Maximize Parking Efficiency with an Automated Parking Guidance System

Cheshire, CT – When drivers enter a parking garage, their expectation is to quickly find a spot so they can meet their friends at a downtown restaurant, grab a good seat at an event, or make it to class on time. However, when inefficiencies are present, they affect the ability of the driver to park, leading to a variety of issues and headaches for both drivers and parking structure operators.

Drivers with negative parking garage experiences complain, in person and online, leading to the garage (and in turn, the business that owns it) receiving a negative reputation. If the parking structure isn’t known for being easy to navigate, that reputation may lead drivers to seek out alternative parking solutions, resulting in loss of revenue. And, if businesses are dedicating labor resources to manually monitoring the parking structure, those costs will impact the structure’s profitability even further.

Consequences of Inefficiencies in Parking Garages

The lack of efficiency in parking garages causes several problems for the owners. From wasting employee resources to poor user experience, there are a variety of issues that arise from parking structures using outdated practices.

Aggravated Customers

One of the most common issues parking garages are faced with is customer frustration. When a driver needs to park in the structure and has to pay, they understandably become upset when they drive around for long periods of time searching for a spot to park. Sometimes, they may not even be able to park in that structure, forcing them to leave and find parking elsewhere.

As noted in Harvard Business Review’s The Value of Customer Experience, Quantified, “customers who had the best past experiences spend 140% more compared to those who had the poorest past experience.” People want to have positive encounters; therefore they will reward companies who excel with repeat business, leading to increased revenue. However, when customers experience negative encounters, they will avoid those businesses.

Poor Reputation

If a business owns a parking garage, inefficiencies in the structure could lead to a poor reputation. Reputation is paramount for businesses, and even substandard parking accommodations could reflect poorly on them. If the parking conditions are unacceptable, customers could voice their safety concerns or frustrations on social media instead of reaching out to the business directly.

For example, a student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville posted on Reddit detailing their experience of trying to find a parking spot so they could make it to class on time.

“So, I got to the 11th St. parking garage 15 minutes before my class started in Jesse Harris. I drove around for 20 minutes waiting for parking and there was nothing, went to two other garages and the same thing. Went back to the 11th St. garage and while someone clogged up the driving lane because she was waiting on someone to pull out from a parking spot, backed into another car behind them and had to wait on a parking maid to come over to assess the situation all while I’m right behind it,” complained muscari2 (Reddit).

Loss of Revenue

When drivers have a negative parking experience, the reputation of the garage is on the line. With the click of a button, frustrated parkers can share their unfavorable experience with their entire network, online or in person. If a garage becomes known for being a difficult place to park, potential customers bypass them. People may choose not to attend events if they might have to park there, resulting in cities and municipalities losing revenue. Similar to other industries with large parking garages, airports are not immune; they could lose revenue because travelers choose to use a ride sharing service instead of parking their cars on airport property due to poor parking experiences.

Wasted Employee Resources

Dedicating manpower to staffing and monitoring parking structures is another source of inefficiency. In manually operated parking structures, employees monitor the garage, counting and noting occupancy levels, during peak times, potentially multiple times a day. While businesses can use the information for decision making, the time and resources it takes to gather this information could be better spent elsewhere for these businesses.

An Automated Parking Guidance System is the Solution to Parking Garage Inefficiencies

No business wants their parking garage to be the source of poor user experience or earn a bad reputation. To remedy the inefficiencies detailed above, businesses that operate parking structures can maximize parking garage efficiency and elevate the customer experience with an automated parking guidance system (APGS).

Enhance Customer Experience

When a parking garage installs an automated parking guidance system (APGS), the user experience is immediately enhanced. Drivers quickly glance at exterior wayfinding signage to learn how many parking spots are available in the garage, preventing them from wondering if there will be an available spot or wasting their valuable time. Inside the structure, signs are placed at decision points where drivers must turn left or right, showing how many spots are available to each direction. The signage prevents parkers from aimlessly driving around trying to find an empty space that may or may not be there.

Since parkers instantly know how many parking spots are available and where to find them, they won’t feel frustrated while looking for a place to park so they can continue with their plans. When parking garages use an APGS, user experience becomes positive overall.

Cultivate a Great Reputation

Since the experience of finding a parking spot is simplified with automated parking guidance system (APGS) technology, users are likely to share their experience with friends and family (in person and on social media) about how easy it is to find parking.

“Word-of-mouth marketing creates highly persuasive brand advocacy. We trust our friends and family when they recommend retailers, services, or companies. We also often trust both negative and positive customer reviews and other forms of user-generated content when making purchasing decisions,” details Max Freedman, a contributing writer at Business.com.

Garages that have an automated parking guidance system (APGS) installed will become known as the best and most convenient place to park, gaining a positive reputation and increasing the amount of people using the garage.

Gain in Revenue

As parking structures that implement a parking management system cultivate a positive reputation, more drivers will want to use them. Drivers will choose garages with an APGS since they will be able to find a spot faster compared to a garage without an advanced parking solution.

With drivers sharing a positive opinion of these structures, others will want to use them too, which increases revenue for businesses, cities, and municipalities. Airports increase revenue as well since the automated parking guidance system (APGS) experience will be easier and less stressful for travelers.

Streamline Employee Resources

An automated parking guidance system (APGS) not only makes the user experience more positive and enjoyable, it also streamlines employee resources. With APGS technology, business owners no longer have to send employees out to the parking garage to manually track occupancy. The automated parking guidance system (APGS) stores valuable information about parking resources, so all an employee has to do is find the information with a few clicks of a button, saving businesses time and money.

Seamless Integration of the Park Assist Solution from TKH Security

The Park Assist solution from TKH Security turns headaches and frustration caused by lack of efficiency into positive experiences for drivers everywhere. Automated parking guidance systems (APGS) can be installed easily into existing structures. With the installation of an APGS, efficiency in parking will increase in garages, preventing businesses from needing to build an entirely new structure.

Businesses planning to build a new parking facility can benefit from an automated parking guidance system (APGS) too. Architects, consultants, and engineers may even consider the Park Assist solution system as part of their design process for a new parking garage, creating a structure that integrates efficiency from the beginning.

Inefficiencies in parking garages truly affect the user experience in a negative way, which could result in a damaging opinion that decreases revenue. However, with the use of an automated parking guidance system (APGS) in parking garages, the efficiency in parking structures will be maximized, leading to better user experience, a polished reputation, and increased revenue.