Parking Perspectives: How Technology Can Increase Efficiency and Revenue

Person holding mobile phone

Bric Fraser, Business Development Manager, T2 MobilePay

 

T2’s Parking Perspectives series draws from the experiences of T2ers that have previously worked in parking departments at universities, municipalities, and operators, including many who are former T2 customers. From this experience comes a level of expertise that understands parking and mobility from a holistic perspective, helping us provide better service and solutions to our customers.

 

I don’t think anyone grows up dreaming about a career in parking, but I have enjoyed the journey since my first parking job as a valet attendant. Each position I’ve held during my 20 years in the parking industry has prepared me for the next opportunity. My experiences across multiple sectors have taught me how operations can increase efficiency, generate more revenue, and become successful from implementing the appropriate technology.

Hospitality

In 2001 I was introduced to the parking industry by starting as a valet attendant at a 5 Diamond Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. The billing process for hotel guest vehicles was manual and tedious. For many years, vehicles and keys were counted by hand and then manually charged to the hotel operating system. This process took a lot of man hours, and there was always room for human error that could result in a loss of revenue.

However, a digital ticket platform that is fully integrated with the hotel operating system allows for the automatic registration and correct billing of the vehicle.

Private Events

During my days off at the resort I started working private valet events for a local parking company in Scottsdale. Private event operations are unique in that most of the vehicles arrive and depart at the same. This is an extreme amount of pressure on the staff to direct traffic, handwrite valet tickets, and provide customer service.

Equipping the event staff with electronic valet handheld devices allows them to save time by not having to handwrite tickets, while the customer is able to get to their event quicker. Once the event is finished, staff can electronically request vehicles to the valets waiting near the vehicle locations. This gives the valet runners an advantage in vehicle retrieval time so that customers are not waiting too long.

Commercial

While working with a national parking operator to help open a new resort in Scottsdale, I quickly became an Account Manager. In recent years I worked in commercial operations in San Antonio, TX. Commercial parking operations encompass many different sectors and can include multiple solution needs on each property. Each commercial account can require a different type of technology solution for efficient management.

PARCS, Pay Stations, Mobile Payments, and LPR are all solutions that can be utilized together or on their own in commercial parking locations. Knowing the best solution(s) will depend on the type of customers that are visiting the location every day.

Here are some high level factors to consider when trying to choose your commercial parking solutions:

  • Security – Do you need a physical barrier to control traffic flow in and out of your facility?
  • Gateless – Do you need to reduce traffic congestion and touchpoints?
  • Payments – Do you need to accept bills, coins, credit, contactless cards, and/or mobile phone payments?
  • Price – You need to see the value of your investment. Make sure you are receiving the features, integrations, and support that you are paying for.
  • Vendor – Experience in the market is very important when selecting a vendor. Also consider what a vendor’s customers are saying about them.

Vendor

I joined T2 in June of 2019 as a Regional Sales Manager for our T2 Iris and Pay Station solutions. I enjoy working with customers to find the technology and operational solutions that fit their specific needs. No parking operation is the same, and each one should be approached with an open mind for individual solutions.

 

Bric is the Business Development Manager for T2 MobilePay. He joined the T2 sales team in 2019 and has over 20 years of experience in the parking industry. Bric’s considerable sales and business background has been gained while working within different parking sectors in diverse roles and working with clients across multiple states. He brings a unique operational perspective to the role and is well positioned to assist customers in planning effective solutions for their parking operation.

 

Header photo created by Dragana_Gordic – www.freepik.com

 

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Posted on

February 23, 2021