Public Storage Technology Enhancements Make Storage Easier

Sep 25, 2023 / Liset Marquez

At Public Storage, our high-tech options makes it easy to rent a unit, whether near or far.

With our help, you can open a location’s gate with your phone. Rent contact free with eRental.

With roughly 65,000 customers visiting Public Storage locations every day, these technological advances help a lot of people.

“There’s a lot of benefits to what we’re doing,” said David Collins, our vice president and head of Marketing. “We make storage easier on top of offering an incredible value.”

Easy Contact-Free Storage Rentals

public storage rental units

We’re always looking for the best ways to serve customers, and last summer we expanded our eRental program across the country. Customers can move in contact-free and save time by skipping the rental counter when they visit the property for the first time.

Even a year after launching, we are still the only storage company that offers this option at each location.

The service has been wildly popular with customers who want more flexibility when they move in.

“Recently, over 50% of rentals came in through eRental,” said Collins, who championed the program. “The adoption is strong across the board with customers from all generations appreciating the convenience eRental offers.”

With eRental, we text each new customer a personal keypad entrance code and provide directions to the location and their unit number. Each eRental includes a lock so when you show up, your new space is ready and waiting for you.

“Everything is there for them – it’s like a care package,” said Alfonso, a property manager in Chicago.

He recently talked to someone who was in Miami but needed to have professional movers store his items in Chicago. Alfonso suggested eRental.

From 1,300 miles away, the customer received his gate code which he was able to share with helpers moving items into his storage unit for him half way across the country.

“You don’t have to take time out to visit the property,” said Alfonso. “You can be sitting at the doctor’s office; sitting at home, or getting your nails done and say, ‘I can rent a unit right now and pay for everything right now.’ It’s a time-saver.”

Storage App Optimizations

public storage employee in gray car uses new public storage app to remotely open gate

Nearly a year after launching our we new mobile app, we’re still the only company that offers full functionality at nearly all our locations. You can access storage areas using your phone like a garage door opener. Your unique access code is stored in your device, so you don’t have to remember.

There is also much more, with new optimizations added every few weeks.

From making a payment, to finding the open hours of a property, or contacting customer support, the app is your personal storage assistant.

Once you sign on—using the same login credentials as the website—there’s no need to logout. This means you also don’t have to worry about remembering your username and password.

“When it’s raining outside or its cold you don’t want to get out of your car. From the comfort of your car, you can press that one app button and the gate opens,” Alfonso said.

public storage employee looks at new public storage app to unlock door at self storage unit

Customers can not only decide to make a one-time payment but also enroll in our auto pay, so they never have to worry about missing a payment.

“I’ve heard customers say how easy it is to make payments or make modifications to payments,” said Julie Turner, a district manager in Southern California.

Another awesome in-app feature is the ability to add another unit on the same account.

Alfonso makes it a priority to tell all his customers about all the benefits.

“I love the app, and I really do,” he said. “You can pay your bills at home, you can pay your bill while at the grocery store or pull over and do it from your car.”

Visit here to download the app today.

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