eKourier April 2013 -

NZ Website Now Live The New Zealand KSS website finally went live in February. Thanks to Jeff taking on board all the unique “Kiwi” aspects to New Zealandise the website to ensure its success. The momentum with online customer engagement is growing more and more and it is imperative that we have a NZ website that meets these expectations, enabling customers to enquire and be able to reserve and/or book a storage unit from their computer when it is convenient to them. An added benefit of the new website will see us become more Google relevant and place us in a better position when a customer searches us online. By now all sites are starting to receive online success / follow ups required emails, confirming online activities from customers who reserve online and have never had contact with a Team Member until day of move in. With Google now looking at us in a different light as well as other search engines, we can now start to utilise platforms such as our Blog. Any new Blog articles can help with how our website will appear in the organic search listings by linking the article back to specific areas within the website. If any Team Member comes across a unique experience or activity or even see an opportunity to promote Kennards Self Storage, your Ops Manager would love to hear from you to help create a new Blog article. Andrew Kirkham Operations Manager NZ

Business is Relationships - People Like Doing Business with People They Like!

M eaningful relationships with our National customers is a testament to our skills. Our programme has now achieved the record of 11,000 rented square metres across the company for the first time in National history! Stripping back National Accounts to its bare bones exposes the number of “relationships” we maintain in each customer. If one area of the business is not satisfied the entire relationship/account may be compromised. Centres’ working together with representatives is equally as important as Finance and Operations knowing customers’ accounts inside and out. We are all in it together! A strong relationship provides an enormous Value Add for a company and most importantly screams trust! Pat yourself on the back every time a customer calls and says “we need a Look after your customers and the investment will follow!

new unit, you know what we have so I’ll leave it with you”. Suddenly any focus on money or the need to shop around has diminished as they know we have their best interest in mind. More often I am receiving positive comments like this from our corporate customers; thrilled with the fact we have “made the problem go away”. Suddenly what used to be avoidance or burden on their to do list is now a simple phone call and a tick with no questions or concern. Combined with our passion for customer service and our clean welcoming facilities we have had great success in walking the talk and leading by example! The proof is in our outstanding results. Interacting with customers gives us better control over our destiny so thanks for helping keep the “relationship” alive!

Fiona Harding Business Development Manager

KSS Library Book Review

Lead with Luv – Ken Blanchard Colleen Barrett “A Different Way to Create Real Success” It pays to put your people first.

Together Ken Blanchard and Colleen Barrett reveal why Leading with Love is the most powerful way to lead, how you can make it work, and how it can help you achieve unprecedented business performance. Basically, this approach “upends the pyramid” by training management to be accountable to and appreciative of customers and ground level employees. They, in turn, are loyal to the company. To see what is available in the KSS library go to kosmo/learning&development/kss/ library Amy Roberts Customer Care Officer

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Kennards Kourier April 2013