by Vanessa R. Cummings, CAPP, M.Div.

Bringing the BEAST to customer service.

The beast is a process for you to put into practice every day, especially in difficult or unusual situations or when someone tries to take you over the limit. 

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN PUSHED TO YOUR PARKING LIMIT?

Have you had customers call you by a name other than your own? Have you felt the need to snap some parking sense into a customer? Customer service is one of the key complaints received about parking, and feedback ranges from courteous and professional to rude and inconsiderate. Excellent customer service is key to building positive relationships with our customers. Realizing that many negative comments stem from face-to-face interactions with parking professionals, it is important that those interactions be good ones.

This is true whether you work in the office or in the field. Customer interactions run the gamut from visitors needing directions, to drivers who need motorist assistance, to those who have received tickets. It is important not to jump to conclusions that everyone out there is “up against” you. If you are predisposed to that mindset, your interaction will start that way, primarily because you approached it on the defense. However, if your mind is focused on the fact that every interaction is an opportunity to serve, you will naturally be more kind, listen more, and respond with a positive tone.

When interactions are headed the wrong direction and not going well, you need a resource to call upon. Enter the parking beast! Yes, I said beast. Next time someone tries to take you to your frustration limit, you give them the customer service BEAST.

Who or what is this beast? The beast is a process for you to put into practice every day, especially in difficult or unusual situations or when someone tries to take you over your limit. The beast is nothing for you or your customers to fear; it brings a higher level of customer service to those customers on whom you may initially want to breathe fire. You will find that the beast should keep you from escalating the situation, help you de-escalate it, and show the customer that you know how to stay calm, even in stressful situations.

Breathe in.
Slowly take a deep, therapeutic breath in. This allows you to gather yourself, suck it up, and begin to clear your mind. Think about when people have pushed you to your limit—your breathing usually changes, and as a result, you may find yourself tensing up and breathing rapidly. A slow, deep breath will allow you to begin to control your breathing and may prevent your blood pressure from making a quick rise. It also occurs as a natural result because when you are about to lose your temper, you often take a quick deep breath so you can say everything you want (or sometimes just feel the need) to say. However, the slower you inhale, the more control you gain of yourself because you are focusing on your breathing and not what just occurred or was just said.

Breathing in is directly related to the next point that goes hand-in-hand with your survival and your health.

Exhale slowly.
Exhaling slowly only occurs when you take control and pay attention to how you are breathing. Slow exhalation allows you to cleanse the negative energy and thoughts and release the stressors you just inhaled. Slow breathing should reduce the rapid-fire,
knee-jerk response and allow you to begin calming yourself. As you are exhaling, begin to focus on a solution to the situation at hand and not the person or words spoken.

You may end up with the BEBEBEAST because you may have to do the first two steps two or three times. Repeat the first two steps as many times as you need to so you know you are in control of your breathing, and then move on to “A.” Introducing the BEAST

Adjust your attitude and perspective.
When someone has said or done something that does not sit well with you, your first response is often not the best response. Adjusting your attitude and perspective allows you to focus on problem resolution and not the person or his or her issue. There are people who will try to get a negative reaction from you to use against you to try to avoid responsibility for their actions. Remember, you are the parking professional so you are held to a higher standard. “Professional” means you maintain a level of maturity and respect even when disagreements and conflicts arise.

Adjusting your attitude and perspective requires you to consider: What if you were in the customer’s situation? How would you feel or react? Was the signage clear? What did he or she just say to you? Did the person try to do the right thing? Was he or she truly confused? What if that customer was your spouse or child? How would you want him or her to be addressed?

These questions should provide a reality check and open your mind to viewing the situation from a different perspective. That view should also result in an attitude adjustment (if you were headed the wrong way). The right attitude and perspective should
provide you with an appropriate response that will educate and uplift, not hurt. If you want to snap back, you should reassess and come up with a courteous response that could also help the customer to learn how to avoid the negative situation or adjust his or her attitude the next time.

Smile internally.
Before you speak, put a smile in your mind and a pleasant look on your face and remove any scowls or frowns. By smiling internally, what you say and how you say it should be much kinder than if you appear indifferent. Typically, a smile will alter the tone and tenor of what you say. Do not smile at the person as if you are happy to hand him or her a $100 ticket or look as if he or she should be happy to get a ticket. Remember to imagine yourself or your family member on the other end of the interaction.

A sincere facial effect conveys to the receiver that you are concerned about him or her and his or her situation, that you take him or her seriously; and it conveys respect. Respect goes a long way in customer service.

Talk to the Person.
Talk to the person, not at the person. Some people who have been mistreated by customers perceive situations as what they are up against. If your mindset is that you are up against people and situations, you will address those situations more defensively. Those who are up against something feel a need to rebel, respond, and take charge of
the situation.

As a parking professional, you should not approach the situation as being up against anyone. You provide a service to people who have chosen to use the service. If you want them to return and do things right the next time, you should talk to them in a manner that is welcoming, even when you may have to tell them “no” to cancelling their ticket or allowing them to park illegally. Again, place yourself on the receiving end of the interaction and how you would like to be addressed.

Breathe in.

Exhale slowly.

Adjust your attitude and perspective.

Smile internally.

Talk to the person, not at the person.

As you begin to think about bringing the BEAST, remember that customer service is just that: service. To serve implies doing something good to aid someone else. Writing tickets may not initially be understood as something good to the recipients, but those whose opportunities to find parking are improved appreciate the services provided.

Most people who have contact with parking professionals have questions and need information; they are not coming to complain or ask for favors. When that perspective is realized, the parking professional should bring a different and more positive approach to parking. If that is done, then your approach to those who are less than happy should reflect the parking beast and not a frustrated parking professional.

Imagine your staff wearing shirts that say, “Ask Me about the Parking BEAST!” It will provide a great opportunity to talk positively about parking and teach folks the rules before they park. Now, take the parking BEAST (or, if necessary the BEBEBEAST), with you, and enjoy your job and the people you serve!

TPP-2016-06-Unleashing the Beast

by Khurshid Hoda

Crime prevention through environmental design boosts safety with relatively easy steps for both new builds and existing-structure retrofits.

SAFETY AND SECURITY are important aspects of operating a successful parking structure. Part of developing an effective parking structure includes helping ensure that design elements support a safe and secure environment for patrons and their vehicles. Promoting a safe and secure environment is important for the businesses within the facility and the future success of the parking facility.

If the facility should experience criminal activities, the negative effect on the business and its patrons can greatly damage the parking organization’s reputation. Once a negative impression is publicly released in the media, it is difficult to reverse its effect on the businesses and gain back the trust of parking patrons.

Parking facilities, especially multi-level structures, encompass large land areas but have a low activity level compared to the businesses they support. Typically, the building and the businesses within the building are where patrons congregate, and there is a small percentage of individuals in the parking facility compared to those inside the building. Although there are various factors to consider, such as location, parking facilities can often be at risk for “opportunity” crime, given the relatively low occupancy. A non-scientific review of crime data shows that among all types of real estate (excluding residential), parking facilities can be prone to larceny and violent crimes. The data also show that a majority of individuals assaulted in parking structures are women walking alone to their vehicles.

Inherent Challenges
There are some characteristics inherent in parking facilities that make ensuring safety and security for parking patrons and their vehicles a challenge. A criminal’s vehicle looks like nearly every other vehicle so it would likely not be noticed in a parking facility. Additionally, blind corners, sightline obstructions, and parked vehicles can provide a hiding place for a criminal and potentially block the lighting in the area where a criminal could hide.

Often, a parking patron’s ability to see and be seen is reduced because parking structures are partially or fully enclosed, elevated, have multiple levels, or include ramps that provide vehicular access to multiple floors of the facility. Although there is no one perfect solution when determining how to address the security of a parking structure, providing reasonable safety and security in the parking facility is in the best interest of the owner and the traveling public. Reasonable security measures will help to deter and prevent criminal activity.

For a security measure to be a deterrent, it has to have a psychological effect on a criminal. It should discourage potential criminals from committing a criminal act. Examples of deterrence are adequate lighting, closed-circuit TV (CCTV) monitoring, and signs posted indicating security patrols within and around the facility.

The opportunities for criminal activity in a parking facility can be significantly reduced by properly planning and implementing security measures in the design and construction of the parking facility. The security measures should seek to affect both the psyche of the criminal mind and the parking patron, as well as improve the physical conditions within the facility with proven security enhancements.

By Design
Incorporating security features in the design of a parking structure is one of the best examples of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). This approach deters criminals by making them feel trapped, out of place, exposed, and concerned that others inside and are many design elements that enhance the CPTED approach—we’ll discuss them shortly.

Any measure or technique not requiring human interaction or response, including lighting, glass-backed elevators, open or glass-enclosed stairs, etc., is defined as passive security. Passive security features also can be referred to as security-by-design. This approach refers to specific parking facility design elements, features, materials, and systems that can enhance the overall security of the facility without active human interaction. Passive security measures are cost-effective and last the life of the parking facility. If these measures are implemented and maintained well, they significantly contribute to patrons’ feeling of safety and comfort within the parking facility.

Based on input received from various owners, parking consultants, and this author’s experience, the following five passive security features have a significant positive effect on parking structure security:

1. Lighting Design. Parking and security consultants strongly agree that adequate and uniform lighting is the first line of defense and most effective deterrent against criminal activities in parking facilities. Several studies have been conducted by security experts that prove sufficient lighting has reduced crime in an area.

Eliminating dark areas deters crime, promotes enhanced user comfort, and improves the overall perception of safety. Ample lighting helps encourage safe movement of pedestrians and vehicles within the parking facility and improves internal wayfinding.

Lighting levels are generally not mandated by building codes, other than certain minimum levels required for emergency egress. The industry guidelines for parking facility lighting are established by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). These guidelines are not legal building codes, but failure to comply with IESNA recommendations does carry significant liability risks.

For improved safety and increased customer security in parking facilities, it is suggested that these lighting levels be increased by 50 percent and motion-sensor controlled lighting be installed. The security experts agree that motion-sensor systems will further enhance patrons’ safety and reduce energy costs. In high-crime areas, some security experts suggest increasing the IESNA light levels by 100 percent. Of course, these suggestions are based on the understanding that the project budget could support the cost of higher light levels (first and operating and maintenance [O&M] costs). However, with advancements in energy-saving light fixtures and building management systems, it is expected the O&M costs would be significantly lower than those of older fixtures and systems.

Lighting fixtures should be paired in each parking bay. The paired-fixture approach improves lighting uniformity and provides a certain level of redundancy should a single lamp failure occur. Additionally, this will minimize shadows created by parked vehicles, as well as reduce the lighting glare in the drive aisles. The paired fixture approach is also beneficial if a CCTV system is used.

Staining ceiling and beams of parking facilities is a way of increasing reflectance of concrete surfaces, thus increasing overall brightness and improving overall parking environment. This approach also improves overall lighting uniformity because stained concrete uniformly reflects light on the driving surface. Staining or painting walls may encourage graffiti and will become a regular maintenance issue. Therefore, wall staining is not recommended.

2. Clear-Span Construction. Clear-span construction technique reduces the number of columns within the parking facility, creating an open environment, better visibility, and minimizing potential hiding places.

One of the factors that should be evaluated is the structural system. Structural beams in cast-in-place (CIP) systems are generally located at more than 25 feet apart. The wider span provides for a higher ceiling perception, which provides more open space, better lighting from fewer fixtures, and better visibility of signage. All these factors improve visibility, thus enhancing the safety of patrons and their vehicles.

3. Glass-backed elevators and open stairs. The more open and visible parking areas can be made, the better they are for passive security purposes. The theory behind this is that criminals are less likely to assault a parking patron in front of a clear glass window or open stairs than in an enclosed area. Therefore, it is recommended that parking structures have glass-backed elevators and open stairs.

4. Landscape design. Almost all parking structure projects include some level of landscape design. Inappropriate placement of shrubbery, hedges, and trees can restrict line of sight for pedestrian and vehicular traffic and may negatively affect parking safety and security. Therefore, landscaping should be kept low to the ground to minimize potential hiding places around the parking facility. It is important to properly maintain landscaping elements because if they are allowed to grow too tall, they may cause safety and security concerns.

5. Human activity. Legitimate human activity in any parking facility improves the safety and security of patrons and their vehicles. However, it is difficult to establish appropriate and legitimate human activity in a parking structure. To some extent, locating a parking office in a parking facility achieves this purpose. Additionally, providing pedestrian access to mixed-use elements (if available) through the parking structure, without sacrificing pedestrian safety, may also achieve human activity in parking structures. These features will assist in improving patron and vehicle safety.

Other Security Enhancements
Depending on the use and type of parking structures, the following measures may be implemented to further enhance parking security:

• The addition of escalators (generally used in parking structures at airports and large malls) provides vertical movement for pedestrians with a high visibility, which is an excellent passive security feature inside a parking structure.
• Security screens protect potential hiding places, such as areas below the first flight of stairs.
• The addition of convex mirrors in elevator cabs allows patrons to see if anyone is hiding inside the cab before they enter.
• Glass panels in stairwell doors improve visibility.
• Curbs and wheel-stops should be minimized as they are potential trip hazards. For enhanced visibility, faces and tops of curbs/ wheel stops should be painted yellow.
• Signs should not impede drivers’ vision or create hiding places for intruders.

The above discussion and suggestions are by no means a complete list of measures for all parking structures. For each parking structure, a site-specific safety and security evaluation should be conducted, and appropriate measures should be implemented including “active” security measures (if needed) during design and construction phases.

KHURSHID HODA is a parking practice builder with Kimley-Horn and Associates. He can be reached at khurshid.hoda@kimley-horn.com.

TPP-2016-05-Parking Safety by Design

How sport safety and security are greatly enhanced by parking and now, by IPI.

SOME OF THE BIGGEST SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE WORLD HAPPEN IN SPORTS, and perhaps nowhere are there more people parking in a compact area at a single time. Sporting events bring unique security challenges, and many start right in the parking area.

The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at the University of Southern Mississippi supports the advancement of sports safety and security through training, professional development, academic programs, and research. The organization works with professional leagues, collegiate athletics, and professional associations, private firms, and government agencies to promote special-event security.

NCS4’s director, Lou Marciani, is the principal investigator in more than $9.4 million in externally funded grants through the  Mississippi Office of Homeland Security and U.S Department of Education. He has an extensive background in sports management, was executive director of two sports governing bodies for the U.S. Olympic Committee, and is an expert in sports event safety and security. He recently talked with The Parking Professional about security at sporting events and the critical role played by parking and IPI.

The Parking Professional: How did NCS4 get its start?
Lou Marciani: In 2005, faculty members initiated research in sport security. We began with grants from the Office of Mississippi Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to study risk assessment, simulation modeling for evacuations, and training. As a result of our research, The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security was established in 2006. The purpose of the national center is to support the advancement of sport safety and security through training, professional development, academic programs, and research. NCS4 collaborates with professional leagues, open-access events, intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics, along with professional associations, private-sector firms, and government agencies.

TPP: What are some of the safety concerns NCS4 has dealt with?
LM: Since 2006, we have worked with the sport industry assisting with their safety and security issues for stadiums, arenas, and outdoor events. The emphasis has been on terrorist activity. Research has indicated many common vulnerabilities in terrorist activities as well as all-hazard incidents. To protect facilities against threats and to mitigate the effect of an attack, we have been assisting sport organizations with the following countermeasures:

• Planning and preparedness.
• Personnel development and training.
• Access control strategies.
• Barrier protection.
• Communication and notification.
• Monitoring, surveillance, and inspection.
• Infrastructure interdependencies.
• Cybersecurity.
• Incident response.

TPP: What obstacles do sports venue have to implementing certain safety solutions?
LM: The No. 1 obstacle is funding for physical security measures that include equipment, personnel, and procedures. In addition, educating administrations on the importance of enhancing security measures can be a challenge.

TPP: How has event safety evolved over the years?
LM: Event safety and security has evolved since 9/11. Providing a safe and secure environment is a priority for all stakeholders involved in delivering a sporting event. The increasing profile of sport and event properties has resulted in increased exposure to risks that affect spectators, participants, and other entities. High-profile sport events provide a perfect target for terrorists. It is important for sport managers responsible for safety and security planning to be able to detect, deter, respond to, and recover from a catastrophic incident, be it natural or man-made.

TPP: What effect does parking have in providing a safe environment at sporting events?
LM: Parking plays a much greater role today than in the past. We have seen a dramatic change in parking at sport centers. Both on the collegiate and professional levels, parking is a place for congregation before and after contests or events. We have witnessed an increase in tailgating that’s put additional importance on securing these parking lots. These congregations create additional safety and security issues such as alcohol, pedestrian/vehicular traffic, and ingress/egress issues.

TPP: What role can a parking professional have in providing a safe environment at sporting events?
LM: At most events, the parking attendant is the first person to greet the customer. In order to enhance the safety and security for customers, it’s very important to have good perimeter protection. Thanks to a new collaboration, the sports industry has an opportunity to reach out to the International Parking Institute. The entire sports industry will benefit from IPI’s members, manufacturers, and suppliers of products and equipment, as well as professional planners and consultants, architects, and engineers to provide insight into creating more enhanced safe environments.

TPP: What do you hope will come from a relationship with IPI?
LM: With major sporting events bringing together tens of thousands of spectators in a confined space, security challenges can be daunting. NCS4 has developed industryleading programs to ensure high levels of security at such events, while IPI’s members, manufacturers and suppliers of products and equipment, as well as professional planners and consultants, architects, and engineers, continuously strive to provide safe environments for their customers. We hope to address the unique security challenges through information sharing, support of each other’s programs, and interaction between the organizations’ respective members.

NCS4 and IPI members share the common goal of protecting spectators and employees at sport centers from crime and terrorist attack. Both organizations are committed to developing clear channels of communication between their members that will educate to mitigate risk and to enhance response. We hope to promote collaboration between the organizations to address the unique security challenges facing sport centers.

TPP: Is training a core component of NCS4?
LM: Yes, NCS4 offers comprehensive sports safety and security training focused on building capabilities for multi-agency collaboration pertaining to risk management, incident management, evacuation training and exercise, and crisis management. The intact security teams from professional programs, intercollegiate, and interscholastic athletics, as well as open-access events, learn the concepts relative to planning, training and exercise, and recovery/business continuity through scenario-based training modules. Training is delivered by specialists from law enforcement, facility management, event management, emergency management, fire/hazmat, emergency medical/health services, and public relations.

TPP: Can a person earn a degree in sport safety and security?
LM: Yes. There is a master of business administration degree with an emphasis in sport security management program. As the only program of its kind in the U.S., the University of Southern Mississippi College of Business and the NCS4 are proud to offer this new program, designed for those who currently work (or aspire to work) in management or leadership positions in the sport safety and security industry in a face-to-face or online format.

Today, it is essential for individuals seeking top management positions in the sport security industry to possess the business knowledge needed to manage operations, including the ability to present a business case for return on investment for security and management solutions. By supplementing the MBA with an emphasis in sport security management, graduates will be able to differentiate themselves by gaining the standard principles of business in conjunction with real-world experience necessary for security practitioners.

TPP: Does NCS4 offer certifications?
LM: Yes, NCS4 offers certifications to ensure individuals responsible for the secure and safe
operations of sport venues have the adequate knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform duties. NCS4 offers two certifications: Certified Sport Venue Staff (CSVS) and Certified Sport Security Professional (CSSP).

CSVS is designed for an organization’s front-line staff. The targeted roles are ushers, ticket takers, gate security, concession staff, retail associates, parking attendants, guest services, and cleaning attendants. The candidates receive fundamental basic and role-specific
competencies as well as background screening.

The CSSP certification program is designed to establish standardized competencies among individuals holding leadership positions in the sports security industry and to ensure that the most current techniques, strategies, and solutions are used to mitigate safety and security risks inherent to spectator sport venues. The CSSP certification focuses on advancing the sports safety and security industry by addressing the competency
requirements of current security professionals and those related professionals.

TPP: Does NCS4 offer risk management assessments?
LM: Yes, NCS4 offers a security management assessment process designed to promote a standardized methodology for security planning at sporting venues and events. The goal of Sport Event Security Aware (SESA) is to provide a tool to facilitate a comprehensive approach to security planning, management, and operations. A SESA designation recognizes organizations that have embarked on a process to provide a safe and secure facility/event environment based on research, current best practices, and lessons learned.

TPP: Tell us about NCS4’s National Sport Security Laboratory?
LM: The goals of the laboratory are to offer opportunism for security observation and practice; technology tests and experimentation; and investigations of feasible robust security solutions applicable to sports venue operations. The primary mission is to advance global sports security by serving as the epicenter for the enhancement of technology, training, and research.

TPP: What does NCS4 offer in other professional development areas?
LM: NCS4 works very closely with professional leagues, open-access events, intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics, and professional associations, private sector firms, and government agencies in providing a platform to gather knowledge, technology, and strategies to deal with today’s sports safety and security challenges and solutions.

On an annual basis, NCS4 sponsors the National Sports Safety and Security Conference. The conference is the gathering of top professionals in the field to provide a wholesome environment dedicated to security/safety technologies, products, services, and education for safeguarding the assets and spectators we are charged to protect.

The target audience consists of sports venue and event operators, managers, security and safety staff, first responders, and law enforcement. These are representatives from the following levels: professional leagues, intercollegiate athletics, interscholastic athletics, and marathon/endurance events.

NCS4 also conducts four Annual Summits: Intercollegiate Athletics, Interscholastic Athletics, Professional Sport Facilities, and Marathons. The main objective of these summits is to address the critical safety and security challenges facing these sport organizations that results in enhancing or modifying their current national safety
and security best practices.

TPP-2016-05-Big Events Big Challenges