Business success comes from thinking inside the box for TAXIBOX founder

On a first glance, the world of storage solutions might not seem particularly exciting or an industry with scope for innovation, but for Ben Cohn, CEO of TAXIBOX, a simple idea to address a common problem led to significant business success.

“Storage in the traditional market creates inconvenience for the customer – hiring a truck and getting your belongings from A to B,” Cohn tells us. 

“TAXIBOX resolves this without creating more complications to the problem: storage is delivered directly to the customer, they pack at their own pace, and have it redelivered when they need their belongings back. Simple problem, simple solution.”

Since launching in 2010, TAXIBOX has helped thousands of customers access savvy storage solutions that meet their needs. They’ve also partnered with some of the biggest not-for-profits to help them keep things moving, including OzHarvest, the Australian Red Cross, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

“We’ve had the opportunity to be highly creative and innovative and create an incredible brand. That’s been extremely rewarding,” says Cohn.

Tapping into a vital gap in the market

A visit to the US highlighted an urgent gap in the Australian market regarding accessible, functional storage solutions.

“The idea hatched after a trip to the US. The storage market in the US is huge compared to Australia and mobile storage was starting out. We applied this model in Australia and have had huge success, disproportionally to what the mobile storage experience in the US has been. The difference in experience is that we’ve built the category in Australia and have competed head-on with storage on pricing, whereas the mobile storage companies in the US have charged a premium for the delivery service,” advises Cohn.

Although there was a gap, Cohn admits there was still some pretty big competition within the existing market from businesses who’d been offering storage for much longer. The answer? Elevating customer service experiences with technology advancements.

“Moving, renovating, and selling a home is all part of life’s most stressful experiences. Because of this, we could see that the entire storage industry needed to be refreshed into a less stressful experience by creating a customer-focused self-storage service,” says the founder. 

“We had innovative ideas to transform the self-storage paradigm into a more customer-focused concept of ‘mobile storage’ that appealed to a growing consumer desire for on-demand access to products and services, convenience, and an amazing, transparent and easy online experience.”

Big risks - big pay off

Shifting focus onto the customer, their experience, and their needs has helped TAXIBOX become a significant player in the storage industry across Australia according to Cohn.

“Knowing your target market and what that audience is looking for allows you to take risks that will pay off as a business,” explains Ben. 

“Our customers look for the personality we promote when they book with us – whether in our emails, our online booking flow, or in a conversation with a TAXIBOX team member when they need a hand. 

“Our customer journey is designed with that target market in mind, creating no need to look elsewhere for what they’re after.”

The TAXIBOX model offers an innovative technological solution that helps customers understand exactly what type and size of storage they’ll need. This helps them to save both time and money.

“Most customers find their experience with booking storage confusing and unclear, in terms of how much they’re going to be paying and how much space they’re going to need,” explains Ben. 

“Thanks to innovative tech and a user-friendly website experience, our customer journey is seamless, paired with real people who answer the phone when you need customer support. It’s what all customers are looking for when they need storage: transparency.”

All about the brand

Something essential for Ben from the start was a focus on delivering a complete, quality customer experience. Finding the right team has been crucial in building the TAXIBOX brand and reputation for delivering exemplary customer service.

“The real success comes from creating an excellent customer experience, made possible by having an incredible team of humans behind the scenes making it all happen,” says Cohn.

Investing in the customer journey this way is not just a here-and-now benefit for Cohn - he sees it as a vital component of future success.

“Reputable brands that are trusted generally weather the storm better than those that have built a business on extracting margin and not treating their customers well,” Cohn advises. 

“We believe the goodwill built by our company helps protect it during tougher economic times.”