Outside storage may be a required option for businesses for several reasons, such as not enough space in the office or high priced real estate that makes using the space for storage not worthwhile. Storage space in an office building costs the same per square foot as the rental of the office itself. The option of public storage is a perfect solution for these businesses as it is not as expensive. self storage is a good idea if your business is in need of larger storage space – this solution provides security for your goods and is financially less expensive. Outside storage can be a suitable choice for most types of companies, from law offices to medical practices.
Outside storage offers both a cost effective and convenient solution for storing such items as:
Files
Office furniture
Any type of excess stock
Marketing presentations
Miscellaneous office equipment
Computers
Electronic equipment
Musical instruments
Pianos
Many businesses have a record storage retention policy which determines how long each record must be kept. It is advisable to check for such a policy or any other such regulations before storing items from the workplace. Many of the records may not be valid any longer and can be destroyed.
When inquiring about storage for your business you should also find out if there are fixed days and hours during which you can come and collect items you may need, and whether it is necessary to give notice beforehand. This is important to know if you are planning to store essential business documents for instance.
All warehouse operators have to give you a $0.30 per pound minimum insurance at no extra cost. You may feel that a supplemental insurance above the minimum granted by the warehouse is necessary; it is advisable to review your company's insurance policy before taking a final decision, as there might already be a clause that covers goods in storage.
Security arrangements should be a primary concern when inquiring about storage, and to get a clear picture of the security layout in the warehouse some key questions should be asked, such as:
Is there 24 hour security coverage?
Are there any CCTV’s?
Has the building got fire alarms?
Has the building got burglar alarms?
You may also want to ask if access cards or keys will be provided to you and if so who else will have them?
The next important issue to find out about should be regarding temperature and humidity control in the storage units. Though this will cost extra it is worthwhile in the long run for businesses that have climate sensitive goods to store. It will protect your goods while in storage and their condition will remain unchanged from that on the day they were stored. For instance, paper files must not be stored in a space with high humidity as this is the single biggest cause of damage to paper products. Therefore, they must be stored in a humidity controlled environment in order to protect them.
Among the extra services offered by many warehouse operators that work mainly with large companies is packing, loading, transporting to your storage unit, and unloading the items straight into the unit. Although an additional fee is warranted for these services it is a worthwhile option to have the warehouse employees carry out the work at a lower cost, rather than having your highly paid workers do it.
It is advisable to check with the storage company if a bulk discount may be feasible in cases such as your company or sister company already using outside storage with them, and to also check whether a contract already exists between your company and them for discounted competitive rates.