In today's parking operation we have the ability to provide parking information to the customer.  Customers expect to have all the resources needed to get their questions answered and a parking space secured.  In the past, the customer went to the right address for their meeting and then started looking for a parking sign. The closest, most obvious sign won, and the customer pulled into the parking space.  As a rule, customers did not look for the price, they were most interested in finding a space.  We parking operators did not feel parking for this group of customers was price competitive since it was location competitive. We didn’t have to manage anything other than keeping our sign up.   

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Today, that has all changed.  Instead of location being the deciding competitive factor and price being number two, information is now the deciding factor.  If the parking location of today is properly managed, potential customers can go online to find their destination, locate nearby parking options, price-compare, see current space availability, pre-purchase the space, and get directions to the space.  None of that information was available to the customer in recent history but it has become the leading factor in customer choice today.  Potential customers gather the information they need to make a parking decision based on the resources that are available to them and make their decision before they even get into their car. 

Now we have a very big new question that we must have an answer to.  How do we prepare our parking management people to manage this new knowledgeable customer?  What technology is required to put us on top of the information challenge? The answer to these important questions is much simpler than the demands these questions make of facility management. Great management is now considerably more than keeping the sign up and dusted. 

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TPN consulting has developed a program designed to support and train managers who desire to meet this challenge. Learning the art of developing information communications to our customers has become one of parking management's most important skills across all types of parking. Commercial offices, airports, Universities, medical offices, and all other parking establishments are being challenged to provide real-time and continual information to win customers.  It is also important to learn to evaluate the technologies that are out there that can greatly improve this communications requirement. 

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In the accompanying article, Leigh has taken on the challenge of discussing Curb Management. This is the perfect example of how prioritizing information and communications is the only way to make this current parking industry successful.   

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Welcome to the new world of parking management.