Skip to main content
Current and emerging technologies are finding their way into every aspect of our lives. The world of parking is no exception. Tech helps parking operators use space more efficiently, which makes it an asset in crowded urban areas where square footage is at a premium. And of course, technology has the power to make parking more convenient for drivers.
To keep up with the demand for and necessity of new technology, parking operators and owners are seeking ways to implement these cutting-edge initiatives successfully. But what does that mean? How do you introduce new technology effectively? Read on to find out.
Plan, Plan, Plan
Without proper planning, a rollout of any new technology is bound to fail. During the planning phase, you’ll want to create your vision for the near future and the next few years. How does this new technology help your organization accomplish its goals?
During this planning phase, you’ll also want to examine your reasons for making a change, such as if your hardware is at the end of its life or if your customers are asking for a more user-friendly parking experience. Creating buyer personas and developing customer journey maps will help you determine how best to fulfill their needs.
Next, determine your scope of work. What exactly are you changing or adding? Is this a complete overhaul of your parking management process, or are you just adding one new initiative, such as paying via a smartphone app?
Find a Partner
Hire an experienced consultant who can help you narrow down your choices and determine which are best for you. To choose a company to implement the new tech, tap into your network for referrals. Ask how well the company listens to the concerns of its clients and the concerns of its customers. Does it offer a pilot program so you can test out the new technology?
Fly-by-night operations are never a good choice. You want to work with an established company with staying power. After all, what happens if you hire a company to implement your technology and they go out of business? You’ll be left up a creek without a paddle. Long-term viability, including the potential for upgrades or enhancements, is crucial.
Get Stakeholder Buy-In
Any new technology is doomed to fail if you don’t include employees and leadership in the decision process. When it comes to buy-in, your best tool is examples of research to help you make your case. That includes explaining possible efficiency and revenue gains, what pain points the new technology will solve, and why it’s needed.
Tell Customers What to Expect
When it comes to mitigating confusion for your customers, your best bet is to introduce new technology gradually and ensure you communicate the changes ahead of time. Possible channels for communication include social media, informing local companies via email and posting signs in your garage and nearby businesses. Be sure to explain what the changes are, how to use them and anything else they’ll need to know, such as a requirement to download an app.
Effective Technology + Successful Implementation
There’s no such thing as perfect technology. At Parker Technology, we want to ensure parking patrons have the best possible experience in parking facilities, which is why we’re constantly innovating our solution and adding new value-added platform functionalities. A few that we’ve introduced over the past year or two include: Mobile Queue, Mobile Endpoint, Translation and Text-to-Pay. Our customer service team is highly trained and ready to assist customers with any issue they may encounter while parking, and these tech upgrades help them with that.
We actively strive to identify the technology that best meets our clients’ needs and helps them implement it successfully. We continually strive to provide exceptional customer service so their businesses run more smoothly and their customers have a convenient, frictionless parking experience. Contact us to learn more.