As the experience of parking evolves, the focus continues to shift toward the overall “customer journey”. Parking technology continues to transform the customer parking experience and create multiple opportunities for owners and operators to enhance their customer service and tailor the experience to the unique needs and desires of their specific customer base.

Mobile parking applications now enable people to locate, navigate to, and pay for available parking. They also allow users to extend their parking session, so they no longer have to rush back to their vehicle before getting a ticket. Further, prospective customers can also in many cases now reserve a parking space at their parking facility of choice.

Touchless parking solutions provide a much more convenient off-street parking experience. Parking facilities can sometimes be a stressful experience for prospective parkers, even though they offer a quicker experience and more space volume than the search for street parking. But touchless parking allows parkers to quickly enter a facility, find their space, and complete their payment at their convenience. For valet facilities, this also provides them with the opportunity to call for their vehicle ahead of time so it’s ready when they return.

Another effective customer service feature is effective marketing. Owners and operators can now create customized promotions, utilize analytics to understand their customer behaviors, and target specific customers with promotions that will be most attractive to them.  

Parking owners and operators now have numerous options to increase their customer service and improve the overall experience of their users. However, it is essential that each operator identify the solutions, and combinations thereof, that best support their specific user types. Universities, Healthcare institutions, municipalities, and private operators all support different customers with different needs and expectations. It is important that each identifies the technologies and solutions to effectively enhance their customer service and create a consistent, loyal customer base.