Types of Operation
The right type of operation is an important factor in determining the success of your facility. At Downtown System Park, you receive the benefits of our years of experience in developing the proper parking method that works best for you. Our parking operations are described in more detail below:
Self Park
Customers like to see a friendly face. At many of our locations, we employ a cashier that will process parking fees. Customers obtain access to a surface lot or parking facility by receiving a ticket from a ticket dispenser at the entrance. Once a ticket is pulled, the barrier gate will raise, and the customer will then look for an available space to park. In order to leave the facility, the customer will hand over the ticket to the cashier and pay the parking fees. Once this transaction is complete, the barrier gate will raise allowing the customer to exit the facility.
Attendant Assist
The attendant assist method is a hybrid of a self park and a full valet operation. It is frequently used in downtown office buildings that accommodate a high volume of parkers. Once all the spaces in a garage are filled, a parking attendant will begin parking cars in the aisles of the facility as well as any nooks and crannies where space is available. Cars are parked according to the exit times of the customers. Upon entering the parking area, customers are greeted by the attendant who parks the vehicle and retains the keys. When customers return to retrieve the vehicle, they walk to the area that they dropped off the car, and the attendant returns their keys and assists them in leaving the parking space.
Valet Parking
Valet parking is the preferred parking method selected when there is limited space to park, a long distance to travel to the parking facility or a need for white glove service. Typically valet parking is used in catering to hotel, hospital, special event or restaurant customers. Our valet attendants undergo a rigorous training program to ensure that they maintain a neat appearance, friendly attitude, and excellent driving skills when attending to customers. Our valet attendants are instructed to go the extra mile in projecting a positive facility image and assisting customers in whatever way they can.
Honor Boxes
Honor boxes are a cost effective way to collect revenue on lots that have a single rate and a strong possibility that parkers will leave each day or evening. The simple box contains pick proof slots that are numbered the same as the stalls. When a customer parks, they insert their payment into the proper slot that corresponds to their stall number. Depending on the activity on the lot, the checker comes by to audit the lot several times a day. When the checker opens the box, he can determine which stalls are paid for. Thereafter, our employees issue tickets to any violators. The revenue is collected by another pair of auditors and is bundled individually. We use a handheld computer to inventory the lots and each ticket issued is tracked. If the tickets remain unpaid, we send them to our collection agency for collection. We follow a strict towing policy for repeat offenders, and tow their vehicles after we have issued the third violation for non-payment.
Automated Technology
Increasingly, automated parking facilities are becoming the preferred choice. Customers gain access by inserting a credit card, pulling a ticket, or using Automated Vehicle Identification technology. Through our custom-designed signs, customers are reminded to take their ticket with them and to use the pay on foot machine, which accepts cash or credit cards, when they return to the garage. Customers who use their credit card on the way in, do not receive a ticket and are able to avoid the pay on foot altogether, going straight to the exit to pay. This technology affords customers a checkout with no queue at the exit, achieving the ultimate goal of customer satisfaction.
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