Twilio > Case Studies > storEDGE Revolutionizes Lead Generation in Self-Storage Industry with Twilio-Powered Call Tracking

storEDGE Revolutionizes Lead Generation in Self-Storage Industry with Twilio-Powered Call Tracking

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services

Applicable Industries

Buildings
Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Facility Management
Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Inventory Management
Speech Recognition

About The Customer

storEDGE, a company of Red Nova Labs, is a trusted web-marketing platform for over 5,000 storage facilities. Founded in 2009, storEDGE selected Twilio as the foundation for its solutions that help self-storage operators quantify the efficiency of their marketing campaigns and increase occupancy. Today, the company delivers a comprehensive set of solutions built on Twilio. storEDGE is the first self-storage business management software that also incorporates lead management information. The cloud-based solution provides all customer-related account data, including payment and collections status, before a call is answered, and logs call recordings directly with the tenant's file.

The Challenge

The self-storage industry was grappling with outdated lead generation methods, such as Yellow Pages listings, which were not only expensive but also difficult to measure in terms of effectiveness. The industry heavily relied on phone calls, accounting for 90% of their leads, but a majority of these did not convert into reservations. Without concrete data to manage the lifecycle of leads, self-storage companies were left to make educated guesses to maximize their marketing ROI. This was particularly challenging for independent operators who needed a data-driven approach to track leads from the initial phone call to the final move-in.

The Solution

storEDGE partnered with Twilio to provide self-storage facilities with innovative call tracking tools to ensure that web page leads convert to phone calls, and phone calls convert to revenue-generating reservations. Using Twilio Voice, storEDGE built call tracking and call recording functionality into its online directory. The solution automatically identifies the location and assigns a unique local phone number to the storage facility, which is then listed on the StorageFront site. Each dedicated phone number captures analytics that measure the effectiveness of each listing, such as the number of leads generated, number of calls received, and length of calls. storEDGE also provides a downloadable mp3 file of each call, which storage facility managers can use to monitor sales and the quality of service provided. storEDGE is also considering using Twilio for outbound calling and SMS features, such as client bill reminders or pay-by-text.

Operational Impact

With Twilio's robust API and comprehensive documentation, storEDGE was able to build user-friendly products without needing to contact Twilio support. The development team built their internal communications tool in just five weeks; subsequent products required an average of only two weeks of development. storEDGE did not have to hire a senior developer, saving the company tens of thousands of dollars in initial development alone. Twilio's platform also provided storEDGE with peace of mind due to its impressive performance. Furthermore, Twilio's scalability allowed storEDGE to purchase a dedicated number for every new listing, regardless of growth rate. After implementing their call tracking solution built on Twilio, storEDGE clients found that 95% of all leads were calls, which storEDGE could accurately track and use to justify their clients' marketing spend.

Quantitative Benefit