Anyone that drives around a major city is well aware of the woes of parking. Urban population and automobile ownership are increasing rapidly, and parking infrastructure can barely keep pace. According to research, more than 25% of all traffic congestion worldwide is attributed to the disparity between vehicles on roads and available parking spaces.
For parking service providers, such high demand can create complacency. Many facilities do not feel the push to implement solutions that could improve the parking experience. As a result, despite technological advancements, most of the parking industry still relies on traditional methods, which make facility management cumbersome, time-intensive, and costly.
The increasing growth of cloud computing has cultivated numerous advancements across industries and exponential adoption in daily lives. In the parking business, cloud-based technology promises motorists faster and easier access, allocation, and reservation of the best parking spaces available. Meanwhile, service providers can exploit exciting opportunities for streamlining operations, reducing costs, and attaining recurring long-term clients.
Centralized cloud control systems are particularly taking center stage for parking companies with several geographically diverse parking lots. Cloud-based solutions for large-scale implementation are cheaper compared to on-site hardware. They also provide an easier way for standardizing parking lot management, which minimizes training and operational costs while improving the quality of service.
Read on for three primary benefits of cloud computing for parking, along with what to expect from the Cloud-Parking relationship in the coming years.
1. Autonomous Parking Lots
Understandably, unattended parking facilities are a hot topic among service providers. Every year, parking companies spend millions of dollars paying attendants. The possibility of replacing this workforce with automation is an enticing prospect for saving money while eliminating the inefficiencies and errors of human-driven processes.
However, implementing autonomous parking is not as easy as the theory might imply. Without a system that dictates abnormalities before they morph into problems, congestion could become the order of the day as everyone struggles to get their way.
Fortunately, a cloud hosting parking solution can easily solve the abnormality detection problem. Current cloud-based parking solutions are equipped with scanners that can read license plates in a fraction of a second, with an accuracy rate of as high as 99.8%. With this information, these systems can track vehicle position and movement and relay real-time information to operators via mobile and web-based interfaces.
If an abnormal situation occurs, such as a fender-bender or a driver making a wrong turn, the system can quickly redirect traffic away from the incident and alert a customer service staff to rush to the site. That way, on-site problem-solving can commence before traffic is paralyzed.
A system that enables reliable remote real-time parking lot monitoring can make autonomous parking more plausible. You do not need attendants walking around your facility if you can get instantaneous alerts about abnormalities delivered right to your computer or smartphone.
2. Streamlined Operations
Thanks to consistent innovation in recent years, cloud hosting services are more efficient and intelligent than ever. A parking facility with a cloud-based parking management system benefits from 24-hour remote monitoring without the need for more attendants.
Today’s crop of cloud hosting services incorporates artificial intelligence, data analytics, real-time alerts, and other innovations to create a super-brain, which can achieve independent real-time monitoring, remote assistance, and big data collection. Most interestingly, these systems can use the data they gather to adapt to changing client trends and needs.
As a result, parking operators can pinpoint inefficiencies with greater accuracy and upgrade the processes that matter most rather than using speculation and guesswork.
3. High-quality Customer Service
Despite reducing the number of attendees in a parking facility, a cloud-based monitoring system can improve customer service significantly. With real-time monitoring, abnormalities can be quickly identified and handled by the right people. Rather than waiting for motorists to report an anomaly, facility managers can see potential problems before they happen and assist proactively.
The Cloud also makes it possible for operators to deploy convenience options like remote parking reservations and contactless payments. With cloud hosting and a parking app like Pavemint, you can give clients a view of the spaces available in your facility and enable them to make bookings in advance from their mobile devices. That way, they are assured of a parking space whenever they need it.
In today’s increasingly frustrating parking scene, cloud computing presents substantial improvements for drivers and service providers. Using cloud-based solutions to monitor parking facilities in real-time helps optimize operating efficiency and improve service quality while keeping costs at a minimum and guaranteeing ROI.
As cloud technology continues to advance, you can expect more facilities to integrate cloud-based solutions and benefit from better resource allocation and increased revenue. Parking businesses still holding on to traditional, human-heavy monitoring systems should start planning for change before the competition leaves them behind.