News

Shurgard installs INSOMNIAC kiosks at two facilities

November 9, 2005

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - OpenTech Alliance Inc. announced in a news release that Shurgard Storage Centers Inc., a leading self-storage real estate investment trust in the United States and Europe, has installed INSOMNIAC self-storage kiosks at two of its facilities in the Phoenix area. The kiosks provide a high level of customer service and convenience by enabling customers to rent units, make payments, purchase locks and update their accounts 24 hours a day on their own without a manager's assistance.

"We're really impressed with what OpenTech has developed and how their team has been able to integrate the kiosk with our software," said Larry Hoffman, regional vice president for Shurgard. "INSOMNIAC's capabilities including its signature pad and lock dispenser are much better than our old kiosks and anything we've seen in the market. We're excited to have the first two kiosks installed and are looking at using INSOMNIAC at other facilities."

For several years, Shurgard has used an internally developed kiosk. The kiosks proved beneficial by allowing customers to conduct business with Shurgard outside of normal business hours. The INSOMNIAC kiosk enables customers to have an even greater ability to conduct business through the kiosk, thereby creating greater return for Shurgard. In addition, customers calling Shurgard's customer service center are encouraged to visit the kiosk to finish their reservation in person so INSOMNIAC can record their payment information, photo and signing of the lease.

"Shurgard is a self-storage kiosk pioneer," said Robert Chiti, OpenTech's president and chief executive officer. "They built their own kiosk several years ago and have learned a great deal about kiosk technology. The fact that Shurgard has now replaced two of their kiosks with ours really says a lot about how far we've come with INSOMNIAC."