Until November 2008, self-storage operator Extra Space Storage Inc. was handling overflow phone calls for its hundreds of storage facilities using a call center outsourcer.

Specifically, incoming phone calls to individual facilities were answered by on-site employees when available -- and by outsourced call center agents after the fourth ring.

The problem was, agents in the outsourced call center had no way of identifying who was calling – whether they were a new customer, established customer, or past customer – plus they didn’t have access to important customer data that could enable them to deliver faster, more efficient service.

 

As such, the company decided to establish its own 50-seat in-house call center, about 20 minutes from its Salt Lake City headquarters, along with a new, integrated customer relationship management (CRM) system, for the purpose of improving customer service.

After checking out several different call center software vendors, Extra Space Storage opted for inContact’s hosted call center platform for its ease of deployment, low upfront cost, reduced ongoing maintenance costs, advanced features and “out-of-the-box” integration with salesforce.com, one of the leading Web-based CRM platforms.

 

Today, agents handling phone calls, emails and Web chats in Extra Space Storage’s call center have pertinent customer information – including name, address, phone number, type of customer and historical data based on past interactions – automatically “screen popped” onto their desktops each time a customer makes contact. In addition, based on a caller’s location, the agent’s “pop-up” also displays the closest Extra Space Storage property, available storage units and pricing, hours of operation and other information. This, in turn, enables the agents to deliver faster and more personalized service.

In addition, Extra Space Storage has radically improved its call routing through the deployment of inContact’s advanced IVR system. Incoming calls to each of the company’s local self-storage facilities are routed to either a sales or service queue, based on the customer’s IVR selection. Sales calls are directed to the central phone bank, where they are handled by trained customer service representatives who won’t be pulled away when a customer shows up on site to see a unit. Since callers are always dialing a local number, they think they’re dialing their local facility.

 

The result has been a radical improvement in customer service – which in turn has significantly boosted business. According to a customer case study posted to inContact’s Web site, Extra Space Storage nearly doubled the percentage of prospect phone calls that resulted in reservations in the first eight months after rollout. On-site facility managers no longer have to answer telephone sales inquiries, freeing them to pay attention to maintaining their property and serving existing customers in person. Managers as well as agents have access to all customer information in a single database, including whether a customer has reserved a unit online or rents units elsewhere in the Extra Space Storage network. What’s more, company executives have access to valuable CRM data that can help them shape promotions and plot business strategy.

 

One of the main reasons the company selected the inContact’s hosted call center software over a traditional, on-premises system is because it eliminated the need to purchase and maintain expensive installed phone switches, automatic call distributors, interactive voice response systems and related components. Not only did the company save the time and hassle of having to choose from various standalone “best of breed” systems, it also saved tens of thousands of dollars in up-front costs by avoiding the need to purchase and install new hardware and network infrastructure. Because inContact’s hosted call center platform is delivered as a managed service, via the company’s dedicated network, that means inContact assumes responsibility of ensuring application performance, including monitoring and troubleshooting of all equipment and network infrastructure.

 

Fast and simple deployment was also a major draw: Going the hosted route also enabled Extra Space Storage to meet an aggressive eight-week deployment deadline before the company’s outsourced call center service contract expired. Had it decided to go with an on-premises system, implementation would have taken months, which in turn would have required the company to sign another contract with its outsourcer.

Scalability is yet another advantage that Extra Space Storage gained when it chose inContact’s hosted call center platform. As the company grows, it can easily add more seats to its contact center – or, in the event the brick-and-mortar facility is already at capacity, Extra Space Storage also has a smooth migration path to implementing a home-based agent program.

 

To download the free customer case study and learn more about how inContact’s hosted call center platform can improve your business operations, click here.