Boat and RV Winter Storage Tips

As the warmer months are drawing to a close, it’s time for boats and RVs to return to their vehicle storage facility to wait out the winter. All across America, boat and RV storage customers are heading to their units to store their “toys” until spring arrives!

As a boat and RV storage owner/operator, it’s important to put yourself in the shoes of your customers. What amenities could you offer that would make their storage experience exceptional during this season of the year? Are your patrons receiving the best customer service available? By paying attention to the needs of your client base, you can catapult yourself far ahead of the competition.

Let’s take a look at the top 4 amenities you should be offering at your boat and RV storage facility as winter storage kicks off:

1. Tire Inflation. Offering free compressed air for inflating boat and RV tires can be a great way to make your customers’ lives easier! Making sure tires are inflated before lying dormant for the winter is important in avoiding a flat by the time spring rolls around. Being able to quickly fill up their tires on site means they can finish their storage duties quickly, and get on with their day!
   
   
2. Offer Oil for Sale. Part of thorough wintertime storage prep includes changing the oil in boats and RVs. If you offer oil for sale at your facility, your customers could quickly access this important element if they forgot to bring their own, and change the oil while they’re at your facility.
   
   
3. Wash and go. After a full day on the water, boats need to be washed down in order to remove dirt and corrosive particles before being placed back in storage, especially for upcoming months at a time. Having hoses and soap available to your patrons can make their lives easier as they wash off the dirt before winter.
   
   
4. Vehicle charging stations. Offering 15 or 30 amp electrical stations for your customers can help keep their motor vehicles charged up to eliminate the stress of a low battery.

Aside from these amenities, it’s also important to take a look at the core foundations of your facility. Do you have power-operated roll-up commercial doors for larger units? Are there wide drive aisles that allow renters to easily maneuver their vehicles? What about pull-through or back-in space access for easy access to the units? It’s also worth considering the standard size of your units in relation to the items that customers can fit in those spaces.

Another element to consider is security. If tenants are trusting you to keep their investments safe, you need to have set measures in place to protect the items they store at your facility. Does your business offer 24-hour access to renters? If so, make sure you have a security gate at the front of the facility with secure keypad access. Security isn’t an area that should suffer the short end of your budget!

Providing a few (or all) of these features to your boat and RV storage tenants can set your facility apart in terms of quality and customer satisfaction. If you focus on making life just a little bit easier for your clients, you’re sure to find positive feedback and customer loyalty.