ISSUE: August 2008

MOBILIZING YOUR WORKFORCE

MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR MOBILE SELF STORAGE

By Elizabeth Ferrin

Mobile self storage can be somewhat hard to define. It’s not the same as conventional self storage and it’s not a mirror image of a traditional moving company. Instead, mobile self storage falls somewhere in the middle, providing its customers with a wide range of products and service levels.

Unfortunately, the job of a mobile self storage manager can be just as ambiguous as the business, itself. For the most part, mobile managers are in a class by themselves—some have climbed the ranks at full-service moving companies, while others would be labeled owner/operators. Most mobile self storage managers must wear many hats and take on a variety of duties during the course of a typical day.

Of course, the average day at a mobile self storage business is anything but typical. Most mobile self storage businesses service a wide area and have many containers in the field at any given time.

“Each day is different,” says Brian Hurley, president of San Diego, Calif.-based Big Box Storage. “If you’re a stand alone operation, you may have 1200-1500 containers.”

Finding the right person to manage such a large-scale, multifaceted operation is definitely a challenge. Compounding the problem is the fact that mobile self storage is a relatively new industry. With very few businesses in long-time operation, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to find someone with direct industry experience.

With so many obstacles, staffing a mobile self storage business can be difficult and complicated for industry professionals. Fortunately, mobile self storage companies have a variety of management options when looking to fill positions at their businesses.

Offering a spectrum of possibilities, mobile managers can range from part-time employees to full-time staff with an ownership stake in the site. Businesses may choose to use a professional management company or let an experienced employee run the company’s day-to-day operations. In short, there is a good manager for every mobile self storage business.

When evaluating the management options, a good place to start is with a close examination of the self storage manager’s basic job description. “Today’s mobile storage managers have a diverse set of duties,” explains Chris Walls, president of Go Minis in Patterson, N.Y. “There are the general management and Human Resources (HR) responsibilities like answering the phones and payroll, in addition to staying on top of Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations.”

Most mobile storage operations are staffed with several employees—drivers, warehouse workers, truck mechanics, laborers, estimators, and maintenance personnel. With so many staff members, employee management is an important job for mobile storage managers—one that should never be overlooked.

Some managers also supervise the money and finances at the business. “Our managers have to have good fundamental business skills,” says Mark Johnson, president of Denver, Colo.-based Johnson Storage & Moving. “They need to understand balance sheets and billing.” Many mobile self storage managers also accept rent payments both in person and over the phone.

Another important duty for mobile self storage managers is scheduling. In fact, proper design and execution of the schedule is paramount for success—especially in today’s climate of ever increasing gas prices. “Managers have to make sure everything works and that the dispatch gets out,” states Walls. “They have to monitor the schedule so that you can run as economically as possible. You want the truck to leave first thing in the morning and you don’t want to see it again until the end of the day.”

Many mobile self storage companies give sales responsibilities to managers, as well. Most mobile storage customers call into the facility after seeing an advertisement or receiving a referral from a friend or relative. Often, the manager will take these calls and then follow up with additional phone calls or mailers, as needed.

Since the job of a mobile storage manager is extremely broad, some companies divide the responsibilities among several different managers. For example, the day-to- day office duties may be delegated to an office manager, while scheduling responsibilities may fall on the shoulders of a scheduling manager. “We have a sales manager and a customer service manager,” says Walls. “The sales manager makes outside sales calls and the customer service manager will follow up on the calls.”

With this type of set-up, it is crucial for all employees to work together as a team to meet the goals of the business. It is also important for each individual manager to know how to handle the job responsibilities of other managers, as well. For instance, the office manager should know how to properly operate the warehouse and the warehouse manager should understand the workings of the business office. That way, one manager could cover for the other in the event of an emergency.

For the most part, industry professionals agree that managers who actually live on the property are not a good fit with mobile self storage. However, a few mobile self storage businesses offer their customers the convenience of 24-hour access to the property and staff members. “Early on, we had 24/7 access, which we put on all of our ads,” recalls Hurley. “If someone wanted access 24 hours a day, we gave them the ability to do so. After a year, we did away with that. It is simply not cost effective and you would lose very, very few, if any, customers if you don’t offer 24-hour access.”

Management companies can be a good resource for finding well qualified managers, if they have direct experience working with the mobile self storage industry. “I’ve heard good things about self storage management companies,” says Hurley, who quickly adds that he himself has no first-hand experience using these types of businesses. Hurley also points out that there are many inherent differences between mobile storage and conventional self storage that should be considered before contracting with a self storage management company. “Conventional storage is not as staff intensive as portable and very rarely do customers just walk in. Even the answering services, which I’ve also heard good things about, are generally better suited for traditional than mobile self storage. When we get a call from a prospective customer, we need to describe our features and benefits, but we also need to describe the industry itself— that can be another obstacle for mobile storage businesses.”

Instead of outsourcing the management responsibilities, many mobile self storage facilities prefer to find and train their own employees. One of the best sources for new staff members can come from current workers at a mobile self storage operation. “I like to get referrals,” says Walls. “I think you’re going to get the best people with a referral. And, since the person referring the potential employee already works here, they usually know and understand the job requirements.” Another good resource for finding employees is Internet job postings. Many mobile self storage companies have found successful managers after placing ads on sites like Monster.com and CraigsList. Advertising in the help wanted section of the local newspaper has also been known to produce good candidates for mobile storage positions.

Many of the Internet and newspaper ads ask for experience with retail, customer service, or professional moving companies. However, it’s important to note that most mobile self storage businesses are willing to train the right employee, even if he or she offers no direct industry experience.

“A lot of it is about the person’s demeanor,” says Walls. “We feel we can teach them the system and the business. We can train them on our products and services, but we need someone who can listen to people’s problems and figureout how to solve them. We need someone who is empathetic on the phone.” One good way for mobile self storage facilities to pinpoint whether a candidate will make a good manager is to conduct a phone interview early-on in the job search. “I like to do a phone interview and have them do a blind call,” says Walls. During the interview, Walls pretends to be a potential customer asking about mobile self storage. He carefully listens to candidate’s responses looking for clues about whether or not this person has the right type of personality that defines a successful mobile self storage manager. “We look for someone who strives for 100 percent customer satisfaction.”

For mobile storage companies that are fortunate enough to find someone with a customer service-oriented personality, but no job experience, a business can always do some intense job-training to get that person up and running. Companies can always provide a training course on-site or look to the Web for management training information and suggestions. Many franchises offer their own online tutorials and programs for member facilities. “The American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) also provides online training,” says Johnson. “If you are a member, you can go to the AMSA Web site for the training course.”

Whether the business chooses to train a new manager from scratch or divide the job duties into several specialized positions, there is a solid management option that can meet the needs of every mobile self storage company. Whichever management route a mobile self storage company takes, it is important to remember that good management is extremely crucial in this growing and changing business. While both the industry and a manager’s job duties may remain a little undefined, with the right manager, the road to success can become crystal clear.

Elizabeth Ferrin is the Editor of Self Storage Now! Based in Maple Grove, Minnesota, she is also a frequent contributor to the Mini Storage Messenger, Mobile Self Storage Magazine, and RV & Boat Storage Today.