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Numerous parking locations have shifted from gates to gateless to address frequent problems, such as equipment malfunctions, user error and software glitches. While these gateless solutions solved some common issues, many parking customers struggle to understand and adapt to gateless parking, even when conspicuous instructions are available.
In this blog, we unpack common obstacles in the gateless era and how to overcome them.
You can also check out part one of this blog series to learn more about frequent problems with gateless facilities and how we approach them.
Confusion and Stress in Gateless Parking
While gateless parking is a great solution for addressing potential hardware and software issues, it can’t fix user errors. Whenever you adopt new technology or make changes to your existing parking system, you should anticipate customer confusion. Even with brightly lit signage and detailed instructions, there will always be customers who struggle to adapt.
User error presents serious problems for your operation — If a customer struggles to initiate and pay for a session, they may face a parking ticket, boot or even a towed vehicle. This will reduce customer satisfaction, and you’ll likely deal with delinquencies. For that reason, it’s essential to have a customer support program in place to help parking guests and prevent problems.
Delays in Feedback and Problems with Data Collection
Another reason why your operation needs customer support is because of delays and oversights in data collection. Numerous facilities don’t track customer satisfaction, meaning that if a customer is angry with the facility — perhaps from receiving an unexpected parking ticket — the managers may not realize.
Many parking businesses have a means for customers to file complaints and reviews, but these feedback methods have inherent problems. Even if your customers can review your business through email and social media, you’re still not getting the full picture of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
The only customers who will bother taking the time to file feedback will be the ones who are especially angry or overwhelmingly happy with their experiences. Rather than getting a complete view of customer satisfaction, you only get a small percentage of customers’ opinions. You’ll miss out on valuable data that will impact your business.
Another problem with collecting customer satisfaction data through email and social media is that there will be inherent delays between receiving and rectifying complaints. For instance, let’s say a customer made a mistake when initiating a session and received a parking ticket as a result. The customer may feel upset and, of course, incredibly dissatisfied with their experience.
If they file a complaint through your website, via email or on social media, it will take your facility time to communicate with them to address the problem. During that period, customers may become more upset with your business and likely won’t use your facility again.
Streamlining Customer Communication and Data
Customer service teams can expedite collecting customer data, and you can address issues before they spiral into significant problems. Your parking guests will be able to receive instant support rather than needing to wait for your business to address the situation. This will enhance customer satisfaction, ultimately driving growth in your business.
Gateless facilities may not have kiosks or help buttons, but your facility can adopt methods for customers to seamlessly reach out to customer support, such as an available phone number or a QR code on your signage.
With instant support readily accessible, you can reduce the risk of user error — such as making mistakes when paying — and optimize your facility’s customer satisfaction.
Adapting to Your Needs
Whether your facility is gated or gateless, you need to be able to offer your customers support. Fortunately, we provide an industry-leading software platform with three service options that cover your business as much or as little as you like. We currently serve 1,000 facilities across the United States and Canada and are rapidly growing due to our client’s satisfaction with our services.
You can learn more about Parker Technology and overcoming parking facility challenges by visiting our solution page or contacting us.
Heidi Barber
VP of Marketing
Heidi Barker has 10+ years of marketing and sales experience, with a penchant for digital strategy, content creation and process development. She holds a B.S. in Marketing & International Business from Butler University.