Software for the self storage industry

Paul Hardcastle, of Excel Self Storage, describes his quest to find the right software for his business, and how he found it in GrenSoft’s StoreTracer.

At Excel Self Storage in Huddersfield (www.excelselfstorage.co.uk) we found it virtually impossible to manage our expanding business without software – and I believe that all new storage companies will at some point need to invest in the right software to further advance their business.

The quest for software that fits

Finding the right software is very time-consuming and a minefield full of pitfalls, at a time when all your focus should be spent on building your new business up. At the point where Excel Self Storage needed software, we did the usual thing by searching through Google and the Internet for the appropriate solution to our problem, but quickly realised the enormous task we faced.

After weeks of searching and literally hundreds of emails, we were even more confused and still no further towards finding the right software.

The main problems with most of the software available are

(a) that it is too expensive and riddled with hidden extras;

(b) way too complicated (often requiring additional PC capacity);

(c) developed for the European/US markets and not the UK.

StoreTracer to the rescue

After weeks of stress, we got to the point which I’m sure countless other storage operators have reached before, where we were just about to sign for anything. Then in desperation I searched a little deeper and found GrenSoft’s StoreTracer (www.grensoft.co.uk/StoreTracer/index.htm).

At first, due to the extremely low price and no-nonsense design, I very nearly clicked right past it, but seeing a UK telephone contact number and a Lincolnshire address, and being quite desperate at that point, I thought I’d give it a try and was very surprised to hear the friendly voice of Richard Worth at the other end.

Right from that first call I knew I had found what we were looking for. The people at GrenSoft are fantastic, always there for advice and open to any suggestions for improvements to the program.

Among the many advantages of StoreTracer is the fact that it is so easy to use and requires only the most basic of computers to run. The software has a low price of £175.00 with no additional fees; updates and support are free.

Keeping track of arrivals and departures, payments due, rollovers etc, used to be a full-time job before we introduced StoreTracer; now all this information is available with just a few clicks of the mouse.

It would be an overstatement to say StoreTracer changed my life, but it has certainly made it a whole lot easier.

Paul Hardcastle — Excel Self Storage (www.excelselfstorage.co.uk)

One Response to “Software for the self storage industry”

1. Storage Price Comparison says:

   October 26, 2011 at 2:47 pm

   Very interesting piece of software!

   Be good to know how many other storage companies use this.