The goal for every hospital parking entity is to increase patient satisfaction. An article that ran in the Cambridge Times last fall clearly described what hospital parking professionals dread the most in their parking operations: unreliable parking equipment.

The delicate balance of collecting revenue while meeting patient expectations is crucial to our business. Therefore, each time a patient or his or her family visits our hospital, they must walk away with the same experience, which includes convenient access to parking and easy pay on exit. Of the many challenges hospital parking professionals encounter, the most common complaints stem from unreliable equipment. Every time an employee has to open a machine to make adjustments means a patron delay and possibly a rate change. Unfortunately, staff are often unable to offer refunds on-site.

Issues that may hamper a visitor’s ability to deal with a life or death situation require a great deal of out-of-the-box thinking. Strategic partnerships with various medical units are required to increase operational efficiency and meet expectations for each visit.

As we look a head, it is critical that we continue to build close relationships with our vendor partners and look to fellow members of IPI as resources for continued and sustain improvements.

What has been your greatest challenge and how did you address it? Comment below.