Cubby is a platform created for self-storage operators to manage and expand their businesses. Operators often handle tenant inquiries regarding facility access and rental payments.
Recognizing that many of these tasks, like making payments, can be handled independently by tenants, we developed a customer portal to empower tenants to manage their rentals autonomously.
This not only enhances the tenant experience but also reduces the workload for self-storage operators in handling such tasks.
Given that self-storage may not always be at the forefront of tenants' minds, we opted for a password-less authentication mechanism. This method involves sending a six-digit temporary passcode to the tenant's email or phone, enabling them to access their tenant portal without the burden of managing or remembering a password.
In most instances, tenants have a single rental with a self-storage company. After logging in, they can immediately view their rental details.
The rental details offer tenants an overview of all the information they have shared with the self-storage company as part of their lease agreement. This allows them to handle their preferred payment methods, enroll in AutoPay, or retrieve previously signed documents like the lease agreement.
A crucial component of the rental details is the rental summary at the top of the page, which clearly conveys the status and standing of the rental.
Additionally, the tenant portal encourages tenants to activate AutoPay in other instances. This is the preferred option for self-storage operators as it helps prevent tenants from incurring late fees and offers greater convenience.
The payment section within the customer portal is crucial. It enables tenants to settle their outstanding balance and even prepay for future expenses. This section offers flexibility in choosing payment methods and saves new methods for future use, enhancing convenience.
While most tenants have only a single rental, there are situations where tenants have multiple rentals within one or across multiple facilities with a single self-storage company. In these cases, tenants can collectively manage all their rentals with the self-storage company.
Shared data, such as personal information or payment methods, that are common across rentals, can now be managed under a shared "Account Details" tab.
When it comes to payments, the Cubby Customer Portal allows tenants with multiple rentals inside a facility to pay for all or some of them in one go instead of paying for all rentals individually.
Before the tenant signs the rental agreement, the tenant portal serves as a task list for tenants to complete all the necessary move-in tasks. These tasks include identity verification, optional insurance policy signing, and finally, signing the lease agreement.
Self-storage operators have flexibility in determining the required data, so move-in tasks may vary among self-storage companies.
Once all the move-in tasks are successfully completed, the customer portal reverts to its default state, displaying the tenant's rental details and allowing them to manage their rental.
This is also when tenants can view their gate access code and other essential information. Typically, this information is withheld from tenants until the lease agreement has been signed.
The feedback from self-storage operators has been particularly positive, noting a significant reduction in common tasks they had to handle before the Customer Portal was implemented.
While this foundation has been set, there is a clear opportunity to further enhance the overall customer and operator relationship, making it more efficient by increasingly adopting a self-serve model.