Tag Archives: frontline fundamentals

IPMI Blog, Resources

Frontline Fundamentals: Innovations in Parking

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By Robert Ferrin

The parking industry is constantly innovating. With technology implementation moving so fast, it can sometimes feel like a whirlwind. For our employees, the change can be swift and surprising. How can our most valued assets–our employees–get involved in these innovative projects and programs and what are some of the latest and greatest innovations being implemented by parking organizations? Why do we innovate in the first place and what is the value add to our customers and our organizations?

If you’d like to learn more about how the parking industry is moving forward, join me for IPMI’s Frontline Fundamentals session next Tuesday, October 27: Innovations in Parking. I’ll present some ways our employees can get more involved in innovations being implemented across the industry.

You can find out more about this session by clicking here. Please join us in the discussion!

Robert Ferrin is assistant director for parking services with the City of Columbus, Ohio.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Flipping the Switch with the BEAST

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By Vanessa R. Cummings, CAPP

When you work with customers, which most of us do, you need to know the best way to interact with them. Some are less than friendly; we may also have colleagues, friends, or family who push our buttons. If you can relate to this, then you need to meet the BEAST.

So, who is this BEAST? It’s an approach that can help you to stay professionally focused when dealing with difficult people and situations. Changing your mindset when challenged is the key.

Want to know more? Consider attending the “Flipping the Script on Customer Service” Frontline Fundamentals session on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Trust me, this will be fun and interactive. Yes, it is safe for your customers, family, church, friends, and colleagues. The BEAST is something we all need to use and keep in our toolkit. If you deal with difficult people, you need to meet the BEAST.

Vanessa R. Cummings, CAPP, is CEO of Ms. V Consulting, LLC. She will present on this topic during a free-for-IPMI-members online session tailored for frontline parking professionals on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Click here for details and to register.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Are You Empowered?

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License plate scanner on a police car.By Victor Hill, CAPP

The first year I worked with license plate recognition taught me a valuable lesson in managing expectations with reality and the importance of empowering others. I managed a small campus parking operation–four full-time employees, including me, and student enforcement officers. We had high hopes for LPR and spent several years trying to convince our leadership that it was the right investment.

Then we got the approval and had to make it work. It did, right up until we found a problem we hadn’t really considered: improper parking, or vehicles parked across the lines. Luckily, the problem was already solved by the time it was brought to my attention, thanks to our enforcement officer. He adjusted a setting in the LPR software to make every vehicle it scanned come up as a hit. He then scanned the problem vehicle, got photos, and cited it.

The officer’s innovative solution was one of several that set the tone for operational adjustments to reconcile our expectations for LPR with the realities of driver behaviors on our campus. We were successful because we worked as a team. The officer and the front office staff were actively encouraged to look for creative ways to identify opportunities and solve problems. They were empowered to do their jobs and contribute to the success of the organization.

Are you?

We’ll discuss these ideas in my upcoming (free) Frontline Fundamentals session: LPR for Frontline Personnel, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2 p.m. Eastern. I hope you’ll join me.

Victor Hill, CAPP, is an account manager at T2 Systems and was previously director of parking and transportation services for the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

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By Tiffany Smith

Emotional intelligence (EI) is incredibly complex and incredibly simple. When this became a buzzword of sorts a number of years ago, I immediately became intrigued. I consider myself both emotional and intelligent; I thought, this is a perfect adjective for my brand.

Emotional intelligence is defined as “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.” It’s also the key to both personal and professional success. I found this incredibly intriguing. A deeper dive quickly revealed I had much to learn about emotional intelligence. It was eye-opening to learn and discover how practicing emotional intelligence can make monumental positive changes in all aspects of your life: family, friends, co-workers.

I was further encouraged to learn how many firms, corporations, and employers are valuing someone with a high EI, sometimes finding them more attractive than someone with a high IQ. It’s something I like to read about, study about, and talk about.

I hope you will join me Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. Eastern for IPMI’s free, online Frontline Fundamentals session on using emotional intelligence in the workplace. It’s a great opportunity to more about how it can add success to your daily walk. Click here to register.

Tiffany Smith is director of the Parking Authority of River City, Ky.

Frontline Fundamentals: Bouncing Back from Adversity, Presented by Casey Jones, 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.

Bouncing Back from Adversity

Casey Jones, CAPP

Let’s face it: a career in parking and transportation comes with more than its share of internal conflicts, aggressive customers, and unpleasant situations.  No matter the role you play in parking and transportation or how long you’ve been in the field, there are potentially countless interactions that can chip away at your confidence, make you question your abilities, and challenge your decision to stay in the industry.  This session is intended to help you better understand the skills and attributes of those who have faced similar environments with success and explore strategies that help us to cope with the major stressors we encounter.

Casey Jones, CAPP, is a recognized transportation and parking industry leader with more than 24 years of  industry experience overseeing parking and transportation programs in the Pacific Northwest and at the University of Colorado and Boise State University.  He’s spent the past 10 years providing consulting and project management services to universities, cities, and hospitals, focusing on improving customer satisfaction, operational effectiveness, and financial performance.  His public and private sector operational experience complements his strong project management skills and experience.  He joined DESMAN in August 2019. He is a past chairman of the Board for the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI). He serves on the Accredited Parking Organization (APO) Board of Directors and is a Board Director for the California Public Parking Association and Pacific Intermountain Parking and Transportation Association.

Frontline Fundamentals: Concepts of Mobility, Presented by Brian Shaw, 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.

Concepts of Mobility

Brian Shaw, CAPP

The rapid change and evolving use of mobility services and technology in the parking industry is an area that parking professionals need to stay on top of. This session provides an overview of the latest developments in micro-mobility, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), public transit, and ride-sharing (transportation network companies, carpooling, and vanpooling).  Discussion will include changes to parking credentialing, permitting, access control payments, and enforcement through the growing use of license plate recognition (LPR), mobile payments, and cloud-based software-as-a-service programs to manage parking resources.

Brian Shaw, CAPP, is Executive Director of Stanford Transportation at Stanford University. He has spent his nearly 25-year career fostering commuter travel choices and innovations in parking management. He has worked primarily in higher education at some of the leading research institutions across the U.S. Under his leadership, Stanford has been able keep its peak-hour trips under a cap established in 2000, while the campus has continued to grow and thrive.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Reality Checks and Great Things for Frontline Professionals

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By Cindy Campbell

I’ve noticed that maintaining my motivation has been challenging lately. There was a time where the idea of working from home sounded so … idyllic. One heaping dose of reality later, I’m far less enamored with the remoteness of it all. Many colleagues are also feeling the strain–working from home can be monotonous and presents a variety of challenges. On Tuesday this week, one of my favorite presenters, Julius Rhodes, shared his thoughts on “Maintaining Motivation in Times of Uncertainty and Change.” As always, Julius did a fantastic job. I appreciated his timely and encouraging message as we continue to brave our changing world.

Julius’s session was the kick-off to IPMI’s new professional development series, “Frontline Fundamentals.” We’ve heard from so many of you about the challenges you’re facing and that maintaining professional development opportunities for frontline staff is an imperative. Because of this, we wanted to offer something special–and free to members.

On Tuesdays throughout the fall, we’ll be presenting the Frontline Fundamentals series; these weekly, one-hour, frontline education sessions are designed to keep your team engaged, challenged, and enlightened. Each session offers a new topic and a different industry presenter. To find out more or to register for any or all of the Frontline Fundamentals sessions, click here.

And don’t worry: If some of your team can’t join us live, we’re happy to offer the sessions on-demand to members for the rest of the year. We hope this new educational offering makes life just a little easier for you. (That’s the goal!)

Cindy Campbell is IPMI’s senior training and development specialist.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Frontline Fundamentals: Building the Team–Ordinary to Extraordinary

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team members stacking their hands together.By Melissa Yates, CAPP

What does it take to be a leader?  No matter your position within an organization, we all have the potential to help our team move to the next level and get on the same page. But how exactly do we get the ball rolling?

This was a question I asked myself several years ago as the leader of an organizational team in need of change. The experience of rebuilding a team using norms taught us all so much. Through this teambuilding process, I realized that each person was leading from their place in the organization, and it made us stronger together.

If this is a relatable topic for your team, join me for IPMI’s Frontline Fundamentals session next Tuesday, September 8: “Building the Team: Ordinary to Extraordinary.” I’ll take you through the systematic process of building norming techniques for your team and methods to influence everyday interactions toward positive outcomes. We’ll also talk about what it means to be an everyday leader from any level of the organization.

You can find out more about this session by clicking here. I hope to see you there!

Melissa Yates, CAPP, is director, university services, with SP+.

Frontline Fundamentals: Working Toward Equity: Discussing Diversity, Inclusion, and Microaggression, Presented by Kim Jackson, 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.

Working Toward Equity: Discussing Diversity, Inclusion, and Microaggression

 Kim Jackson, CAPP.

This session will examine systemic racism that is embedded as normal practice within any organization. It involves policies, practices, structures, and norms that can result in inequitable outcomes for people of color. The session will look at diversity, inclusion, and microaggression’s impact on organizations.

Kim E. Jackson, CAPP, Director, Transportation & Parking Services, Princeton University

Kim Jackson, CAPP, provides leadership, expertise and management for university transportation and parking operations, services, facilities, and programs. In 2008 she was hired as the first Director, Transportation & Parking Services for Princeton University. Kim previously worked at IPMI as the Executive Director. Prior to IPI, Kim was Director of Parking & Transportation at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she was responsible for the university’s parking and transportation programs, and management of daily operations of a multi-faceted program for five New Brunswick campuses and contracted bus services. Kim is a class of 2000 CAPP graduate.

Frontline Fundamentals: That’s not what I meant: Seven Rules for Getting your Message Across (correctly) in Texts & Emails. Presented by Matt Penney, 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.

That’s not what I meant: Seven Rules for Getting your Message Across (correctly) in Texts & Emails

Presented by Matt Penney, CAPP

In a world dominated by electronic communication, our message becomes dependent on written words alone. The tone, pitch, modulation, and tempo of our voice can be lost in digital translation.  Are your emails and texts being misinterpreted?   In this session, we will review seven practical steps intended to help you send the message you intend.

Matt Penney
Director of Parking and Transportation Services, Baylor University

Matt Penney is the Director of Parking and Transportation Services for Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He has been in the parking and transportation industry for the past 16 years. Prior to Baylor, he served as a General Manager and Vice President of Longview Transit, in Longview Texas for the managing company McDonald Transit. Penney also worked for the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) as a public transportation funding specialist and as the Director of Service Development for Waco Transit, the public transportation provider for the City of Waco. Matt has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University.