A lot of customers come to SpareFoot to research storage facilities in their area - check the prices, amenities, locations, and read reviews. Some of these customers aren't at a point in their storage search where it makes sense to reserve a unit. SpareFoot has options for them to make inquiries instead of full-fledged reservations.
Value
Inquiries add significant value for storage-seeking customers and facility operators alike. Here are the big wins:
Better quality of full-fledged reservations
Customers don't feel pressured to reserve a unit if they're still browsing facilities or their storage rental timeline isn't yet finalized.
Facilities don't need to hold a unit open for customers with low rental intent.
A higher percentage of customers who pull the trigger and reserve units end up renting.
Stop these customers from renting at another facility
We send these customers periodic updates that remind and incentivize them to reserve a unit with you.
Where do inquiries come from?
There are a few ways a customer can make an inquiry about your facility.
Get map & hours
Customers on SpareFoot can click an option to be sent your facility information:
The customer can enter their email address to receive an email with your facility hours and location:
On the phone with an agent
If a customer speaks with one of our customer service agents and can't make up their mind, they'll get a list of units that they were deciding between. The email looks like this:
Notifications from SpareFoot about Inquiries
In your MySpareFoot.com Account
There's a tab in the Customers area of your account dedicated specifically to these types of customers:
We'll send you an email every day with a list of customers who have inquired about your facility on SpareFoot. You can disable these notifications in your email preferences.
Contacting Inquiries
As you can see above, the only information shared about inquiring customers is their name and the date and time of their inquiry. You can't see their contact information, such as phone number and email address, so it's not possible to call them or follow up on their interest in your property.
We explicitly promise these customers that we will not sell, share, or use their information in any way. That's part of the reason inquiries are so successful - these folks like that they won't be contacted. While it's a shame that we can't make these inquiries more actionable by sending you contact information for these customers, fear not! Inquiries are still a highly effective way to get new tenants through your front door.
Billing for Inquiries
SpareFoot only bills for customers who find your facility on SpareFoot and then ultimately move in. Inquiries are no different - they'll only appear on your bill after they're confirmed as a rent-paying tenant.
If the customer makes an online reservation
After customers inquire about your facility, we follow up and encourage them to return to SpareFoot to reserve a unit when they're ready. When this happens, you'll be notified by SpareFoot that you have a new customer from us, just like any other reservation.
Additionally, the customer's name will move from the Inquiries tab in MySpareFoot to the Reservations tab, where you'll see their full contact information and the reserved unit.
If the customer doesn't make an online reservation
You'll see these tenants on your monthly billing statement. They're differentiated from the other customers on your statement with the label "offline reservation."
To keep the reconciliation process quick and uncluttered, SpareFoot only adds offline reservations to your statement if it's Auto-Reconciled, since we're integrated with your management software and can confirm they've actually moved into your facility.