Self-storage operators should start with free ChatGPT or Claude accounts and ask AI for everyday questions. Use it to review legal documents, brainstorm promotions, and analyze financials on a paid plan. Then upgrade to modern CRM tools like Swivel and implement dynamic pricing that adjusts rates based on competitor activity and occupancy.
Chapters
So if you're an operator listening to this and kind of wondering where to get started with AI, what's your advice to them? Yeah, I mean I'd say like number one is, is in a day to day, I mean I'm using, you know, both ChatGPT and Claude depending on, on the, you know, tasks that I'm trying to do. Like number one, the easiest way to get started is go open a free account on one of these things and like instead of going to Google, like you've got to retrain your reflex. So like the next time you have a question or a problem, instead of going to Google or opening up a blank word document, like, you know, train that reflex to go to whatever that preferred AI is and like just type it in there, right? You know, a simple example is like maybe you're reviewing a legal document or you're trying to come up with ideas for promotions to get people to move in. Like just go have a 25 minute conversation and you know, when it comes to, you know, AI in the business operations, again, maybe take your financials, I would pay probably for a pro plan so that those financials are not being just sent everywhere across the Internet. Upload the financials to one of these systems and ask the questions about how do you increase revenue, how do you get more people onto autopay and get some ideas from that. Obviously there are going to be partners like swivel in the market to help with communications problems. So if you're looking for a modern contact center and a next generation CRM, you know, we're here to help, you know, answer questions, kind of show you what that is. But there are other tools out there too. So like maybe, you know, this is again not using even generative AI. This is tabular models, but pricing, dynamic pricing models, right, that are pulling in information from your competitors across the market, looking at what your inventory mix is, what the occupancy's rates are and dynamically changing, you know, the rates. I think that's a really great place to start as well too if that's a problem that you're trying to solve. And so I'd always, I just would start like, hey, what's the thing that is the biggest headache for me and my business? Let's go to ChatGPT. Let's start having a conversation with ChatGPT about it. If it comes to communications or it comes to pricing and increasing pricing, like let's go find a vendor and a partner, you know, and, and start to talk to them about what best practices are there.
