Parking Management Systems
Parking Management Systems
Full-Featured Parking Systems
LEARN MOREParking Managment Systems - Three Essentials!
The decision to invest in a quality parking management system that will let you collect data, generate reports, and manage your parking
facility is undeniably a good one. In addition to the basic software capabilities listed is is important that your system provider also gives you the following three options.
1. Is the System flexible enough to meet your needs?
No two parking systems are alike. They vary according to industry, their spatial capabilities, and fee structures and many other variables. Just as two different parking operations will have different equipment needs, they will also have varying software needs. The basic purpose of any good parking management system is to automate the once tedious and manually charging for paring and maintaining all of the detailed records. Additionally, more complex systems can do so much more to assist with optimizing parking revenue.
A good parking management system provider will work with you to ensure that your hardware and software configuration needs are met.
2. Does the company install the parking system?
Ensuring that the parking system is professionally installed will optimize performance and longevity of the system. Having experts be responsible for commissioning the equipment, including connecting cabling, testing and tweaking for site-specific conditions will ensure that you get the most from your parking system from the start of operations.
The initial installation likely will include training at site. You should consider what type of training will be provided, can staff at site quickly assist with any smaller issues, such as paper or coin jams. Being able to provide self-service will result in the quickest resolution and some parking system vendors will not allow you to perform any type of maintenance on your own parking machines.
For software training, ask yourself these questions: (1) Does the company provide training sessions for you and your staff to manage the software? Remember that learning a new software program is important to ensure that you are getting the most from your purchase, so ensure that the provider will include ample training session. (2) Does the software integrate with all functional aspects of your parking systems? (3) Even though the software likely comes pre-configured with your desired settings how do you make needed changes after the initial installation?
3. How are support and post-install training handled?
When you need assistance after the installation, you should ask who do you contact and how long do they take to get back to you? What type of assistance can they provide? What types of maintenance are you permitted to do or not do yourself? When a revenue generating system is out of operation there is a corresponding loss of revenue. In such circumstances, getting assistance quickly is of high importance. The available support may be subject to service level agreements where a higher priority support queue can be obtained by paying a premium. Depending on your circumstances, you may wish to consider such options. Or if getting the best value is of utmost importance, then paying the lowest price is a factor that may be paramount.
What does a parking management system do?
When you’re looking for parking management system, you’re looking to ensure that your software has three functions: data collection, report generation, and parking system management.
Data Collection
Data collection is essential for the day-to-day functioning of your parking lot system. Basic data collection includes: transaction records for transient paid parkers, monthly parkers, vehicle counts, credential info.
For transient parkers, who typically pay for the amount of time parked at the facility at the end of their stay (see flat rate PARCS for exceptions), the parking system software is essential. It tracks each parker’s entry and exit time (via ticket issued by the parking ticket machine) and charges the parker based on the established parking rate. Parking rate structures should be flexible to accommodate different parking rates for different days and times.
A good parking management system will collect time and date info as well as transaction information for each car, which as we will see in the next section, is important for the auditing process.
Every parking system will have a counting mechanism, which allows you to see how many cars are parked in your facility at any given time. Parking system software will keep counts by tracking how many cars enter and exit the facility. With counts you can analyze the level of occupancy in your parking facility and adjust rates to optimize revenue.
For monthly parkers, who enter the facility with a pre-authorized credential (e.g. access card, fob key, pre-printed barcode), the software must be able to recognize said credential from its database of credentials.
Report Generation
In a parking management system, report generation will be essential for two main reasons: optimizing revenue, and generating audit trails.
Collecting data is only half the battle. A good software system will have tools to make understanding your data better. Knowledge is power, and by understanding your data, you can set fee structures that will optimize revenue given the demands of your particular lot. Audit trails also give you a comprehensive view of your profits, serve as a quick indicator of how your business is doing, and alert you to any financial irregularities.
Parking BOXX accommodates the needs of small lots as well as large, complex parking systems. Parking BOXX has over 80 years of parking systems experience, service partners throughout North America, and parking sites in operation from Los Angeles, the Caribbean to Newfoundland. Parking BOXX parking systems reliably run sites with thousands of daily vehicles and millions in annual parking revenue.
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