Left Behind – A Self Storage Tale of Despair, or is it?

Self Storage was easy when I started in the industry 35 years ago. Find a block of land, put an Advert in the Yellow Pages (remember them, that big yellow book at the front door) build a few sheds in a row and bingo, counting the cash soon became the fun part. 

Fast forward to 2025. Some operators still take a simplistic attitude to the Self Storage business.  While that’s their prerogative, banking the easy cash is not so easy.

 

What happened?

 

The recent COVID lockdowns surprised many operators, small and large, exposing operational flaws. 

So many were not ready to handle or even offer unattended move-ins, take payments online, or rent online. They were not prepared for significant business interruption.

One USA national operator commented in the middle of the COVID lockdown that if you didn’t have online move-ins, you were “roadkill.” He commented that he was dragged “kicking and screaming” to the online move-in table, scrambling to implement online move-in tech in his business so they could rent spaces. He wasn’t the only one; many had seen the tech but ignored it. 

Many operators were making plenty of money—that’s the bottom line. But were they making all they could? No is the simple answer. Many operators still have not implemented price optimisation protocols, leaving millions on the table.   

Occupancies swelled during COVID, and almost all sites enjoy high occupancy today, but the way Self Storage is run has moved on rapidly.  

Smaller operators, with one or a few sites, face many challenges, notwithstanding the ability of larger operators to move into their market and build new sites, often multi-story and hi-tech. Larger operators are prepared to sacrifice prices to lure new customers to their new sites, driving down competition and lowering income for existing operators. 

This process can also confuse the local market about a space’s value. It’s an accepted part of a new site’s introduction, but these actions impact many smaller sites.

 

Can you compete?

 

The short answer is yes. The cost of running self-storage today is higher than ever due to several factors, including significant increases in staffing and marketing costs. COVID shook out the employment market, and finding staff is challenging for every operator, large and small. Maybe automation can help. 

Fixed technology costs are part of running Self Storage today. These do not relate to the site size. “But I only have 83 units” is a standard call when talking to smaller operators, but from a customer perspective, they are not concerned about how many spaces a site has; they only care about price and location. Everything else is secondary, and you must compete equally with large and small sites, regardless of how many spaces you have vacant. 

 

Automation is the Key

 

Starting with Facility Management Software, the process of move-ins, move-outs, invoicing, and payments is taken care of. While you still need a person to operate the software, as your site grows, these tasks become onerous without an FMS. Most smaller operators have other business interests, so an FMS will give you time to run different businesses. 

Customers for all Self Storage sites, large and small, expect online move-ins, online payments and unit administration. COVID accelerated the contactless business process, and we see it every day from transport to buying a coffee – we are all confronted by contactless consumer processes, and Self Storage is no different for any size operator. 

There are four pillars of Self Storage Automation, and any size operator can implement some, if not all, of these integrations to automate their operations. 

 

The Tenant Journey

 

Operators are increasingly adopting online solutions to streamline the space selection and move-in process, with RapidStor emerging as the industry standard for online move-ins. In response to the growing mobility, many operators now seek a branded app that enables comprehensive management of move-ins, payments, and site access. While some access control providers offer their own app, StorApp was explicitly developed to provide operators with a white-label solution, allowing for complete facility branding via a customer-facing, easy-to-use app. This empowers customers to self-manage their site experience, covering everything from access and payments to notifications, site maps, and more. These are add-ons for use with your FMS. 

 

Operations

 

Facility management software (FMS) forms the backbone of Self Storage operations, and among the many options available, Sitelink stands out as the preferred choice for top operators worldwide. With over 17,000 users and support in more than ten languages, Sitelink is trusted globally for its versatility and comprehensive integration capabilities. Its advanced API (Application Programming Interface) is a crucial advantage, enabling seamless integration with security systems, accounting platforms, and essential tenant tools like RapidStor and StorApp.

 

Reporting

 

Large and small operators need to make informed decisions about their facilities. While FMS software packages often include a ‘Reports’ menu, these reports may not provide the whole picture; they are usually based on monthly data and may lack real-time insights.

Self Storage has become a significant asset class, with public ownership structures, investment offerings, and REITs now part of the landscape, and all sites have to compete. 

In this modern environment, the range of stakeholders has expanded to include customers, suppliers, staff, owners, and individual and corporate investors.

With sophisticated dashboards developed by R6 Digital, facilities can now access multiple real-time dashboards that pull data from the FMS, providing customised insights for every level of ownership. By automating reporting, operators gain timely, data-driven insights, improving decision-making and allowing each stakeholder group, from owners to staff and investors, to stay informed and aligned with operational performance in real-time. Smaller operators can make crucial decisions on pricing quickly, remaining competitive. Customers are all looking for pricing deals all the time.  

 

Finance

 

When humans manually transfer information from one system to another, costly mistakes can occur – and even the most diligent team members are not immune to errors. Automation in reporting and finance processes can dramatically reduce the risk of these common errors, improving accuracy and efficiency across operations.

In Self Storage, automating finance processes often begins with API access to bring transaction data directly into accounting software, streamlining the flow of information. Recent advancements advance by enabling features like bank reconciliation, automated direct debits, and deeper financial integration. These enhancements connect directly with real-time dashboards, providing a complete, up-to-date view of financial performance. , even for small operators.

Automating financial processes in Self Storage saves time by eliminating manual reconciliation tasks and ensures accuracy, helping operators monitor income and expenses with precision. Automated reporting and finance integration free up staff to focus on higher-value or other activities, offer transparency for stakeholders and provide owners with valuable insights for data-driven decision-making, which is critical when competing with larger operators who are building market share in your market. To know is to compete. 

 

Where to from here?

 

There is no reason to be left behind in the Self Storage business unless you are happy with the level of business and the costs to run it are acceptable. Equally, the onslaught of the tech-savvy operator will snap at your business one move in at a time unless you compete with their methods and marketing. 

Automating your Self Storage processes offers several strategic advantages that can significantly improve efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making so you can compete. 

Three key benefits of automation are increased productivity, enhanced accuracy, and better data-driven insights.

1. Increased Productivity: One of the primary benefits of Self Storage automation is its boost in productivity. Streamlining repetitive tasks, like move ins online automation, allows employees to focus on more valuable and strategic activities like marketing. For instance, automation in customer onboarding can reduce the time and effort spent on these routine tasks, especially for younger storers who relish using tech. This shift enables employees to concentrate on tasks that require human insight, such as building customer relationships, driving innovation, and enhancing service quality. Ultimately, automation frees up resources, allowing Self Storage operators to scale their operations more efficiently.
2. Enhanced Accuracy and Reduced Errors: Manual processes are inherently prone to human error, leading to costly mistakes and impacting overall business performance. Automated processes, however, significantly reduce the likelihood of errors by following predefined rules and standardised workflows. This is especially important in areas like finance, where small mistakes can have a ripple effect on financial reporting, forecasting, and budgeting. The numbers must stack up and bear scrutiny. Automating data entry, reporting, and reconciliation processes ensures that information is consistent and accurate across all systems. Reduced errors save time in corrections and build trust among stakeholders by ensuring reliability in reporting. The numbers are genuine and believable. 
3. Improved Data-Driven Insights: Automated systems provide real-time data collection and analysis via API’s, giving businesses immediate access to actionable insights. When data is automatically gathered and processed, leaders can view accurate metrics and trends without waiting for manual updates. This real-time visibility enables quicker, more informed decision-making. For instance, in competitive markets, automated reporting can reveal trends in service inquiries, helping businesses proactively address issues and improve customer satisfaction, which is especially important in unmanned facilities. With automation, businesses can respond to emerging trends, optimise their strategies, and stay agile in a competitive environment, leading to lower costs overall. 

 

Summary

 

Don’t be left behind. The size of your Self Storage business should not be a motivator not to use Automation to help you run your facility. The cost of integrated Self Storage tools is less than the equivalent staff to do the same job.  

For as long as Self Storage has existed, we have asked people on-site to be marketers, managers, business analysts, mediators, cleaners and labourers, gardeners, bookkeepers and window cleaners. Finding this elusive person/s has always been impossible, so we accepted the compromise. This is the biggest challenge for our industry. 

Use R6 Automate’s suite of Automation tools to help you run your Self Storage business rather than trying to find that person we just described! 

Technology has matured, so you can run a site remotely unattended, and self-storage automation is the answer. 

Don’t get left behind.