There is nothing more frustrating for a driver than circling various blocks searching for a parking space only to be met by the “Carpark Full” sign each time. In busy car parks, this type of situation is just as frustrating for managers and staff members as it is for customers. Sorting out a long line of vehicles during peak season can be a challenging task that will lead to most of your customers leaving with the view that you are untidy or uncaring. With such a reputation, you will lose prospective customers and inhibit your growth as a result. Implementing an online car parking reservation system can eradicate these issues.
Thanks to technology, customers can now find and book a parking space remotely through their smartphones and computers. With an online car parking reservation system, managers can avoid peak season headaches, giving their customers an experience that will have them coming back for more. Below are some reasons why every modern car park should implement an online parking reservation system:
Benefits of an Online Parking Reservation System
Great Customer Experience
A major advantage of online systems is their convenience. An online system is easily accessible to all of your customers with access to the internet. A driver will only need to check your website to see if there is a space available, after which they can book a space at the click of a button.
Once they arrive at your car park, you could identify their vehicles via a license plate recognition system and grant them instant access. Even better, an integrated car park management system can be implemented to guide them to their specific parking spots. Providing a smooth customer journey will earn you a good reputation that will attract you more customers and facilitate your growth.
Increased Availability
Parking availability is an important factor if you wish to retain your customers and maximise your profitability. With an online system, you will be available round the clock at no extra costs.
Increased Customer Loyalty
Did you know that by reducing lost customers by only 5%, you could increase your profit by 125%? What’s better, efforts to gain new customer are more costly than those aimed at customer retention. Besides the great customer experience you will provide with an online booking system, repeat customers may expect some sort of reward for their loyalty. An online reservation system will help you identify frequent customers, allowing you to offer them special treatment. Your reservation system could be equipped with a customer loyalty program which will use collected data to determine customers who deserve various rewards.
Increased Efficiency
An online car park reservation system ensures that most of the customers who pull up to your gates have a spot pre-booked. This reduces the time it takes to process a driver, increasing the number of customers served per time. Since the system is in real-time, the spots of drivers who cancel are made available automatically and a notification is sent to you. This ensures you never miss a business opportunity. When your car park is running smoothly, you will have more time to focus on other tasks such as finding ways to expand your enterprise.
Reduce the Costs of Management
The alternative of having an online car reservation system is employing someone to handle the booking for you. Besides this being more expensive, it will be slower and since man is to error, you could end up experiencing costly inefficiencies.
Allows Reporting and Progress Tracking
A good way to help your business grow is if you make use of previous performance data to determine areas that require improvement. An online reservation system can collect progress information and give you insight into customer behaviour, allowing you to adjust accordingly. For instance, you could use the car park traffic trends to know the periods when more staff members are available and plan accordingly.
An online system also provides a great platform to collect customer feedback. By tracking and understanding how your customers perceive your facility, you will be in a better position to intervene and make the necessary amendments.
Secure and Convenient Payment
With an online reservation system, it becomes easier to integrate online payment solutions that provide added convenience for your customers. Once their parking session is over, the online system can automatically calculate the driver’s bill after which they can make the payment from the convenience of their mobile phones. In the current age of technology, taking your customers through the hustle of cash payments will lead to the loss of competitive advantage, especially if your counterparts have employed more convenient ways.
Smart Car Parks are the Future
From the benefits above, it is clear that automation is the way to go for your car park. A great place to start is making the booking process seamless and easy for your customers. From there, it will be easier for you to take advantage of the latest car parking solutions like those provided by Advance Access to make your facility as efficient as possible. Regardless of the size of your car park, you will be able to manage it with ease.
