Valet storage now in Durban and at your fingertips

ON THE eve of its first birthday, South Africa’s only valet storage company, SpaceBox, has expanded its operations to Durban. At the same time, it has enhanced its user experience with a new-look website, a simplified but highly secure payment system and a new Space Creation application.

SpaceBox clients never have to leave their homes or offices to rent boxes to store personal belongings in a secure location – each step the consumer takes is done online.

The concept – popular abroad in New York, London and Hong Kong, where living space is at a premium – allows consumers to open up a virtual storage account, order the number of boxes they need, and have them delivered free to their homes or offices.

Once they have packed whatever they’re storing, they request a pick up.

“It’s an incredibly easy way to create space in your home or office, and declutter your life,” says chief executive and co-founder Hjalmar Venter.

The idea is gaining traction around the world as technology and great customer service transform the storage industry that has remained largely unchanged over many years.

“SpaceBox isn’t aimed at customers who want to store large objects, but at those who have lots of odds and ends who don’t want the hassle of shopping around to find lockers, find movers and boxes, and all the stress that goes with it.”

“Each Spacebox has a unique ID and barcode. You can take pictures of your boxes and upload them into the virtual catalogue with the corresponding box ID.”

SpaceBox belongs to the XtraSpace group, so benefits from its warehousing and security skills.

Security is a major concern for most South Africans, and Space Box has taken this seriously. The operational team undergoes rigorous training, supported by the latest warehousing and security equipment.

“Only authorised personnel know where ‘Spaceboxes’ are stored and are allowed entry,” says Venter. “That’s an important factor in our security plan. We also have an ADT security system, CCTV, 24-hour guard patrols and fire extinguishing equipment.”

The boxes are closed with tamper-proof seals in the customer’s presence, and stored protected from the elements.

“These values have shaped the enhancements to our valet-style storage service. We’re disrupting the self-storage industry with our unique offering, and doing the same with the accompanying payment, operational and administrative processes.”

The look and feel of the website has been upgraded with the improved flow, helping the user manage the site intuitively and offering instant answers to any questions they might have.

“Even the purchasing process is quick and painless. We’ve simplified online payments using powerful security enhanced authentication tools that very few e-commerce merchants offer.

“This enables us to deduct the storage rental subscription each month directly from our customers’ credit or debit cards. Not only does this result in increased online security, it shifts the risk of online purchases away from the customer and on to the merchant. It also makes debit order forms obsolete, saving time and reducing wasted paper.”

Venter says the company has moved to a completely paperless warehousing and distribution system resulting in further reduction of SpaceBox’s environmental footprint.

“We’ve also improved customer service satisfaction through instant automated communication. “Along with these improvements, we’ve added the Space Creation tool which helps the user to organise his or her personal physical environment. It’s free to anyone who registers on the website.”

The operation has grown since it launched in July 2015 both in terms of the team and the customer base. Venter says SpaceBox is a young company, not only in terms of its existence, but also the age of staff. “The team was recruited for their technical ability, a love for disruptive technology and are regarded as leaders in their fields.”

In keeping with its promise to run a sustainable business, SpaceBox’s free storage containers are made of commercial grade plastic that is sufficiently strong and is 100 percent recyclable.

“And at R59 per month, its value for money is apparent and living with clutter in a small space should no longer be an option.”