How to manage private parking lots at scale

Solving workplace parking problems is vital to an effective facility management program, but it's also a complicated proposition. Managing parking lots at scale will quickly become more complex than you may have bargained for.

Juggling 200 plus spaces, from assigning to re-assigning, is a full-time job without considering payment schedules, infringement issues, and integrating sustainability policies into parking lot management.

Thankfully, there are solutions that help to streamline the complicated parking management process. Parking lots or garages exceeding as little as 50 spaces need parking lot management software to handle the complexities of people coming and going, parking in the wrong space, and a thousand other things that will pop up unannounced.

This parking management system must be designed with the intricate details of managing parking lots or garages on a grand scale in mind so that you don't need to waste precious time and resources on administration.

The challenge

Multiple occupiers and changing employee needs

In large parking lots where more than a few businesses are sharing a space, the allocation of slots can quickly get complicated. Ensuring there are enough spaces for all employees of all companies is an ongoing challenge as occupiers come and go. For example, before Parkable, chasing down infringers at White City Place wasted an average of 20 hours every week. With parking management software, infringement management is no longer a manual process.

Hybrid working has become more accepted in industries, leading to changing parking needs. For example, whereas employees may have driven to work daily, the spaces they habitually used are no longer occupied by their vehicles. As a result, these spaces might sit unused, costing money twice over. Or, too many employees come to the office at the same time, overwhelming the parking lots. Parking lot management software can effectively plan and schedule parking needs according to changing employee habits.

Lost revenue

Two massive revenue holes exist in a poorly managed parking lot; empty space and revenue collection. An open parking space is simply a piece of ground you have spent money to lease that is now wasting your money.

Empty parking spaces happen for various reasons, including having spaces allocated to specific staff members or clients that aren't around to use them. This open space wastes money twice: the money you've spent and the money you could earn from someone using it.

Parking lot management software adequately disseminates empty parking spaces, eliminating this waste.

The other revenue hole is in the finance department, which manually has to figure out parking payments. Chasing down employees to confirm the use of spaces, requesting payment, or calculating the appropriate way to deduct parking costs from paychecks is a draw on resources that can be better allocated elsewhere

Your finance department can leverage parking lot management software to take this job off their to-do list while streamlining it and ensuring a payment never gets missed.

First come, First serve

While this model may seem like the fairest, it can leave employees with needs and responsibilities outside their control feeling like the system disadvantages their commuter options. Unaddressed, these feelings can lead to some pretty serious consequences, such as increasing stress levels and ultimately, decreased staff retention.

Another side of this is that while the first to come is rewarded, we’ve seen examples of employees showing up early to work to get a spot but then nap or eat breakfast in their car. Therefore, staff members with families (or who live far away) never get a parking space at the office. This grows the same resentment and unfair feeling, as though the company is not doing what it can to ensure their parking options are convenient and affordable.

Parking lot management software streamlines parking by changing to a booking system, allowing employees to book appropriate spaces independently of how early they can get to the office.

The solution

Flexibility

Switching from allocated spaces based on seniority, or first-come, first-serve spaces based on availability, to a parking lot management software that gives employees the power to plan their commute in advance. This flexibility means seamless space sharing between employees who aren't in the office and employees who need a space at a specific time.

Using parking lot management software that can be programmed with the appropriate division of large parking lots means specifying how many spots are allocated for businesses. Gone are the days of the daily parking space lottery. With Parkable's parking lot management software, parking is based on schedules and needs.

Better use of time and admin

Parkable's parking lot management software saves your admin team time and money. They no longer have to manually allocate parking spaces; these are automatically assigned and re-assigned using a smart algorithm.In fact, with flexible parking software, managing every type of parking is simplified. Whether it’s booking spaces for visitors, allocating tandem parks or managing EV chargers.

Parking management software also provides real-time reporting and dashboards, meaning you can make better informed decisions about asset usage in the short and long-term.

Increased occupancy and revenue

Parking lot management software increases the productivity of parking lots while minimizing redundancies. By allowing for appropriate scheduling and sharing of parking spaces, pavement never sits empty, waiting for payment. This optimizes the space available, increasing occupancy and, thereby, revenue. Revenue is also improved with parking lot management software by cutting associated costs and work for the company.

Use parking lot management software to increase flexibility and revenue

Parking lot management software is designed to remove the pain and inefficiencies of outdated practices. By using parking management software backed by industry titans like Meta, you can simplify facility management while maximizing parking lot efficiency.

Book a demo to see how Parkable can improve your revenue and experience.