Understanding the Parking Management Software industry can be a little difficult to get your head around. With the different types of software, and companies advertising their unique solutions, it is not always simple.
With this in mind, we have aimed to create this quick guide to help give you a broad overview of parking space management, in the hope to arm you with the right information to make the right choice for your business.
In this crash course we will be looking at Parking Management Software as a whole, some of the features, benefits, how it works, and who can implement it. This will serve as an introduction to the industry and get you well on your way to choosing the right one.
In this guide, we'll cover:
- Parking Management Software Basics
- Features of Parking Management Software
- How to Work Parking Management Software
- Parking Management Software Benefits
- Industries for Parking Management Software
What is Parking Management Software?
Parking Management Software is a form of car parking system that, in layman's terms, allows for the simplification of vehicle parking and flow management within your site or locations.
This software can be implemented by companies to manage their traffic, create a safer and more efficient car park, optimise parking spaces, and add a new layer to your security.
The evolution of car parks was a long time coming. The outdated pay and display method of dusting off some coins and paying for your parking is inefficient and feels archaic.
This update of a rudimentary system has allowed businesses in all industries to benefit from the inclusion of Parking Space Management within their business ecosystem. This affects people both internally and externally, from your staff to your visitors to everyone in between.
The software comes in many shapes and sizes. With some being as simple as digitally tracking the number of cars and spaces in a parking complex, to cars being guided to the open spaces via alerts or coloured lights (e.g. green LEDs above free spaces).
Key Components of Parking Management Software
So what makes Parking Management Software? What components are key to designing this type of system? And what kind of features should it have? Let’s dive into the elements of Parking Management Software.
Obviously, each system has its own functionality and usages, so we will be covering the broad ideas of what determines Parking Management Software.
Track Traffic - the system should be able to keep a record of both inbound and outbound traffic, be that via foot or vehicles. This can be as simple as tracking free spaces or even how many cars have passed through in X amount of time.
Establish Unique Criteria - with a Parking Space Management system you will be able to manage various forms of parking types such as VIP, Disabled, Temporary, or Permanent. This gives you greater ease of management and control over your car park.
Multi-Location - having the ability to manage and define parking for multiple locations, be this on different floors of a multistory car park, or the individual spaces. Although any size business can utilise this software, the larger an organisation the higher usage the systems will get.
Provide Reports - one of the important things is the ability to interpret and capture data, which can be used to improve traffic flow, give analytics, or just calculate ROI. Instead of parking information being limited, you have more control and oversight over your parking areas.
Give Payment Options - the integration or inclusion of some form of payment processing or tender transfer technology can help Parking Management Software be much more successful. Again, this may not be relevant to all companies, but some form of advanced payment system is typically used in commercial car parks.
Parking Permits - the issuance and tracking of permits or passes for varying durations and locations is an important factor when looking for Parking Management Software. This could be staff permits, visitor passes, or limited time permission to enter the car park.
How Parking Management Software Works
As we have alluded to there are a few different types of Parking Management Software, but the key principles are the same.
It is a form of smart technology that we have seen in lots of industries, from private, to commercial, to government and military. This technology helps us adapt the ways we interact with the world around us.
When entering the car park vehicles will be tracked and monitored, this is typically controlled by a gate, but can be automated via sensors.
Once the vehicle enters the car park, their data is stored and a few different things can happen; either they are guided to a space, given an indication of where there is parking (via signage), or left to find their own space solo.
The system will typically store the information of the vehicle temporarily, depending on where it is. Take, for instance, a shopping centre’s car park, there will be no use for storing data once the shopper has paid and left.
On the other side, if you are using the system in a car park for your business, you can store company car data or staff license plate information to allow for quicker and easier parking for regulars.
Certain software allows for temporary visitor access or the ability to set specific permissions, these systems can be used alongside vehicle and people access control to create a more secure integrated set-up.
So, in short, there is a range of ways that Parking Management Software can work and make both your life and the lives of your parkers much simpler and pain free.
What are the Benefits of Parking Management Software?
Having a system like this can alleviate issues and remove parking stress, which can impact your business in a range of ways. Let's take a look at some of the benefits.
We have broken these down into three different categories, general, operational, and environmental, which cover a few areas that Parking Space Management can provide benefits.
Each business will have its own reasons for deciding to install Parking Management Software, but hopefully, this gives you a good overview of the types of benefits of Parking Management Software
General Benefits
Greater Accountability - with the addition of a Parking Space Management system you will be able to have greater accountability and understanding of how your car park is used and monitored.
New Analytics - another benefit is having advanced data and analytics on your car park, this is typically something you would never previously have access to. This can help you improve flow, reduce congestion, and monitor your site with ease.
Improved Security - having a more secure and safe car park has a whole range of benefits on its own. But with the ability to store plate data and manage inbound and outbound vehicles, you can create a safer car park environment for everyone using it.
Operational Benefits
Easier - remove the stress of having to find a space and needing to account for additional journey time. We have all set off somewhere and been made late by struggling to find an open space, this can help alleviate that concern.
Contactless - the shift towards reducing contact and away from traditional payment methods (i.e. cash) means that implementing a Parking Management system gives you the benefit of being contactless.
Cost-Effective - Parking Management Software is an inexpensive solution that can provide benefits to both your business and the people parking their vehicles at your site.
Environmental Benefits
Reduced Congestion - with the ability for some systems to guide cars to a specific space or area, car parks will have better flow and minimal congestion.
Lower Pollution - utilising a Parking Space Management will create less pollution as cars can be guided to open spaces and help micro combat localised pollutants in the air.
Improve Conditions - having this software can create better lighting and parking conditions, which will, in turn, have its own benefits, from security to all-weather parking management.
What Industries Can Benefit From Parking Management Software?
There really is not a specific industry that will not benefit from the inclusion of Parking Space Management software, but let’s look at a few examples where the system can be implemented.
- Hotels and Conference Centres
- Multi-Story Car Parks with Multiple Entrances/Exits
- Business Sites with More Than One Parking Compound
- Schools, Universities, and Colleges
- Hospitals and Medical Facilities
- Gyms and Health Clubs
- Commercial Car Parks
- Shopping Complexes and Centres
- Head Offices
- Airports and Train Stations
And the list goes on, there is really no limit to the public and private uses of Parking Management Software. Just knowing some of the examples will help you determine if this solution is for you and your business.
The Parking Management Software Industry
Finding the right Parking Management Software solution for your business does not have to be so difficult, hopefully, now you have a better grasp of the market.
Whether you are looking to increase your hotel’s parking or improving your company’s traffic flow, this solution is for you.
As this industry develops and evolves the solutions are only going to become more flexible and useful. Understanding the difference between the market leaders, traditional parking entities, and the movers and shakers in the industry will help you make the right call.
One thing is for sure, traditional parking is on the decline, with less and less pay and display units being used.
With the global shift away from physical money and moving towards contactless and digital currency, we will only see the industry grow.
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