designa usa ceo STEVE GORSKI GIVEs An Outlook ON PARKING MANAGEMENT IN 2020
Businesses are in continuous change – and this is also the case for the parking industry. Entering 2020 is a perfect opportunity to take a quick look at the upcoming items that will influence our industry. We have identified five trends that will have a short- and long-term impact. DESIGNA`s strategical and operational activities in 2020 will reflect these big trends. We are looking forward to sharing our ideas and solutions to convert changes into your business opportunities.
Digital Transformation – Cloud-based, seamless and frictionless solutions are all components of the digitization of the parking industry and the changing needs of today’s parkers. Customers rely on their smartphones for finding, evaluating and booking parking. Payment for parking moves away from coins and bills to cards and online payment services. Parking operators reduce staff and invest in automation and digital control of their parking systems. The paper ticket is becoming a thing of the past, with other means of identification such as license plates, Bluetooth emitters or QR codes gaining relevance and market acceptance.
Customer Experience – Customer experience is the number one trend driving decisions in many vertical markets within parking today. Customers want the same frictionless and stress-free experience for parking as they have when utilizing Uber or mobile apps for hotel check-in and digital keys. Within the hospital vertical for example, parking is the first and last impression patients and visitors have of a hospital visit, and the parking experience clearly impacts the overall patient experience and subsequently each hospital’s overall rating. To add to the optimal parking experience, customized graphics on a large color TFT display can show a variety of digital content, including available spaces/guidance by level, rates and other hospital-specific information or videos.
Data Analytics – Everyone is leveraging data to make better business decisions and improve the customer experience. Parking operators can benefit from data analytics to more efficiently and accurately manage their parking operations. Data provide precise information regarding parking occupancy, average time to park and average time to exit, for understanding and analyzing of parking volume over time, enforcement and the potential of implementing dynamic pricing. Data analytics are also critical for ensuring a positive customer experience
Internet of Things – From smart cities to smart homes, the Internet of Things is affecting our daily lives. This is also the case in parking where we see connected cars and devices such as sensors, parking meters, smart parking and guidance, cellphones and digital signage. Data can be shared across various platforms through APIs. For example, organizations can easily integrate their internal security/access system for managing access control for staff. Security credentials can be automatically shared with the parking system – eliminating the need for double data entry and thus providing the ultimate in parking access control and accurate counts of transients and staff.
Mobility – Many industries will be impacted by the significant changes predicted for mobility, and parking is certainly one of them. While parking will change, it will still remain very necessary. For example, what will you do with your autonomous vehicle when you are at work? How and where will consumers charge electric vehicles? Many experts predict parking “hubs” positioned on the outskirts of cities. Customers would then utilize different transportation modalities for first and last mile journeys.