am next to them and I am not going to let them drown. I monitor the call and pass answers to them by note, whispers or hand signals I explain that the first time my son went into the water he choked because he did not hold his breath correctly. The newbies too will choke in a sense, as they will stumble through the call. The more confidence that my son gained the easier it was for him to hold his breath. The more calls taken, the more the script is imbedded in the newbies head.

Training is not scary, as I am not going to let anyone drown. I will throw the life preserving suggestions to a newbie to keep them afloat. I am not saying that a newbie will not go under water a few times or lose their breath because they will. However, I am not going to leave them to struggle. It is better for a newbie to lose control sometimes and then gain their strength. This builds confidence in helping “save” them instead of calling for the trainer. The same with my son once we learned that he could get above water without calling for his instructor; it was not a problem for him to go under water. He was happy that if he got into a situation he was able to get of it and it was not as scary to go under. Once a newbie realizes that they may wind up in an unfamiliar situation and reach a solution without seeking help it becomes a lot easier to take that next call with confidence.

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