If you’re wondering what exactly parking management is, you’re in the right place.
To put it simply, parking management is, well, the way a parking lot is managed. More specifically, it refers to the ways in which you can manage parking lots using various innovative technologies or systems.
The need for a focussed approach to parking management is because of the significant increase the world’s population has experienced. In fact, by 2045 the world’s population is set to exceed the 9 billion mark.
In accordance with that growth, the number of vehicles on the road may be as many as 2 billion. All of that means more parking space needed or, more accurately, more efficient use of parking spaces.
Physically managing parking spaces can be both time consuming and incredibly inefficient in today’s modern context. Management systems like Wayleaders car park management system can help a business with this because it enables a business to reduce the amount they spend on parking and maximize the utility of their parking spaces.
Hotels, offices, malls, schools and just about every business that has a physical premises relies on efficient use of parking spaces. Poorly managed parking can have a negative effect on not only customers but employees and management as well.
So it’s important to get it right.
Parking Management: Everything you need to know
When it comes to parking management, there are a few ways organizations have gone about managing their lots using various systems. Once you know more about them, it becomes a lot easier to decide which one you currently have and which one may suit your parking space going forwards.
Office-based systems
Office based processes were some of the worst options when it comes to parking management. Security concerns, obstructive parking and allocated parking spots were all hallmarks of how dysfunctional this process was.
As it stands, with advances in technology, office-centric parking solutions or employee parking software are the fastest-growing segment of parking management software.
Making use of these software based advances allow companies to increase the capacity of parking lots, without necessarily increasing the number of spaces they have.
Manual systems
The most basic type of car park management system.
When you imagine a parking lot, if you imagine a person in a booth, keeping an eye on who goes in and out or the parking lot, this is the system you’re thinking of. They’re low tech and usually require cash to use.
The process to use and enter a parking lot using this system is relatively simple. When someone enters and exits the parking lot, a staff member accepts payment while issuing a paper ticket to check entry and exit. This person also supervises the car park and uses a ledger or computer to track these coming and goings.
The downside to this is that it’s resource heavy and susceptible to corruption and human error. Manual record keeping is not generally the ideal solution to anything in the 21st century and this method is quickly fading away.
Hardware focused systems
Over the past few decades, this method has become an increasingly integrated part of parking at most malls and offices. They’re generally run by independent car park operators and are also known as “pay-to-use” car parks. They rely on machines that issue a driver a ticket on entrance, which is later used by another machine to tell drivers how much they need to pay for their stay. Large barriers, gates or booms serve to limit access to the lots.
While this is great in terms of efficiency, as well as data collection, the machines themselves are expensive pieces of hardware and often require a local member of staff on hand in case there are any difficulties.
Software focused systems
In terms of modernization, software focused car parks are definitely the future.
Drivers today are looking for smoother parking experiences and park managers are looking to reduce the cost of parking equipment. That’s why software-focused parking management solutions are seen as ideal.
The ability to provide drivers with the ability to make online payments and use self-service booking are the goal these days. They enable drivers to pay using their smartphones, credit cards, and direct debits. The software is also capable of monitoring and reporting overstay and illegal parking as well as linking entry and exit of a car park to smartphones or license places.
And whatever data hardware focused systems can provide, software focused software can do just as much in terms of providing real-time reporting. If the software is advanced enough, this data can also be accessed via the cloud which saves parking lot managers time and increases their accessibility.
While car parks are increasingly shifting from hardware focus to a more digital focus, hybrid parking management systems are the more used systems.
At least for the immediate future.
Benefits of parking management
- Reduces traffic congestion: Traffic congestion is a major concern in today’s world, especially in urban areas and cities. Good parking management enables customers to avoid parking at other locations or wait forever in queue. At peak hours this can cause long queues, which can be a source of frustration for both business owners and drivers who may wind up waiting hours before they can leave. A properly designed system enables employees to access the facility without hassle.
- Improves customer convenience: Simply put, customers want convenience when visiting businesses. Easy access is a valid concern for many customers and if customers have to wait to access your premises or park elsewhere to get to you, they’re unlikely to be return customers. Having an efficient parking system makes sure that they get the convenience they demand and you get their business as customers.
- Improves security: Poor parking systems are a safety hazard. If your parking spaces aren’t properly organized, there’s an increased risk of theft. Parking lots can often be seen as easy targets. To improve your lots security, things like 24/7 cameras can be installed as well as sensors that detect whether anyone has entered a particular zone. This tech can also be used to show available spots to save drivers time.
- Increases employee satisfaction: Employee satisfaction is incredibly important to employers these days and can have a noticeable effect on productivity. Efficient parking lots can help lower the stress workers feel when trying to find a parking spot near work. Having employees know that they’ll always have a safe place to park will help give them increased peace of mind which can only ever be a good thing.
- Reduced maintenance costs: Maintaining a parking system is an ongoing process. It can be extremely costly to repair a parking space or lot if maintenance isn’t regularly completed. Good parking management can help ensure this and help you organize regular inspections. It can also save you time and money by preventing you from fixing something that doesn’t need to be fixed to begin with.
- Complete control: One thing about modern-day parking systems is how versatile they are. Because they offer advanced features like remote controls, you can manage multiple lots simultaneously. This lets you allocate different types of vehicles to various locations based on demand. For instance, you might assign large trucks to busy routes while smaller models are used for less popular destinations.
- Access to data: Systems that use hardware or software integrations allow you to keep automatic track about the number of cars that use a parking space and calculate peak times as well as whether or not you need to adjust your pricing.
- Convenient payment options: With increasing tech integration, there are more and more ways to pay for parking. A great parking management system will offer more than one option depending on your clientele. A purely cash based system in an uptown area may not be the best option, just as a mobile payment only option in underprivileged areas may not work so well.
Final Thoughts
With populations increasing around the world and increased urbanization, managing your parking is increasingly vital.
Although different organizations in different areas may require different management solutions, the overall goal is the same. Good parking should be simple, secure and make the most of the space you have to offer.
Integrating parking software is able to provide your business with this and more. If you want your business to succeed and grow return customers, it’s important to take their parking needs into account.