Top 6 Parking Technology Tips
Technology is ever changing, ever improving — and usually makes our lives easier. How do you know which parking technology will genuinely improve your revenue and operations? Here are the top 6 tips to consider.
Not all parking technology delivers equal value. Some innovations genuinely improve operations and ROI; others add complexity without proportional benefit. These six tips will help you evaluate parking technology and select what works hard for your facility — today and into the future.
Tip 1: Anywhere, Anytime Access
With advances in internet speeds, we are all accustomed to having information at our fingertips — bank balances, account statements — so why not parking management? Your parking system should provide 24/7 cloud-based access to transactions, reports, and system status. The ability to manage your entire operation from anywhere is a baseline requirement for modern parking, not a premium feature.
Tip 2: Credit Card Technology That Matches Your Clientele
Encrypted credit card readers secure customer data by encrypting information at the card head — meaning there is no unencrypted credit card data anywhere in the parking system. The next level above encrypted readers is EMV, which adds chip reading and NFC tap technology. This allows parkers to tap a mobile phone or wallet to pay. Depending on your clientele — university students, hospital visitors, hotel guests — the expected payment technology varies, and your system should match those expectations to minimize friction at the machine.
Tip 3: Proactive Alerts Before Problems Become Revenue Losses
If your parking system is low on paper or nearing a full bill vault, can it alert you before the machine fails? While some issues can be automated — a controller losing a connection and automatically rebooting — physical issues require human intervention. If your parking system cannot signal when it needs attention, you may be losing revenue or creating a poor customer experience without realizing it until it is too late.
Tip 4: Call for Assistance Functionality
When customers need help, can the pay station connect them to a human? Good call-for-assistance technology allows you to hear and speak to customers, open a gate remotely, and program different dialing rules for different times of day or days of the week. This capability dramatically reduces frustration — and potential revenue leakage — at unattended parking facilities.
Tip 5: Video Integration for Security and Dispute Resolution
Video surveillance at parking machines and throughout the lot serves two purposes: it deters criminal activity by making surveillance visible, and it provides objective evidence for resolving disputes over vehicle damage, theft, or payment issues. While not every facility needs video, it is worth evaluating as part of a complete technology solution — especially for high-volume or high-value properties.
Tip 6: Open Integrations and Data Exchange
The parking system becomes far more valuable when it can share data with other systems and software. Integrations with property management systems, access control platforms, and parking aggregators expand what is possible operationally. Look for parking technology built on open APIs and XML data exchange — a closed ecosystem limits your options as your business evolves and new services emerge.
Incorporate the best parking technology to future-proof your facility and optimize the ROI of your investment. Purchase a system built for today's demands that can be upgraded for tomorrow's technology. Contact Parking BOXX to discuss the right technology mix for your operation.