Joe DownsCEO & Co-Founder, Belrose Storage Group. Founder, Storage Moguls.

Why Escalation Chains Lose You Tenants

13 May 2026 · 1 min

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Joe Downs argues that boat and RV storage tenants operate on tight schedules and won't wait for callbacks or manager approvals. Give frontline staff direct authority to solve problems immediately, or lose the customer to a competitor.

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The practical implication is that your customer service standards need to be built around resolution authority, not escalation chains. In most organizations, the instinct when a problem arises is to escalate to someone with more authority, more information, or more approval power. In boat and RV storage, escalation is almost always the wrong move. Your tenants are operating on a timed schedule. They're heading to the lake or the mountains. They're picking up their RV for a camping trip that starts in 2 hours. They don't have time to wait for a callback.