need.a.space | Need a Space

Space is an asset that should be used appropriately in business

When stating a business, deciding on the right amount of stock is always a dilemma. You need supply to meet demand as far as possible, but if you spend too much on stock you can waste your budget on assets which just won’t budge so early in the organisations growth.

The one commodity any retail or online business will definitely need, is space. Space, itself may be a pretty dull subject on the surface, but the fact is, companies often thrive or die on how well they manipulate it.

We are of course talking more than just stock here. When a growing company needs to house machinery, people and offices, the cost of housing those assets need to be analysed so all falls within the budget and you are getting the best for your money at the same time.

Space really is serious…

Sometimes, the issue of space is not taken seriously enough and processes and systems can be blown apart by ill use of space. Take for instance an office block where a room is filled to the rafters with archive documents. Is this good use of space? Or where meeting rooms are not used to their full potential. Cancellations take place, but no-one is notified so the room goes unused. Then too much pressure is placed on meeting rooms which are used too often.

Stock will always be dependent upon demand at any one time and in certain industries there will be a need to make room for seasonal stock. Online and ecommerce companies, because they are often providing a wide display and variety of stock need to ensure there is space at certain times of the year which does not impinge on the smooth running and processes of the workforce.

So let’s look at some of the ways you can find that extra space you are looking for:

Space Utilisation

This is about looking at the space you have and determining whether the capacity is being used to its maximum. For instance, supposing you have a mixture of 20cm high and 30 cm high boxes and you have a storage space with floor space and 20 cm high shelving. To maximise space in the room you need to consider increasing shelving space by 10 cm or taking away the shelving. This is about considering space in relation to what you wish to store.

What is the best way to store your unique products?

This again comes back to adapting your storage space to the products you sell. Don’t forget there are great accessories on the market which allow much more freedom in how you arrange your products. For instance, a mobile shelving system can offer more capacity and increases of up to an incredible 95 per cent compared with a static shelving alternative.

Are you using that ceiling space?

Think vertically. Too often managers do not consider the enormous amount of space they have above shoulder height until they start getting in the really tall products. Use you shelving cleverly to maximise storage capacity.

And don’t forget us! Based in Canterbury we service all surrounding areas such as Faversham, Sittingbourne, and Herne Bay. We provide self-storage services for businesses and residential clients. Great security and access to your valuables when you need them, we can really streamline your business systems. To learn more click here

Secure mailbox company in Canterbury Kent

Even in the digital age of instant communications through social media, texts, video contact and email, we still rely heavily on our letterboxes. In fact, rather than them eventually becoming totally redundant, as some people believe, snail-mail, as it is often referred to, provides a service that digital communications often cannot. There will always be a need for signed contracts, legal documents, messages of celebration, business letters and assorted mails that need to be received and stored in paper form. Also, as much as we can attach small read-only documents to emails, packages are a totally different matter.

Don’t give up on snail-mail yet…

We tend to take the old letterbox very much for granted and almost as a relic from a prehistoric age. But that mailbox is essential for those parcels and important documents. The sad fact is – just like the digital world – they are not always safe. Businesses also need to be able to feel safe they can communicate within their industry networks and with their clients.

The problem of theft from mailboxes

If mail gets stolen you may not even know about it if it has been taken from your own front doorstep. In flats where there are many mailboxes for all the residents in the block there is always the fear that some of the mail will mysteriously go missing.

Need a secondary business mailbox?

Sometimes residents or businesses just need a secondary mailbox where they can redirect specialist post for whatever reason. For instance, it maybe that your business base does not lend itself to receive secure post. The solution to this is a separate mailbox in a specific location where you can pick up your mail on a regular basis.

With the onset of the recession and the rise in property rents, business now often share the same premises. This can cause confusion and chaos when mail is being delivered. A great solution for this is a secure mailbox at a secondary address. If we are within your location we can offer absolute security where you no longer have to wonder whether mail was delivered or not.

Need A Space secure mailboxes in Kent

At Need A Space in Canterbury we provide a service for both residential customers and businesses with our secure mailboxes. As a storage company offering space to individuals and businesses, we can provide services to anyone nationally and globally. Locally we can assist businesses throughout Canterbury, Faversham and Whitstable.

To contact us and learn more about our services, call us on 01227 751673 or fill in our contact form by clicking here

Getting rid of office clutter by Need A Space self-storage

I don’t look forward to facing my desk on a Friday morning. The first thing I will see is the in-box which has gradually expanded to overload over the past week, while the outbox slowly spreads itself menacingly over available space. If I am honest with myself, there is probably a few months of stuff hiding at the bottom of the pile which has gone from urgent to useless because it hasn’t been touched.

As much as this is about work overload on my part, it is also about how, even in a world where we should be keeping a keen eye on our uses of paper for the sake of sustainability issues, our processes and systems still seemed to get clogged up with read or unread material.

Online vs paper copy

Now, we are blessed with the internet and online communications, the need to put all documentation on paper is greatly reduced. If you receive an attachment by email, you can read it online. If you need to keep it for corporate reasons then it can also be stored on your computer or in the cloud.

However, we are still troubled with masses of paper on our desks. Some of it is meant to be owned in the form of a package. This would apply to information about a company perhaps, training manuals, or reports. It may be information that needs to be taken to and read at, up- and-coming conferences. It may be promotional materials which are better viewed physically than on the web.

The outbox is more important than you think

Some of it you need to keep and some of it could do with shredding. But as my outbox often signifies (all the documents will need to be filtered as to where they go next), that part of the process, because it is low on the must do list, often gets left and never happens.

Perhaps it’s the outbox that is the problem? In a sense, the outbox has no urgency, and sometimes it seems like the stuff within it does not really have anywhere to go. We need it because it just gives us a warm feeling of all the work we have done!

Bin the outbox!

Let’s get rid of the outbox. When we deal with documents from the inbox we should send them on their way there and then. Either they are going to filing or they are going to shredding. Simple. A cleaner desk – streamlined processes.

So, then we come to the filing. Even though we have now reached the stage where you can sign documents online they are not officially accepted in most circles as official, legal documents. Also, there always will be documents which need to be kept in paper form such as Tax documents, financial documents, contracts, client files, certificates and legal documents.

Filing, archive and office storage space

So when documents are needed to be kept for many years, we come to archive. Both these factors – filing and archive – can have a massive impact on office space. We are obviously not just referring to your out-box here. We are talking about losing whole rooms to filing and archive. Clearly the work space you have in your company is one of your company’s greatest assets and it could be going to waste as we speak.

At Need A Space self-storage, we offer secure units where you can save your business archive at highly competitive rates. Based near Canterbury we service areas such as Faversham, Herne Bay and Sittingbourne. We also have companies from London using our storage sapce as they find storing outside of London is great deal cheaper. To find out more about what we offer click here

How self-storage can boost your business

At Need A Space we like to think we are providing storage not just for domestic users but for Kent and London businesses as well. We know from customers feedback that offering our self-storage service has a knock-on effect in their organizational processes. It’s not just about finding that extra bit of space at competitive rates. This is about streamlining internal processes in order to innovate systems in the work place – saving money, time and creating new opportunities.

How does this happen?

An invisible evil

For many businesses, space can be an invisible evil that insidiously drains money available time and money – and if not properly attended to, it can waste physical assets and processes. For instance, a room that is full of archived material could be used as an extra meeting room or an extension which streamlines in-house systems. When a room is left idle because systems are not picking up on how that room is being used, it is money flying out of the window.

London based

Here in Kent we can offer London firms an extra facility. Self-storage in our capital city is going to be expensive. Based in Canterbury, and close to London we can offer organisations a big reduction in cost when storing business valuables and commodities and easy access.

Seasonal

Companies which have a seasonal element to their work often store commodities, tools and paraphernalia at own depots or offices. This can often create a great strain on useable assets. Space used to store could perhaps be used in a better way for current processes and seasonal activities. A self-storage facility enables management to re-direct some of those overflow materials to a place where they can be held and accessed easily when the time is right.

Sales

Everyday salespeople often have to transport a great deal of presentation materials when they are on the road. There will often be a need to chop and change what they are transporting in relation to the pitch they are making and space available. They may also be visiting different catchment areas. Self-storage allows equipment to be kept in different catchment areas and easy access to specific materials at the beginning of the day.

Internet companies

E commerce is so big now, but even though everything happens online there is clearly a need for storage for stock outside of everyday processes. Need A Space offers great storage facilities to help you keep control of that overflow stock.

Looking for storage space in Faversham Canterbury or Herne Bay? To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage can help businesses in Kent and the London area click here

Powering your spring clean with self-storage

Here we go! Spring has sprung, Easter is just around the corner, and we are all coming, hermit-like out of our winter recesses. We are already enjoying the fabulous weather, watching the snowdrops daffodils and tulips brighten our gardens and its almost as if we are filled with a new energy to get outside and explore the world.

But hold on… just before you go…

As much as this is an invigorating time of the year, it is also a time to clear up that unwieldly mess we have been living in through the bleak months of the cold season. Spring cleaning time. And the sooner we can get it finished – the better.

Let’s have a look at a few tips – but even better than that, let’s look at ways to make spring cleaning easier the next time it rears its ugly head on the calendar.

Extra shelves

How often have we said we need extra shelves for all those clothes that end up on the floor? Or because we haven’t got the shelves, it is so difficult to find the clothes we need – then everything just ends up in chaos. Create space by dividing your shelves with dividers. Then you can really start storing your clothes methodically – easy to get to – easy to put away.

Stop storing the stuff you will not need

We all have a touch of the hoarder in us. Unfortunately, this means tidying and storage can be a real nightmare when there is not the space at home. This is a time for real honesty. Is it something you will use again? Ask yourself why you are holding on to a commodity? This does not necessarily mean the rubbish bin calls. Boot sales can be fun (and you can make a bit of money), sell it online or you can give useful stuff to charity.

Finding extra space

None of us have infinite space. However, self-storage facilities can offer storage of precious valuables for set periods at reasonable costs. If you have storage facilities already you could tidy up by putting some valuables here.

Make spring cleaning fun

There’s no doubt spring cleaning is a chore but to get through it you need to get into the right mindset. Think of it as a time when you can also have a bit of fun. Put on your favourite music CD’s, use it as a way to get great exercise, when you’re stuck in one place in the house, put on your favourite DVD to kill the monotony.

Keep to a schedule

This is all about creating order – so you need to be organised yourself. Create a schedule when you will commit to certain tasks. If you finish those tasks early – give yourself a reward. Try not to be distracted by telephone calls and friends calling to the house. You are not just doing a spot of house cleaning – you are doing an important task that has to be completed. To keep to a schedule a checklist is absolutely essential!

Looking for storage space in Faversham Canterbury or Herne Bay? To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage can help businesses in Kent and the London area click here