Tag Archives: customer service

IPMI Webinar: Using Social Listening to Improve Your Customer Service. Presented by Melonie Curry, ParkHouston

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Using Social Listening to Improve Your Customer Service

Melonie Curry, Communications Manager, ParkHouston

Register here for this webinar.

Or purchase the entire 2021 professional development series bundle.

Digital marketing is now a required element of good business. Learn to use social listening to analyze your organization’s digital footprint and social media presence. Provide responsive and timely campaigns that meet the needs of your target audience and help your organization do business better.

Attendees will:

  • Recognize the need for digital marketing.
  • Learn how to use social media to identify customer needs.
  • Examine which digital media channels best connect you with your target audience.

Offers 1 CAPP Credit towards application or recertification.

Presenter: Melonie Curry, Communications Manager, ParkHouston

Melonie Curry has developed customer educational materials for ParkHouston that share parking tips to educate the public and make parking easy and convenient. She manages ParkHouston’s social media and website and recently completed a digital marketing certification from Cornell  University. She served on the Texas Parking and Transportation Association’s Host Committee and helps manage social media. She is a member of the Social Media Advisory and Research Taskforce (SMART) and works on the Cultural Change Coalition to improve department collaboration in the City of Houston.

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IPMI Webinar: Teleworking: An Alternate Mobility Mode. Presented by Perry H. Eggleston, CAPP & Ramon Zavala University of California at Davis.

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Teleworking: An Alternate Mobility Mode

Perry H. Eggleston, CAPP, DPA; Executive Director for Transportation Services; University of California at Davis

Ramon Zavala, Transportation Demand Manager, UC Davis Transportation Services

We are currently launching a new member portal. Please contact us at professionaldevelopment@parking-mobility.org to register.

Or purchase the entire 2021 professional development series bundle.

Rahm Emanuel said, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”

Last year brought discussions of campus closures, telelearning, and teleworking. Within a week, these discussions were reality. When the awareness that this COVID thing would last longer than a few weeks, we started to look at how the lull could be used to keep the momentum of teleworking going as a demand-reduction tool.

To address all the issues for making teleworking an ongoing mobility strategy, we created a telework committee. Stakeholders from human resources, technology, safety and ergonomics, employee/union relations, communications, and finance. Transportation Services coordinates the committee, which will address the physical, legal, supervisory, and training issues and keep teleworking a viable mobility option into the future.

Attendees will:

  • Illustrate how teleworking is a mobility advantage.
  • Recognize the institutional needs of a teleworking program.
  • Detail best practices and measure the effectiveness of amnesty and relief programs for constituents and revenue recovery efforts.

Offers 1 CAPP Credit towards application or recertification.

Presenters:

Perry H. Eggleston, CAPP, DPA; Executive Director for Transportation Services; UC Davis Transportation Services

Perry Eggleston, CAPP, DPA, has more than 25 years’ experience developing, refining, and implementing mobility programs as an officer, supervisor, manager, director, consultant, and executive director. In his career, he has served organizations in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Texas. He is an active member of the IPMI and California Public Parking Association.

Ramon Zavala, Transportation Demand Manager, UC Davis Transportation Services

Ramon Zavala holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from UC Irvine, where he began his work in transportation demand management. After seven years with UCI’s Transportation department, he transferred to UC Davis’ Transportation Services, where he manages the TDM program, transit relations, and overseeing the overseeing the bicycle program.

 

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Frontline Fundamentals: Flipping the Script on Customer Service. Presented by Vanessa Cummings, CAPP

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Free to IPMI members, pre-registration required.

REGISTER HERE.

Non-members may attend for a $35 registration fee.  Click the register link above to attend as a non-member.  Need help logging in?

Contact us at professionaldevelopment@parking-mobility.org.

NOT A MEMBER? JOIN TODAY.

Flipping the Script on Customer Service

Vanessa Cummings, CAPP

Understanding perceptions and reality when the shoe is on the other foot can be essential to improving customer service at every level.  This upbeat session will include role playing and a healthy dose of fun as we review and assess the actions and reactions between customers and our frontline customer service and enforcement personnel. Takeaways will include an effective tool to help you keep your cool in stressful situations.

Vanessa Cummings, CAPP, has 25 years of experience in parking, transportation management, and supervision. She’s passionate about inspiring and empowering people through real-life experiences and humor to teach and mentor. As a pastor, parking professional, and consultant, she serves as a trainer, meeting planner and facilitator, and inspirational speaker. She has provided training and consulting for IPMI, colleges, universities, regional conferences, and churches for 19 years.

IPMI & Member News, Resources, Sustainability, Technology, Transportation & Mobility

Member News: Flowbird Uses Advanced Technology To Limit Contact During Transactions

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May 6th, 2020

Company focuses on reducing germ spread while supporting city financial health

Moorestown, NJ – Flowbird Group has announced recent developments that limit the amount of physical interaction with its parking kiosks and an alternative to avoid the kiosks altogether. The leader in curbside management, having been involved in downtown commerce for over 50 years, plays a critical role in urban mobility. The company’s solutions have helped cities worldwide collect vital revenue that is reinvested to provide invaluable services to the community. During this global pandemic, the physical and financial health of cities are being threatened, leading Flowbird to respond to the call.

One such feature is Flowbird’s latest release of pay station software called, “recall”, which is now available on the CWT smart parking kiosk.  How does it work? The recall feature makes a ‘token’ from the credit card used the first time a driver makes a transaction at a kiosk. The next time they return and swipe their card, the kiosk will suggest the same license plate number and phone number for text receipts. This limits the amount of physical interaction when entering their license plate number for pay-by-plate transactions, or entering their phone number for time expiration reminders and receipts. The recall function is an optional feature that the City operator can choose to enable on their kiosks.

While credit card use at Flowbird kiosks remain high and contactless payments rise in popularity, Flowbird reminds and encourages drivers to use ‘tap-to-pay’ methods whenever possible. Several Flowbird clients are in the final phases of launching contactless/NFC payments, including the ability to accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and credit cards with the NFC symbol.  This method of payment eliminates another touchpoint at the kiosk.

For users who are not quite ready to interact with pay stations or meters, Flowbird continues to provide and make advances to its Flowbird mobile payment application. The latest release of the app was recently launched at the end of April, giving drivers the option to search, filter, book and pay for a parking reservation before they even leave their home.  This gives motorists a completely contactless parking experience.

“Our number one concern will always be our customers and their safety,” said Benoit Reliquet, President of Flowbird, North America, “Over the last several months, we have also seen city revenues dropping tremendously, so it is important that we offer as many ways as possible for cities to continue to collect parking fees while ensuring the health and wellbeing of its citizens.”

Currently, Flowbird supports over 40,000 parking pay stations for over 600 customers throughout the U.S.  Their mobile apps have been deployed in over 600 municipalities and universities around the world including 100 locations in the United States, with over 1.5 million mobile users globally.

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Flowbird US Media Contact
Sean Renn – Vice President of Marketing & Communications
856-220-1577
sean.renn@flowbird.group
www.flowbird.group

IPMI Webinar: The CCPA and State Efforts to Protect Consumer Privacy: What the Parking Industry Should Know

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Live Online Webcast: Free for CPPA and IPMI Members.  $25.00 for Non-members

The California Public Parking Association (CPPA) in partnership with IPMI is hosting this presentation that will review the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 and various state efforts to protect the privacy of its citizens, including:

  • An overview of common privacy threats and legal landscape:  Shooting at a moving target
  • The intersection of expanding customer expectations and legal obligations
  • Discussion of what makes an information security/privacy program “defensible”?
  • The ROI for investing time and resources in an information security/privacy program
  • Effective strategizing for moving to the next level of cybersecurity and privacy protection

Objectives:

  • Understand the changing legal landscape related to consumer privacy and the likely legal changes on the horizon;
  • What efforts that they can engage in now to both prepare to meet their specific legal obligations and to implement information security/privacy program “best practices” in their organizations; and
  • Which internal and external resources (e.g., data privacy officers, outside counsel, information security experts) can help them right-size their efforts regarding a fast changing area of the law.

Presenters:

Sue Friedburg is the co-chair of Buchanan’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Group.  Sue advises clients about the rapidly evolving standards of care for safeguarding confidential information and responding effectively to security incidents that threaten to compromise our client’s valuable or protected information.  Sue has extensive experience advising clients on the fast-changing world of consumer privacy laws at the federal and state level.

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Holland regularly advises clients from all business sectors on the impact of consumer privacy laws and legislation that continue to be a hot topic across the United States.  Bringing his experience to businesses offering a variety of products and services, Rob helps them address the sometimes thorny implementation issues related to the laws.  No two businesses are the same, and Rob brings that recognition to help each business craft a unique approach to protect their customers and their reputations.

 

 

 

 

 

Jason Wrona is a legal veteran to the parking industry, having served as counsel to a number of public and private parking operators and related businesses.  Notably, Jason has served as the outside counsel to the Pittsburgh Parking Authority for more than 10 years.  He has a deep understanding of all facets of the parking industry and is proud to be counted as a “parking nerd.”

IPMI Blog, Resources

Hit By the Bus—and Smiling

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IPMI Blog bus imageBy David M. Feehan

I read with a smile Kim Fernandez’s story about her stupid furnace and brand loyalty. It made me recall an incident that occurred just before Christmas.

I was on my way to visit my son and his family in Brooklyn. It was a lousy night for driving from D.C.—rainy, foggy, and bone-chilling. I had just pulled off the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and onto the BQE (the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway), exited at the Fort Hamilton off ramp, and was preparing to turn right on 65th Street. While waiting at stop light, I suddenly felt a bump. I looked to my left and there was an MTA city bus, trying to squeeze between my Jeep and another car.

I started honking and flashing my brights and the bus driver pulled over to the curb. The young driver got out, came around to my driver’s side window, and asked if anyone was injured. I told him I thought it was a minor collision and he looked at the side of my Jeep and then told me he would call his supervisor but it might be awhile before anyone would come. Wanting to make sure I had a record of the accident, I called New York City Police, who promised to send a squad.

Within about 20 minutes, two MTA supervisors arrived. They were very friendly and courteous. One, noticing my Maryland plates, remarked about the Nationals winning the World Series. Before long, we were discussing the 1969 Amazin’ Mets and the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. After the supervisor took a number of photos with his cell phone, he explained how I could file a claim and gave me a form with instructions and a number to call. By the time police arrived, we had pretty well settled the issue.

When I returned to Maryland, I found I already had two mailings from MTA with the forms I needed and the instructions for filing a claim. I then received a call from Dominick, a representative of MTA’s legal department, who wanted to check and see if I received the forms and again walked me through the process of filing a claim.

All’s well that ends well. I took the Jeep to my neighborhood body shop, where the owner rubbed out the scratches with some rubbing compound. No harm, no foul.

Who said transit agencies are by nature rude and impossible to deal with? New York’s MTA set an example for other transit and parking systems. There is a lesson here for any public agency, whether transit or parking. Encounters like these can build loyalty or animosity. Your choice.

David M. Feehan is president of Civitas Consultants, LLC.

IPMI & Member News

Member News: Parker Technology Partners with Greenleaf Hospitality Group in Kalamazoo, MI

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Indianapolis, IN—Parker Technology, the leading provider of parking customer service, has successfully been providing 24/7 customer support for the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo, MI since September. With Parker’s customer service platform, guests and visitors to the Radisson Plaza Hotel can immediately reach a Parker Technology customer service representative if they experience problems when entering or exiting the hotel garage. Parker’s call buttons are integrated into all of the hotel’s parking payment kiosks to provide instant access to their cloud-based platform, and thus a connection to their customer service reps. The Radisson Plaza Hotel is owned and operated by Greenleaf Hospitality Group.

“Greenleaf Hospitality Group (GHG) was excited to identify Parker Technology as a solution provider within the Parking Access and Revenue Control (PARC) world that focused on the Customer Care challenges that a parking operation can present to both our parking guests and our PARC operator team. Due to the breadth of clients Parker Technology partners with, we are leaning on them as experts in this space to collaborate with us to provide the best solutions for our parking guests. It is not a one and done conversation either, we are routinely monitoring Parker’s customer service reps’ recorded interactions with our parking guests to identify ways to continuously improve the experience for everyone involved. We are learning and discussing what works and what does not, as well as how to prevent certain types of issues from arising in the future. Parker Technology listens to us as a partner as we tackle the opportunities together; they are truly an extension of our own customer service team. We are excited to see their business model grow and be part of the story to develop a new standard of PARC related Customer Care through ongoing continuous improvement, engagement and passion for the customer!” – GHG’s PARC Experience Task Force

In today’s increasingly automated parking industry, customer support platforms often provide the sole connection between parkers and trained professionals who can help solve common problems related to paying for parking or entering and exiting garages. Each year, parkers across the US reach out to customer service professionals via call buttons at least 85 million times. This statistic is extrapolated from the Parker Technology platform, which also records and analyzes data about each call to determine which issues are most common and help hotel administrators better manage their parking resources.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Greenleaf Hospitality Group to offer customer support to the Radisson Plaza Hotel’s parking patrons and guests,” said Brian Wolff, president and CEO of Parker Technology. “A hotel’s parking garage is often the first experience a guest has at a hotel, and our parking customer service platform can have a vital role in guest satisfaction. We are proud that Greenleaf Hospitality Group has entrusted their guests’ satisfaction to us.”

Background

Greenleaf Hospitality Group (GHG) is comprised of Radisson Plaza Hotel, Wings Event Center, Wings West and several outlets located in each. GHG aims to make a positive impact on the greater Kalamazoo community by providing premier establishments of dining, hospitality, and entertainment. Learn more at greenleafhospitalitygroup.com.

Parker Technology is a fast-growth tech-led software and services company that provides parking facilities with a premium customer experience, by helping resolve issues for parking guests when they fail in the face of automated payment kiosks. Parker’s patient, well-informed customer service specialists answer and resolve intercom “help” calls 24/7, and boasts being the only company in the parking industry that can deliver this service with face-to-face, two-way video communication. Putting this personal, human touch back into an automated situation enhances the customer experience, provides metrics to improve operational efficiencies, increases successful payments and outcomes and ensures customer service calls are answered. Learn more at www.helpmeparker.com.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Loving Your Customers

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woman using phone with hearts floating in the airBy Kathleen Federici, MEd

I recently had the opportunity to attend a TEDx in my hometown. TEDx includes TED Talks videos and live speakers to spark discussion and connection among the group in attendance. At this event, there were five live speakers and two speakers on video. It was interesting to see a common theme among most of the speakers: the importance of being customer-centered. One speaker was so passionate about the role of the customer that his talk was all around how to “love” your customer. I don’t believe I will be dwelling on that point, as he did, but I do believe that there is credibility in the make-or-break role of the customer.

Another speaker went on to illustrate statistics linking  longevity of an organization with how they treated their customers, regardless of the size of the company. He illustrated with charts and showed that statistically, if the customer was placed as first in the culture of the company, that organization went on to financial success no matter its size. If profits were placed first in the company culture, that organization faced financial ruin in less than eight years. He highlighted this with numerous citations.

I found this both interesting and reassuring. The University of Virginia multi-day course  IPMI holds at our annual Conference actually backs up the message. Don’t tell anyone, but they have a question on their end-of-course assessment addressing this very topic!

Although I cannot go so far as that one speaker did about “loving” the customer. I do appreciate the message and the importance of making positive connections with customers.

Kathleen Federici, MEd, is IPMI’s director of professional development.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Tissues and the Extra Mile

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water bottles in iceBy Kim Fernandez

My husband tapped me on the shoulder, nodded behind me, and said, “Check it out.” We’d spent about an hour in a big showroom making one of those dreaded necessary purchases one delays as long as possible (“adulting”) and our salesperson had asked if we’d like a drink. We both asked for water and started playing on our phones, and then the tap and the nod happened.

I turned around and saw the man we were working with standing at a desk across the huge room. He’d picked two water bottles out of a cooler and was pulling tissues out of a box, which he then used to carefully dry the bottles off before walking back over to hand them to us. I laughed, “We could have done that,” and he shrugged and smiled and went to find out whether our paperwork was ready.

Maybe a manager taught him to dry off water bottles before handing them to customers–maybe it’s part of their company training. My gut says his momma ingrained it in him as a reflex, along with holding doors, saying please and thank you, and picking up things other people drop. Either way, it was a three-second touch that spoke volumes and went a whole long way toward making a potentially unpleasant experience quite bearable. Those little things made me want to work with him again should the opportunity present itself.

Sometimes the extra mile is an inch, but it makes all the difference.

Kim Fernandez is IPMI’s director of publications and editor of Parking & Mobility.