Fast, Easy and Effective Audits: 3 Ways Management Software Makes it Happen

The audit process is more than looking at facts and figures – it’s also about knowing that your procedures are being followed, checking that operations are running as smoothly as possible and finding out where changes need to made. All of this helps make sure goals are achieved and your business is moving in the direction you want.

Management software can help with audits in countless ways – dependable reports, custom walkthrough lists, and electronic lease generation are just a few examples. Here are 3 common audits where having the right management software can save you time and money:

1. Lock audit

A lock audit, or physical walk-through or your facility, verifies that units are locked based on a store’s business rules. SiteLink self-storage management software sorts units in physical order as you walk driveways and halls – no need to search through pages for each unit number. Check unit status at a glance and make sure everything matches up. Verify past due tenants should be in fact overlocked. Units that are listed as vacant should in real life look ready to rent. Units that show as rented are indeed rented, etc. Walk-through audits also grade a facility's overall appearance, cleanliness and adherence to local laws and fire codes.

If you’re using a mobile platform such as SiteLink myHub, you can complete an interactive walk-through report right on your phone or tablet. Enter unit and tenant notes and change unit status as you walk the facility. Double-click a unit for more information; instantly change a unit to rentable or even remove an overlock if appropriate. MyHub is designed for convenience and mobility and uses the same database as Web Edition (you can be confident your data is up-to-date).

2. Lease audit

Searching for paper leases stored in file cabinets and banker boxes can be a frustrating, time-consuming task – one that some may even avoid because it can be overwhelming. Management software can now store and organize all signed leases, credit card receipts and other associated documents and make them available with one click. Using electronic documents saves time matching rented units with proper lease agreements. With the lease audit on hand, all the required information to reconcile your leases is at your fingertips.

You can easily conduct a lease audit from anywhere with electronically signed leases, to save you loads of time, especially if you own several facilities. Electronic signature capture and storage includes not just leases but forms like military status, insurance protection, hold harmless agreements, auto-pay authorizations, credit card receipts and change of address and are instantly viewable in your management software.

3. Credits issued and discount reports

Use your management software to see who, how, when and why someone issues credits and discounts. These reports prompt owners to question credits and discounts and make sure everyone follows established protocols. Are there credits without a typical explanation? Is there something else going on? Was bad debt written off–and should it have been?

Discounts reports provide insight into whether policies are followed and clues to explain decreased revenue. Why are certain customers receiving discounts? Is someone getting rent for free? This keeps the dialogue alive to ensure all employees handle policies and procedures correctly and consistently. These reports can decrease improprieties, unnecessary discounting and improperly executed leases to help uncover hidden profit potential and reach peak performance.

SiteLink Web Edition and myHub have all the tools you need to audit your facility effectively, and the 3 examples above are just a start. To learn more about auditing and the advantage of using your management software in the audit process, watch our 2-part in-depth webinar series, available on-demand:

Auditing Part 1 - Site Level Audits Using SiteLink Web Edition

Auditing Part 2 - Corporate Level Audits Using Corporate Control Center

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