Covid-19 Protocol for Your Self Storage Facility
It's safe to say none of us have ever seen anything like the Covid-19 epidemic of 2020. It's also likely safe to say that no one (or VERY few) in the Self Storage industry had any contingency plan or operating procedure in place for a situation like this. That said, it's important for all self storage owners to adapt quickly and make our businesses and facilities as safe for our customers and the community as possible.
Below are some tips you can consider implementing at your self storage facility:
Focus On Good Hygiene
While hygiene should always be an important point for both your employees and the facility itself, it's more important now than ever. The first step is to make sure that your employees understand the importance and that it's moved up to #1 on the importance list. Have a protocol in place and disinfecting supplies available to staff so that they can clean everything that customers are touching, especially in the office! This includes door handles, credit cards machines, keyboards, and most importantly your GATE KEYPADS!!! You'll also want to make sure that you're disinfecting the handles of vacant units that may have been shown to customers or any of recent move outs prior to re-renting.
Encourage Social Distancing At Your Self Storage Facility
Be sure to remind employees and customers to practice social distancing by staying 6ft apart from one another. You can do this with signs both on the front entrance as well as the door to the office if you have one. These signs can also remind customers that they can reach your staff by phone to add an extra level of safety for everyone even if both employees and customers are at the self storage facility. We're very fortunate that the self storage business is one where there is minimal need for face to face contact if we're intentional about how we go about it.
Embrace Automation
As mentioned above, in the past few years the self storage industry has been rapidly changing with a push towards automation. This means that with the power of the internet and connected devices the industry has the opportunity to make the customer experience almost entirely "touchless." Even if you don't have newer products for access controls such as the Noke system, with a website and the ability to select a unit and sign your lease online, you can make the need for customer interaction during this time very minimal. If you don't currently have a website or one that has the ability to rent online, this could be a great opportunity to set one up! If you already have that in place, use it as an opportunity to promote it to your customers or prospective customers during the Covid-19 epidemic.