Enabling convenient parking and mobility experiences across your facilities.

4.5 min read

When it comes to providing a pleasant customer experience, convenience is essential.

As time has become one of our most precious commodities, consumer decisions are increasingly prioritizing ease and opting for convenience over price.

This is what consumer trends in 2021 have taught us for 2022—convenience has the number one impact on consumer behaviour—and this includes where we choose to park. From the time we plan our commute to the moment we park, we expect a safe, easy and fast experience.

As we head into this new year, now is the time to assess our parking programs to ensure they are equipped with technologies and services that save customers time and effort. Below are five ways to do just that:

1. Offer quick, easy and touch-free payment options such as scan-to-pay or tap-and-go.

Contactless payments were developed with one mission: never sacrificing security for convenience. Payment ease remains a top priority for parking operators, like you, who wish to provide a convenient parking experience for their visitors.

The most common form of contactless payment, tap-and-go, enables visitors to pay, park, and proceed easily. However, mobile scan-to-pay platforms have become a preferred mode of payment as they eliminate the need to use a credit card or download a mobile app, enabling customers to pay from their device easily.

2. Integrate technologies that will directly enhance the end-user mobility experience.

To create a genuinely convenient parking experience for your customers, it is essential to consider various parking technologies that will directly enhance end-user mobility.

Offering technologies such as parking guidance systems enabling customers to locate an available parking space quickly, or providing virtual customer assistance to safely assist customers from a distance; leveraging license plate recognition to eliminate lost ticket challenges and inspire frictionless experiences, to providing accessible parking pay stations to ensure equal opportunity for everyone. The latest advancements in technologies will ensure your customer's needs continue to be met throughout each point in their parking experience.

3. Ensure your parking facility is easy to locate, both online and offline.

When it comes to parking signage, strategic placement is everything. Having clear, concise, and easily readable wayfinding signage is critical for easy navigation and seamless traffic flow throughout your parking facility. But why not take it one step further? Developing a Search Engine Optimization (SEO)-friendly online presence that coincides with your facility will attract customers who prefer to plan their parking ahead of time.

4. Maintain a parking facility that feels safe. 

As a parking operator, it is vital to ensure your parking facility is well-maintained and safe at all times. More often than not, customers will choose to park at a facility they know is safe, well-lit and maintained.

Conducting frequent onsite walk-throughs or monitoring the well-being of your parking facility remotely to ensure your parking facility remains in a safe and operational condition is vital.

5. Offer amenities to transform your parking facility into a mobility hub.

Your parking facility doesn’t just have to be a place to park—it can become a destination. Your customers can save time and accomplish their daily to-do's, all under one roof, by integrating last-mile services such as electric vehicle charging stations, package pick-up stations, restaurants and car wash services.

Today, customers gravitate towards parking facilities that offer ease, convenience, and an overall safe experience. Equipping your parking facility with the technologies and services mentioned above will make your parking program easier to manage and achieve your goal of providing a convenient parking service—it's a win-win for everyone. 

References

Growing emphasis on convenience for today's consumers. Business Wire. (2020, January 14). Retrieved December 17, 2021, from

PricewaterhouseCoopers. (n.d.). Canadian consumer insights 2021. PwC. Retrieved December 17, 2021, from

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Parking signage & wayfinding - precise ParkLink: Parking management services. Precise ParkLink | Parking Management Services. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2021, from /ps-parking-facility-signage-services.

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