How Space4You cut admin by 80% and built a 24/7 self storage business

80% less admin time | 24/7 online booking | Digital-first growth across Europe

"Stora connects the entire customer journey in one workflow and removes friction."

Finn-Kristof Kausch, Managing Director

Who are Space4You?

Space4You operates multiple modern self storage facilities across Germany and Switzerland, built around a fully digital customer journey, from online booking through to access and ongoing support.

Founded in 2016 by Finn-Kristof Kausch, the business started with a single site of around 60 units in Bremerhaven.

Finn came from the hotel industry, where he saw first-hand how automation and digital access were redefining customer expectations. He saw how guests could book rooms online, check-in digitally and even open their hotel room doors via an app.

Seamless, self-serve experiences were already becoming standard in hospitality. So when he entered the self storage industry, he noticed a clear gap. In many cases, processes were still manual, reliant on paperwork, office hours and physical handovers.

Finn believed self storage customers should experience the same level of convenience and flexibility as hotel guests. E.g. The ability to book instantly, access their space without friction and complete the entire process digitally.

He set out to build Space4You around that principle: apply hotel-level digital standards to self storage and create an experience that is modern, automated and available whenever the customer needs it.

From the beginning, the goal was to build a scalable operation that could grow without becoming admin-heavy.

The Challenge

As the business moved from launch phase into day-to-day operations, the reality of running a growing self storage site became clear. What started as a manageable workload quickly evolved into a growing list of repetitive administrative tasks. Every new enquiry, every new customer and every move-in added more manual work to the team's plate.

As the business developed, those manual processes quickly became the bottleneck. Enquiries, offers, contracts and invoicing all required too many manual steps which increased admin workload with every move-in.

Finn recognised that if Space4You was going to scale, then he'd need to get rid of the manual processes that were slowing down his operation.

He needed a system that could:

• Connect the entire customer journey in one place
• Reduce manual admin
• Shorten the time from enquiry to paid booking
• Support growth without increasing headcount

His ambition was to have an automated workflow that runs continuously, even outside office hours.

Pain points before Stora

• Manual handling of enquiries, offers and contracts
• Repetitive invoicing and admin tasks
• Operational friction slowing down move-ins
• Limited ability to scale efficiently

The Solution

As Space4You prepared for multi-site growth, Finn was looking for a platform that could support a fully digital operating model. That's where Stora became central to the strategy.

With Stora in place, Space4You transformed its operations into a fully connected, automated workflow. Long gone are the days of spreadsheets and manual bookkeeping.

Customers can now book online, at any time. In fact, Finn discovered that many bookings happen on Sunday evenings when customers are at home thinking about needing more space.

Instead of waiting for staff, they can now complete the booking instantly.

Customers can access their units instantly after booking, thanks to integration with Sensorberg's smart access system. Access rights are automatically granted upon booking and revoked when a customer moves out or fails to pay their fees. Secure entry is provided via the One Access App on smartphones, or through PIN or NFC cards using the One Access Kiosk tablets located within the facility.

Thanks to Stora, the entire customer journey now runs in one easy-to-use system, from booking to contract signing, ID verification, and payments. Creating a more streamlined customer experience, while giving the team full visibility and materially reducing manual intervention.

The Results

Since implementing Stora, Space4You has significantly improved both efficiency and scalability.

Administrative time per move-in has been reduced by around 80%, because what once required manual effort now runs automatically in the background.

This has enabled the business to:

• Handle more customers with the same team size
• Convert enquiries into paid bookings faster
• Spend more time on high-quality support instead of admin
• Operate a true 24/7 booking model

By removing friction from both the customer journey and internal processes, Space4You has built a lean, scalable operating model that now supports multiple sites across Germany and Switzerland.

Looking Ahead

Technology underpins Space4You's growth strategy, and one of the company's key goals is expanding its third-party management platform across the German and Austrian markets. This will mean professionally managing self storage sites on behalf of property owners.

Delivering this at scale requires consistent, standardised processes. With Stora as the operational backbone, Space4You has built a model that supports expansion without adding operational complexity.

What began as a small site in Bremerhaven is now a growing, digitally driven multi-site operation powered by automation and built for scale.

Q&A

How has Stora benefited your business overall?

Stora connects the full customer journey within one automated workflow. The value comes from the system operating as a whole, with online booking, automated contracts and integrated payments working together to reduce admin and accelerate conversion.

By cutting admin time per move-in by around 80%, we can handle more customers with the same team size and focus on delivering high-quality support instead of processing paperwork.

What impact has 24/7 online booking had?

It's had a significant impact. We see a high volume of bookings in the evenings and over the weekend. When customers realise they need storage, they don't want to wait until the office opens on Monday.

Because the system runs continuously, they can complete the full booking there and then.

What are your thoughts on automation in self storage?

If you want to grow without constantly increasing admin staff, you need automated streamlined processes. Digital workflows remove friction for both customers and operators.

For us, technology is the foundation of a modern self storage business.

What advice would you give operators who want to grow?

Think long term from day one. Choose a system that connects booking, contracts, entry access and payments into one workflow. If processes are fragmented or manual, then scaling becomes complicated.

If you want consistent quality while expanding, you need automation at the core of your business.

Get a free Stora demo today to discover how our platform can support and effortlessly grow your self storage business.