By Katie Blumenberg, Multi Site Manager for Leader Storage
If you have ever driven past a storage facility and thought, “That seems like a calm, easy job,” just know that somewhere, a storage manager is quietly laughing while swapping hats for the twelfth time and trying very hard not to spill their coffee.
Behind the neatly swept hallways, the smoothly running gates and the warm, “Thank you for calling Leader Storage, how can I help you today?” is a team that transitions from role to role all day long. We wear hats like they are going out of style. Some hats we choose and some appear out of nowhere, but every one of them matters. Here is a look at our ever-growing hat collection that each of our team members switch between. In so many industries, teams get caught up on their titles, but in the world of storage, team members are almost always many things at once.
The Administrator Hat
Crisp, responsible and always paired with a stack of paperwork. This is the hat that turns chaos into clarity: answering emails, updating accounts, returning calls and running the call center and keeping everything organized so our tenants always feel taken care of. It is updating insurance, verifying tenants have correct documents on file and reviewing accounts for accuracy. The satisfaction that comes with bringing a little bit of organization to the chaos is almost as good as the first sip of coffee on a Monday morning. Once the paperwork is tamed, it is time to switch gears entirely.
The Sales Hat
A hat with a little flair. This hat goes on when someone calls unsure of what they need, and we guide them through unit sizes and features. It’s less about selling and more about easing someone’s stress during a life transition and making sure they have what they truly need. However, sales calls do not stop us from heading out into the real world.
The-Boots-on-the-Ground Hat
This hat has a hint of dust and pride and depending on which of our team members is wearing the hat at the moment, it is often fueled by one of our favorite drive-thru coffees that was purchased on the way to the facility. It’s worn while walking the property, checking locks, sweeping hallways and picking up the leaves that managed to sneak in. Blowing the aisle ways clean of debris and hanging banners, signs and balloons are all a part of this hat. It is behind the holiday décor and the flowers planted at the facility that shows our tenants we care. It is making sure the whole place feels safe, welcoming and well-loved. Of course, once the dust settles, it is time for us to pop on another hat.
The Social Media and Website Hat
A sparkly little number that materializes mid task without warning. One minute, we are helping a tenant with a gate code, and the next we’re capturing a sunrise photo or updating a link on the website. It’s managing all four facilities Facebook and Instagram pages, writing and posting blog articles, managing the Google Listings and making website edits to ensure our site shows up when potential customers are searching for storage on the internet. It’s the hat that lets our personality shine and keeps our digital presence as clean as our hallways. While the social media notifications are buzzing, there is still always a bigger picture to be considering.
The General Marketing Hat
More like a thinking cap. This is a hat that requires thinking ahead while all of the others are living in the now. This hat requires competitor research, ensuring that we are offering the right products and competitive rates. It is sponsoring the local school’s sports teams and creating the image for the banner at the Friday night Football game. It is thinking of new ways to reach new customers like sending out mass mailings. Staying ahead doesn’t happen by accident, which brings us to our next hat.
The Continuing Education Hat
This hat belongs to our team members with headphones on a long flight to a trade show to connect with their industry friends, meet new people and learn more to stay ahead of industry trends. This is for our team members listening to storage podcasts if there is downtime, attending Webinars, researching new products and vendors and reading industry reacted articles with the intention of keeping up with the latest so that it can be implemented at Leader Storage. Unfortunately, industry knowledge doesn’t reconcile the books which bring us to our next hat.
The Accountant Hat
Sensible, dependable and powered by caffeine. Usually worn in the morning before our brains have turned to mush or experienced overload. This hat appears for invoices, payment reconciliation, water bills, sales tax reports and the quiet behind-the-scenes math that keeps the business running smoothly. Numbers completed? Good. Now the computer has opinions.
The IT Troubleshooter Hat
This hat shows up with a deep breath. When a camera goes down, a gate needs encouragement or the computer or printer decides that today isn’t the day. Sometimes its software acting up that requires us to call into technical support for a solution. It also means creating a temporary work around when there are no immediate solutions. This team member is determined, resourceful and maybe whispering kind words to the printer while also practicing breathing exercises. Once the technology behaves (mostly,) we slide into another crucial role.
The Security Hat
An invisible superhero cape is attached to this one. Monitoring alerts, double checking locks, visiting the facilities, reviewing camera footage, maintaining positive relationships with local police departments are a few of the duties of the person in this hat. While the serious work is happening, there is always a little bit of magic happening too.
The Facility Fairy Hat
A whimsical hat that appears more often than you think and that sometimes our own team members don’t realize that a fairy isn’t magically getting the job done. Purchasing supplies, cleaning the offices and running the internal recycling program are a few of the things that we tip our hats to the Facility Fairy for. Magic helps, but sometimes you just need quick thinking.
The Problem-Solver Hat
This hat is basically glued to our heads. It comes out during unexpected curveballs: lost keys, hasps or locks that are frozen, last-minute move-ins, scheduling twists or a tenant who needs reassurance. It is the hat that requires calm, creativity and empathy all at once. When solutions lead to movement, the logistics hat is ready to go.
The Logistics and Move-in Hat
Coordinating units, prepping for move-ins, arranging transfers, helping people transition smoothly are all the job of the person in the Logistics Hat. This hat is all about turning potentially stressful moments into clarity. All of these experiences, feed into one final, essential hat.
The Operations Hat
The listening ears disguised as a hat. This person is constantly taking the feedback they receive from the team and customers and improving our process. Whether it’s updating automated messages, streamlining our communications, adjusting policies, clarifying documents or refreshing our website FAQs, this hat wearer is always looking to improve the customer journey and experience.
Why We Wear So Many Hats
Every hat is a chance to help someone, whether it is our tenants or our team.
People come to storage in moments of change, exciting ones, overwhelming ones and bittersweet ones. We get to be a small source of steadiness and that is something we do not take lightly.
So yes, we swap hats constantly.
Sometimes it feels like juggling.
Sometimes it feels a little magical.
Most days, it feels like purpose: messy, meaningful, coffee-fueled purpose.
At the end of the day, we hang up our hats (how many ever that may be,) knowing we had the opportunity to make things just a bit easier for the communities we serve and that makes it all worth it.
At Leader Storage, that hats may change by the minute, but the smiles and humor behind them never does.
