2017 Record-Breaking Year for SiteLink

Outstanding sales follow year packed with innovations

SiteLink, the global leader in cloud-based software and payment processing for self-storage operations of all sizes, announces 2017 as another record-breaking year in all areas of operations.

Record year for sales, growth

With a record number of new customers, SiteLink continues to see growing demand from self-storage facilities around the globe. New development and demand for reliable, feature-rich and affordable cloud software have fueled record growth in the USA, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

SiteLink myHub, the mobile, browser-based version of the software, has skyrocketed in 2017, and is in use by more than 8,000 stores. More owners than ever before are choosing myHub for its clean user interface and cross-platform, multi-device and mobile capability.

The use of SiteLink eFile Management, a full electronic document control system, continues to grow and now powers approximately 4,000 stores. The growth of online leasing is a significant shift in the way self-storage does business and leads to higher closure rates, fewer discounts and more automation.

Enhancements to SiteLink Price Optimizer revenue management for empty units and existing tenants have led to dramatic success. Stores that use Price Optimizer average 11% higher revenues than those that don’t.

“We never imagined this pace of growth, expansion and the number of users we have today,” said Ross Lampe, SiteLink’s President. “This milestone is a true testament to our entire team and our dedication to delivering the most efficient self-storage management software possible. It’s amazing how far we’ve come since myHub’s debut two years ago.”

Customer retention remains stellar

This record growth is even more impressive given that customers stay with SiteLink year after year. In August, self-storage owners around the globe recognized SiteLink with a record 7th consecutive “Best Management Software” award in the Inside Self-Storage (ISS) Best of Business annual poll. SiteLink has near 100% positive feedback and consistent 5 out of 5-star customer satisfaction ratings across the board.

“The numbers don’t lie – our top-notch customer service, dedicated, creative and responsive development team and overall reliability make SiteLink the top choice for self-storage management software,” said Lampe. “With record sales, extremely high customer retention and many exciting feature launches, 2017 was a year of immense validation for our Web Edition and myHub software.”

Thinking ahead

Continuing its track record of innovation, SiteLink built two major resources to enhance the software.

The SiteLink Certified Professional training and development course, available since September 2017, filled a need for consistent, thorough training in self-storage management software. Enrollment grew exponentially in its first three months reaching more than 1,500 by mid-December – adding approximately 800 newly certified personnel to self-storage facilities worldwide. Feedback has been decisively positive – users call it “very well done” and “a great learning experience.” The course is self-paced, available online at training.sitelink.com and is free to SiteLink Web Edition customers.

The May 2017 launch of StorageForum reflects SiteLink’s dedication to providing customers with more communication channels and resources for growing their business. The discussion-based site has clocked 600,000 page views since its launch. Users applaud it as an “excellent opportunity to gain industry insight.” Promoting the free exchange of ideas and sharing knowledge is squarely in line with SiteLink’s emphasis on customer service, innovation and growth.

“With these amazing additions to our offerings and plans for more, I know we’re destined for even greater success in 2018,” said Markus Hecker, SiteLink’s Chief Operating Officer.

Record year across the board

SiteLink reported massive increases in key areas of the software:

• SiteLink eSign™ and eFile Management usage in 2017 almost tripled 2016 usage to exceed 1.6 million eDocs sent. Stores enabling the feature nearly doubled to approximately 4,000.
• Reservations paid online, steadily increasing for the past eight years, saw a 25% increase in 2017. Online move-ins grew an astounding 400%. More stores offer these online services and SiteLink’s easy, cost-effective methods confirm its leadership in integrated, interactive websites.
• With integrated SMS (text) messaging debuting within SiteLink in 2010, stores using one of the three integrated service choices increased by 34% in 2017 and they sent nearly 3 million texts through SiteLink, almost doubling the number of texts sent from the previous six years combined! In addition to the three integrated texting partners, strong growth was also seen by other SiteLink Marketplace providers who use the SiteLink API to process tenant notifications via SMS.

2017 was packed with new features and enhancements including:

• The new Lead to Lease workflow in SiteLink myHub with its single-screen, top-to-bottom workflow powerfully enhances in-house call centers
• The new SiteLink LeadAlert™ makes an automated phone call reminder to managers so they can follow up and close internet leads as soon as they happen
• Electronic signature capture and storage of payment receipts for SiteLink Merchant Services to improve audit trails and bring stores ever-closer to a paperless office
• Credit card integration for operators in the United Kingdom including built-in auto-bill, phone and online payments
• IP restrictions feature allows owners to precisely control Web Edition and myHub access
• Database optimization boosts the speed of SiteLink performance for an overall increase in user productivity

Strong momentum extends to Merchant Services

SiteLink Merchant Services, the payment processing solution embedded in SiteLink's self-storage management software, is rapidly expanding. Merchant Services launched in the UK and added hundreds of new clients in the United States to increase its base by nearly 50% in just one year, or to more than 3,500 total users. SiteLink Merchant Services remains the leading payment provider for SiteLink.

“SiteLink Merchant Services has built on the reputation of a first-class service operation,” said Sheryl Scott, SiteLink Merchant Services’ Chief Operating Officer. “Our clients appreciate being our top priority. We want their payment processing experience to be as streamlined as possible. In 2018, we look forward to significant enhancements to integrated merchant service features in SiteLink.”

SiteLink 2018

Ambitious plans are underway. Users can expect continuing enhancements of the popular SiteLink myHub with the goal to make it more full-featured than Web Edition. The SiteLink Certified Professional will grow to include more modules. The company is on track to expand its footprint in all markets around the globe.