LSUHSC Maximizes Limited Resources with T2’s All-in-One Solution
Background
LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans is Louisiana’s flagship and most comprehensive academic health sciences center. Located in the heart of New Orleans, the medical campus is known nationally for its extensive clinical educational programs, serving 3,000 students each year across six schools, as well as its robust research enterprise.
LSUHSC Parking Services’ story goes back to 2005, when Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on New Orleans and the surrounding area. Most of the parking equipment on campus was lost, and Parking Services had to start from scratch to rebuild their operation. However, to be eligible for FEMA funding, they had to go back to the same systems and equipment they had. Over time, this started to present some major challenges.
Challenges
One of the biggest issues Parking Services had was with its permit management and enforcement system, which was reliant on manual data entry. During permit sale season at the start of each semester, the Parking Services team would have to manually enter thousands of applications into the system. “We’re a very small operation with limited resources, so having to enter all this data and still run normal everyday operations was a task,” explained Antonio Casas, Director of Parking Services.
“We really wanted to move to something to solve the issue of how do we get all this data in fast. And given our limited resources, what can we do to create an online store to facilitate this, where the students or the employees enter their own data during the registration process.”
Additionally, LSUHSC’s PARCS provider closed operations in 2014. Over the next couple years, it became harder for Casas and team to receive support and find replacement parts. “We started cannibalizing old gates and stuff like that just to keep things running,” Casas said.
LSUHSC needed to replace its aging PARCS equipment, which included gates, pay-on-foots, and pay-in-lane devices covering over 4,000 parking spaces. However, Casas was looking for more than just functioning, serviceable equipment. “If we’ve got to replace these, what can we do to unify our system and make it more seamless, where everything works together?”
Solutions
The first step for LSUHSC Parking Services was turning to T2 Flex® and FlexPort for its permit and citation management. Flex software enabled Casas and team to more efficiently manage and configure permits and monitor enforcement activity and citations. FlexPort provided the self-service platform they were looking for, enabling students and staff to purchase permits online, while integrating seamlessly with Flex to eliminate the months of data entry Parking Services faced each permit season.
LSUHSC later added T2’s Mobile Enforcement App, a hardware-free solution that enables officers to issue citations via any iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. Casas explained that, being a small campus, they don’t generate a lot of revenue from enforcement, so “having a very cost effective means of enforcement is wonderful.”
When it came time to replace its PARCS equipment, LSUHSC again turned to T2. Because T2’s PARCS solution is also managed through the Flex platform, Parking Services was able to “have a seamless transition,” according to Casas. Staff didn’t have to spend time learning a new system, and there was no extra work on the back end to connect systems from different vendors.
By that time, the only piece of LSUHSC’s parking operation not provided by T2 was its AVI readers, “but they do work with the T2 PARCS system, so we’re happy with that,” Casas stated.
Results
T2’s unified parking management platform has enabled LSUHSC Parking Services to maximize its limited resources. “Having a system where you can unify your permit management and your access control all in one really takes a lot of strain off resources,” Casas said. “Something that we really struggled with before was having a completely different permit management system and access control system and having to match those two things up.
“With T2 Flex, when we have a permit expire there’s no access the next day. I don’t have to do anything. Before, you’d have to run reports to see what permits had expired, then go to another system and deactivate the access cards. Now it’s seamless – if a permit is not renewed or there’s no payment made, it expires. It’s a great control.”
FlexPort has also helped Casas and team operate more efficiently, while also enabling them to provide better customer service. For example, when customers enter their vehicle information when purchasing a permit, the data automatically syncs with Flex, eliminating any duplication of effort.
Additionally, FlexPort integrates seamlessly with LSUHSC’s network access protocols. This enables them to provide students and staff a single sign-on option using their University credentials. It has also allowed Parking Services to tailor their system to auto-populate permit choices based on an individual’s classification, such as what type of student they are or if they’re an employee. “That’s something we really, really, really like about having FlexPort and being able to tie it in with our database,” Casas stated.
“Having a system where you can unify your permit management and your access control all in one really takes a lot of strain off resources.”
Antonio Casas, Director of Parking Services
Recommendations
“Whether you’re small or large, you should take a really hard look at ways to consolidate your operations and unify so that it’s easier on your staff. And then with it being easier on your staff, it allows them to provide better service to your customer base,” Casas explained. “I think there’s a relationship there – when your staff can really excel because they’re just learning one system, it’s easier for them to then serve the clientele.”
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