Artificial Intelligence-powered solutions can benefit virtually any business, regardless of industry or niche. If you own a self-storage facility, you’re probably manning the phone lines most of the hours, answering an avalanche of questions, tackling schedules, and pursuing new leads.
Today, we’ll explore some of the main benefits of deploying an AI chatbot to handle basic inquiries in your self-storage facility, so let’s start from the top.
- Superior Functionality
Arguably the biggest advantage AI chatbots offer to self-storage owners is unrivaled efficiency and versatile functionalities.
The difference between dedicated customer support professionals and chatbots is that AI bots can perform a variety of tasks simultaneously, often flawlessly.
From answering basic questions and providing step-by-step instructions to common problems to automated scheduling and lead qualification, most AI chatbots can handle the majority of tasks you’d otherwise assign to a dedicated customer support team.
- Optimal Cost-Efficiency
Just like the upkeep costs of in-house support teams vary from hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds, so too do the subscription costs of chatbots vary from none to several thousand per month.
At a basic level, small self-storage businesses can start with a free chatbot app. These programs often offer limited functions and versatility but can serve as reliable receptionists, offering basic pointers and providing links to key aspects of your website.
More advanced AI chatbots typically cost £30 to £100 per month but offer comprehensive features, such as standard analytics, social media integrations, lists of live visitors, and more.
If you own a large chain of self-storage facilities, you may want to consider enterprise-level AI chatbots. They can typically handle thousands of conversations each month, provide deep insights into advanced analytics, feature customizable permission settings, and offer multi-language support.
- Set Your Brand’s Support on Autopilot
More and more self-storage owners seek to automate every aspect of their businesses and for a good reason. With the brand set on autopilot, you can focus on other aspects of growing your firm, such as pursuing new leads, seeking partners or ancillary financing options, or simply enjoying your hobbies.
Such ventures would be difficult with an in-house team as they’d need to be managed and monitored. After all, human error is natural and unavoidable in the long term.
Fully automated AI chatbots managing the supporting end of your self-storage business are self-governing apps that send notifications and updates, keeping you in the loop just like a proper manager would.
- Eliminates the Need for Operating Hours
Whether you’re handling storage inquiries and phone calls personally or have a team doing it, you are likely missing some of your leads due to the limitations of the “operating hours” concept.
Some businesses can afford to maintain larger teams working in shifts, but facilitating a proper “round the clock” support system is next to impossible without harnessing automated chatbot tech.
Namely, self storage software doesn’t need to clock out, have lunch breaks, or even sleep. In other words, AI chatbot programs can truly work every hour of the day, every day of the week, ensuring that every customer has access to support at any given time.
- No Training Required
Let’s assume that your self-storage facility features a customer support team of several employees. Some of them may eventually pursue other careers, leaving you with empty slots that need to be filled.
As if onboarding recruits wasn’t difficult enough, ensuring they are properly trained and well-versed in the specifics of how your business operates takes time and money.
With AI chatbots, owners of self-storage businesses never need to worry about employee turnaround or training. These programs utilize machine learning to “teach themselves” how to be more efficient, flexible, and versatile in their operations.
- Diversified “Personalities” in One Software
One of the most common misconceptions about AI bots is that they answer every question in a bland, universal fashion.
Chatbots will use every conversation as an educational resource to expand their vocabularies and naturally evolve into super-computers over time, handling more complex queries with ease.
- Customizability
Although it is possible to direct each employee on how to work, behave, and respond to customers, there can never be a guarantee that all employees will follow all guidelines all the time.
What’s different about AI chatbots is that they feature numerous customizable parameters that can be utilized to create a unique solution tailored to meet the demands of your self-storage business.
Conclusion
With an AI chatbot, your self-storage company will feature lower upkeep costs, unlimited operating hours, boast unparalleled “productivity”, and handle the bulk if not all menial tasks that you’d otherwise have to pay at least several people to accomplish.
Onboarding an AI chatbot into your facility is one of the first steps you can take toward automating the business into a more efficient organization that requires minimal governance and monitoring.