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As a storage facility owner, your goal is to provide the best possible service for your customers. The more options you provide - the better. From the length of the contract and the size of the units to offsite and onsite storage solutions - the more needs you can accommodate, the more happy customers you will have. As mobile storage solutions could very well be useful to your clients, adding them to the list of your services is certainly appealing from a business point of view. That is because these storage units offer advantages to your customers that immobile storage solutions do not.

Two kinds of storage

But, what exactly are mobile storage solutions? In terms of storage unit location, there are two types of storage - offsite and onsite. The names of these storage types are determined from your customers' perspective. In other words, if a storage unit is found on their site, then we're dealing with onsite (mobile) storage, and vice versa.

"Mobile storage containers are portable containers that are placed on the location of your customers' choosing."

Many customers won't have a need for onsite storage. They will be perfectly comfortable with traveling to their offsite units, especially if they live nearby and they're using storage because of personal (as opposed to business-related) reasons. Apart from offering mobile storage solutions, your job should be to market both kinds of storage effectively, be it on your self storage website or in other marketing materials. Educate your potential customers that both onsite and offsite storage solutions offer advantages that could make them perfect for your clients, depending on their needs and their situation.

"Know your customers' needs and rent them the appropriate storage solutions."

Ease of access

Before doing that, however, you need to be aware of the advantages that mobile storage solutions provide. Most of the benefits are related to ease of access commodities.

Mobile storage solutions are easy to reach

To begin with, the most obvious advantage is that your clients won't have to travel very far (or at all) when they decide to obtain their belongings from storage. Basically, traveling to another location that could be far off is, in most cases, a waste of time (and, thus, money as well). Gas is wasted too, and your clients' cars are putting on unnecessary mileage.

As we said, if your customers are using storage because of personal reasons, they'll probably be fine with offsite storage, as they won't have to travel there often. However, if they're running a business, then they'll most likely have to go back and forth between their place of work and their storage unit(s). And the more time they spend doing that, the less productive their business will be, whether they're traveling by themselves or one of their employees is entrusted with that duty.

"Your customers will save both their money and time by not having to travel."

Large objects are much easier to store

Ease of access benefits don't stop there. Namely, if your customers will be looking to store large items, transportation could be a big problem. While moving specialists can transport furniture , for example, shipping that furniture is certainly not easy to do. With mobile storage solutions, on the other hand, the same job is made much easier. While it may still involve disassembling the furniture, it is much easier to place it in storage if the said storage is located right there on the premises.

The same goes for any other large items. Sure, your customers could transport objects such as a piano or a pool table with the help of reliable professionals working for companies like usantini.com, but the whole procedure will be much less taxing if they are using mobile storage solutions.

"Transporting large items to an offsite storage facility isn't easy."

No working hours to stop your customers from reaching their belongings right away

Then, there's also the fact that offsite storage isn't always available. Offsite storage facilities have working hours. If your clients are running a business, there's a chance that they might urgently need something from storage after the working hours have passed. In that case, being unable to pick up those belongings right away could be (more or less) damaging to their business.

Security benefits

As we said in one of our previous articles, one of the more common myths about self-storage is that it isn't secure enough. Even if you do have top-notch security on-premises (and if you don't - you definitely should), mobile storage solutions could seem to be safer to your customers.

High-quality mobile storage solutions are made of materials such as metal and steel, making them very sturdy. They are also protected from the elements, so there's no risk of rain or wind destroying your customers' belongings. Some of them are also climate-controlled, ensuring that climate-sensitive items will remain unharmed.

The best security benefit, however, is entirely psychological. Namely, some of your clients might rest easier knowing that they are the ones who are in charge of their storage's safety. If they are so inclined, they can do whatever they think is necessary to protect their belongings - install security cameras, install their own locks, and so on. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't think about how you can improve on-site security of self-storage units you rent, however, if some of your customers think that they can do better, there's no reason not to allow them to try. The customer is always right - right?

"High-quality onsite storage containers are very secure, and they can also provide your customers with a psychological benefit."

Financial benefits for your customers

Finally, onsite storage solutions could also be more affordable to your customers. Your duty would be to deliver the containers wherever your clients want you to, as well as to pick them up once they're done with them. This means that gas/time-investment costs for your customers will be minimal or non-existent.

If they rent portable containers, they won't have to invest in additional property for storing their items nor will they have to remodel their office space so as to fit more objects. What's more, you can even offer them the option of buying the containers, which could make sense for them financially in the long run.

"Onsite storage solutions could also be a cheaper, as well as a more practical choice for your customers."

To recapitulate

So, let's quickly recapitulate and call it a day:

  •  Mobile storage solutions are convenient to access, as they don't require your customers to drive to your facility.
  • Storing large items is made much easier.
  • Mobile storage solutions are accessible at all times.
  • They are secure, plus they'll provide some customers with a peace of mind as they can take care of the security by themselves.
  • Onsite storage can be more affordable as well.
  • And the last but not the least - never lose track of your clients' needs, when it comes to offering them the solution that's just right for them.
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