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Urgency. Timeliness. Consistency. Each of these plays a key role in an airport environment, where time is always of the essence. “When we’re dealing with something along the lines of an airport, it’s the same as if you’re dealing with a hospital or medical facility. This is such an entity. You want to ensure that your customers are taken care of in the most professional manner possible,” says Kaitlin Witkowski, Operations Manager at Platinum Parking Canada.
Quick and easy parking is vital for travelers, whether catching a flight or returning from a destination. Parking has a unique impact on airport customers, serving as the first and last touch of their travel experience.
Regina International Airport, a Platinum Parking Canada client, holds excellent customer service as a top priority. “That is something that comes directly from James Bogusz, President and CEO of Regina Airport. It’s the number one thing that he wants to ensure is taken care of. Anything we need to do to make that happen and to accomplish the vision he has, Platinum Parking Canada will do. And we make sure that happens with Parker Technology,” Witkowski acknowledges.
The Backstory
Prior to partnering with Parker Technology, Platinum client Regina International Airport was experiencing operational issues. Because the airport was not using a 24-hour call center, customers experienced extreme frustration during certain hours. Witkowski notes that call wait times were a drastic inconvenience. “At times, parkers would be on hold anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, leaving them stuck in the lot.” She says the wait times would lead to “customers ramming the gates, lifting them themselves, and causing damage to the parking equipment.”
With these concerns, Platinum Parking sought a new solution. “We knew that Parker Technology answered calls, we knew that they were efficient, we knew that they were professional and courteous,” Witkowski says. As a result, the issue of extreme wait times dissipated. In contrast to 30 to 45 minutes, “Parker Technology’s wait times are an average of 25 seconds. The average length of a call time is about 1 minute and 20 seconds. There is a huge difference. Customer experience has been raised to a new level with Parker Technology.”
“We need to ensure that we take care of our client’s customers no differently than if they were our own. That is the level of excellence we strive to provide for our customers. Customer satisfaction with our clients is our number one priority. We will align ourselves with partners that offer and demonstrate the same core values that we have,” Witkowski says.
“Platinum Parking prides itself on being an industry leader in each of our markets. With an uncompromising passion for quality and continual improvement, we empower our team to provide creative and innovative solutions that maximize value to our clients and customers. Through our core values, we create a dynamic culture that ensures the long-term health of the company and our people – all of which we found in a partnership with Parker Technology.”
Three values that sum up this ideal partnership between Platinum Parking and Parker Technology are: Professionalism, Efficiency, and Synchronicity. Read on to see them each outlined.
1. Professionalism
“It’s crucial to find a call center that is extremely professional,” notes Witkowski. Professionalism and dependability were some of Platinum Parking’s top priorities when seeking a solution for Regina Airport. She appreciates that Parker Technology’s platform offers recordings of every call. “Being able to listen to all of the calls from the CSRs (Customer Service Representatives) within the platform is a huge asset. Monitoring every call allows Platinum to make any minor script adjustments, track customer service experience levels, and share any call data directly with our clients.”
She also specifies the importance of client personalization. When a CSR quickly answers a parker’s call, they address the parker with a customized greeting for the location. “They’re going to answer that call with ‘Regina Airport Authority, how can I help you?’ Or ‘Welcome to the Regina Airport, how can we assist with your request?’”
2. Efficiency
Witkowski mentions that one of the most rewarding aspects of the Parker Technology solution is how quickly the team responds to anything the facility may need. “We simply send an email, and it’s responded to within minutes. Whether it’s an adjustment within the script, adding new regulations, and/or any general reporting questions, we receive a management-level response within minutes confirming the changes. Parker Technology is very easy to communicate with, and very responsive when it comes to any support that we need.”
She recognizes the importance of a quick and efficient solution, especially in the environment of an airport. “Within the late evening hours, customers tend to be exhausted from their travels, and often can’t find their ticket. They may be short on patience due to delayed flights or baggage lost in transit. Parker Technology is able to efficiently direct and help within minutes, even seconds, and get that customer out of the airport parking facility and on their way home.”
In addition to rapid assistance at a moment’s notice, Platinum values the reporting feature within the Parker Platform. “Parker Technology has an excellent high-level reporting structure that we share with the Regina Airport. The data displays how many calls have been taken, the average queue time, the average time that Parker Technology is on the phone with the customer, and the type of incidents captured. The reporting is then further broken down into a S.H.A.R.P. high level graphic display.”
The reporting feature of the software has been a valuable tool for Platinum to share with the airport. “It offers an innovative solution that we report to our clients regularly,” Witkowski says.
3. Synchronicity
“One of the most pleasantly surprising things about working with Parker Technology,” Witkowski claims, “is the synchronicity between the call center in the United States and the customer in Canada. The way that the agents in the call center handle the calls respectfully, professionally, and with generosity has been our biggest highlight.”
“Being humble and kind goes a very long way when it comes to providing customer support. [The CSRs] respectfully care about the person on the other end of the line. They want to do the best that they can for these customers. That’s the Platinum & Parker difference. It’s what sets us apart.”
“Another fundamental component of partnering with Parker Technology has been seamlessly working alongside the parking ambassadors at Regina International Airport,” explains Witkowski. “We do have onsite staff from 8:00 am to 2:00 am, and/or until the last flight arrives, as the late evenings are when the airport’s customers need us most. If a customer missed their receipt, needed extra support, or a possible ticket jam occurred, Parker Technology gives us a quick call to advise us of those incidents, and we can then send an ambassador there to address the concern promptly. We work collectively as a team for the Regina Airport.”
Looking Forward
As Operations Manager at Platinum Parking Canada, Witkowski has been encouraged by the positive experience with Parker Technology at Regina International Airport. “We highly recommend Parker Technology, and we will be recommending Parker Technology to our customers across our entire Platinum Parking portfolio in Canada. They are our first and only go-to when it comes to partnering at multiple facilities and future growth opportunities. We are excited to continue to grow together and see what we can accomplish as a team.”
Interested in learning more about how we can help your parking operation? Head on over to our solution page, or contact us to get the conversation started.