Using AI to Boost Self-Storage Revenue: A Tiered Approach to Prompt Engineering
With the ever-increasing adoption of AI in the self-storage market, operators can now
also use the technology to find ways of increasing revenue. Artificial Intelligence,
particularly ChatGPT, offers a powerful tool for generating strategic business
insights. Here’s how to leverage AI effectively using a three-tiered prompting
approach that will provide better results.
Tier 1: Basic Context Prompting (Easy)
The first tier involves providing basic business context to the AI. Here’s an example prompt:
“I operate a self-storage facility in Switzerland with 200 units. My business offers storage units in a range of sizes and prices to residential (private) and commercial (business) customers. Can you suggest ways to increase my revenue? Consider factors like pricing strategy, marketing and additional services.”
This simple prompt typically generates broad suggestions. While useful, they may lack specificity to your business context.
Tier 2: Data-Enhanced Prompting (Medium)
The second tier incorporates actual business performance data:
“I operate a self-storage facility in Switzerland with 200 units. Our current occupancy rate is 75%, with an average monthly revenue of CHF 25,000. Our units range from 5m² to 30m², and we charge CHF 200-600 per month on average. Can you analyse this data and suggest specific revenue-boosting strategies?”
By including operational metrics, the AI can provide more targeted recommendations and realistic financial projections.
Tier 3: Market Intelligence Prompting (Hard)
The most sophisticated approach combines business data with market demographics:
“I operate a self-storage facility in Zürich. We have 200 units with 75% occupancy and CHF 25,000 monthly revenue. Our local area has:
- Population: 400,000
- Average income: CHF 85,000
- 60% apartment dwellers
- 30% students
What specific strategies would you recommend for our market?”
Key Benefits of This Approach
- Progressive refinement of AI suggestions
- Increasingly targeted recommendations based on real data
- Better alignment with local market conditions
- More accurate revenue projections
Practical Implementation Tips
- Start with the basic prompt and analyse the response quality
- Gradually add more data points to refine suggestions
- Keep prompts clear and structured
- Verify AI suggestions against your business experience
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Providing too much information at once
- Not verifying AI suggestions against local regulations
- Implementing suggestions without proper analysis
- Overlooking operational constraints
By following this tiered approach, self-storage operators can effectively use AI to generate valuable insights for revenue growth. Remember that AI suggestions should complement, not replace, human judgment and local market knowledge!
Conclusion
AI tools like ChatGPT offer valuable insights for self-storage operators when approached systematically. By using this tiered prompting strategy, operators can generate increasingly refined and actionable recommendations for revenue growth. As the self-storage industry continues to evolve, embracing AI tools whilst maintaining human oversight will become increasingly important for competitive advantage.
Author
Joshua Webb, Head of Growth
Joshua is an accomplished marketing leader with extensive experience in the self-storage and AI software sectors. As Head of Growth at Kinnovis, he helps streamline facility management for self-storage owners. At TAXIBOX, an Australian portable storage operator, Joshua oversaw all digital marketing, launching multi-channel strategies and re-marketing campaigns.
Kinnovis, Self-Storage Management Software
Kinnovis is a leading Facility Management Software, already helping self-storage businesses across 14 European countries. Their AI-powered solution offers a sleek, user-friendly interface with advanced features like secure online bookings, task automation & interactive facility maps. Operators can now also make the most of their award-winning AI chatbot, JaneAI! Enhance your customer service by instantly offering personalised quotes, unit size recommendations and 24/7 support.
