Can Parking Technology Improve Your Resident Experience?

Did you know the number-two reason residents cite for moving is to find better apartment management (NHMC/Kingsley)? It’s fair to say, providing a good customer experience is essential and parking can be a part of that experience. When it comes to parking, many renters still own cars and want secure parking where they live. With the future of service increasingly tech-based, it will serve you well to also implement parking technology.

Residents want better customer service

According to Appfolio’s recent industry report (The Impact of Technology on Resident Satisfaction), 96% of renters consider customer service when deciding where to live, while 53% consider it a dealbreaker. This is a good reason to evaluate the effectiveness of your resident offerings. Consumers are constantly expecting more out of their experiences.

The most recent State of Global Customer Service report from Microsoft showed that 55% of consumers have higher expectations for customer service than they did one year ago. Though you can’t meet the desires of every person, you can meet most resident expectations through the use of technology in your management.

Appfolio's report highlighted good communication as a crucial part of the resident experience. So, what makes technology the key? With things like resident portals, residents can do almost anything related to your community from their mobile devices. Leases are signed, FAQs answered, rents paid, information shared, and maintenance requests submitted all without having to speak directly to anyone in the office. This is especially useful while we are in a nationwide quarantine to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Technology can help communication during social distancing

Most leasing offices are using technology in order to continue offering community tours, making them all virtual. This may be the way tours continue to be offered in the future. Putting systems in place to limit human interaction helps you and your residents stay healthy.

With limited to no face-to-face interaction, you can still provide a great customer and resident experience if you have the right tools. Let’s look at how parking ties in.

Residents seek secure parking and 60% of them are willing to pay monthly for reserved spaces. This can be a benefit for you and your residents, but it might be more difficult to manage remotely. So how can you use technology to manage parking, practice social distancing, and still provide a good resident experience?

An online parking platform can be used through mobile interaction alone. We also know that residents want connectivity and smart tech amenities. Parking Boss allows residents to check their available guest parking time as well as register their own parking permits.

According to NMHC and Kingsley, 80% of adult renters ages 25 and under see visitor parking as a priority, which will be even more important in near future. When the current quarantine is lifted where you live, your residents will probably have more guests over and continue being cautious. “Staying in” may become the new going out.

Technology can provide an easy and fair parking experience

Parking Boss features virtual guest registration that can display your rules to keep it clear and simple for guests to register. You can easily adjust guest parking permit time limits as well. Guest parking is kept fair with automatic rule enforcement that matches your community’s rules.

All of this can be done without ever needing to step foot in the office. The self-service features are convenient for residents, and in some communities has led to better online reviews. This keeps it easy for you, your residents, and their guests.

Easily notify residents via email when they receive parking violations. Use Smart Warning stickers that allow residents to look up the reason for their violation from their smartphones.

A comprehensive online platform allows you to run parking reports to stay on top of what’s going on. Help your residents feel safe in your community and implement technology that keeps operation running smoothly.

We're here to help

It is not enough just to recognize how important customer service is. It’s vital to know what kind of experiences renters are looking for and how you can fulfill their preferences. Technology, and more specifically, parking technology, plays an important role in the resident experience, especially during this time.

You care about the wellbeing of your residents and so do we. We’re here to help you and your residents reduce contact and still operate as normally as possible. We’re happy to offer parking solutions that are tailored to your needs.