Big Data

The development of Big Data has provoked great expectations for those who manage parking facilities. In plain terms, Big Data collates data from different sources to reveal patterns and trends associated with human behavior. This data can then be used to help create personalized and engaging digital signage customer experiences. The car-parking industry is data-rich, comprising integral data points, such as payment transactions, occupancy data, sensor data, length-of-stay data and more.  

Making use of Big Data and analytics can help parking managers to optimize pricing and parking availability based on factors such as the weather, special events or flight schedules for airport parking. Potential takeaways from data could be to create a dynamic pricing strategy — similar to Uber — based on demand and even offer promotions to attract customers.

Digital screens

The parking facility is often the first touch point for the customer journey but can frequently be overlooked in terms of the overall customer experience. The use of digital signage within parking facilities can not only inform customers of parking-related information, but also display safety and journey information as well as providing timely and targeted promotional messages from nearby retailers or businesses.

Integrated approach

Let’s go through a few ways parking companies can use digital technology to improve the customer experience;

Book online — An online reservation system allows for a more streamlined customer experience as visitors can pre-book a parking space to reduce the hassle of driving and searching. Companies can collect data through this system by requesting general, vehicle and payment details.

License-plate recognition — If the customer has registered and pre-booked a space online, the car can be recognized via license-plate recognition, allowing quick entry. If payment details have been registered, the parking costs can be calculated and charged to the customer’s account on exit. This is much easier than having to remember to pay before making their way back to the car.

Digital parking signs — Located at the entry of parking facilities, digital parking signs can integrate with license-plate recognition software. Once data has been gathered about a customer, the digital sign can display customized and tailored content. This content can include welcome messages, pricing information, available parking spots, car wash and valet specials, and promotional messages from nearby retailers or businesses.

To help manage supply and demand, parking operators can also quickly and easily adjust parking prices. With a traditional, static parking sign, a price change would entail a minimum two-week turnaround time with approvals, printing and shipping. Digital parking signs allow parking managers to alter pricing within minutes due to cloud-based content management systems.

Digital video walls — Digital video walls can be based anywhere and everywhere within a park facility. Similar to digital parking signs, these can be linked to license-plate recognition software, allowing video walls to be used for directions — if the customer has an allocated parking spot — or relevant promotional messages.

The Brisbane Airport Corporation in Brisbane, Australia is a great example of innovative parking facility management. The company began their digital disruption with an installation of a video wall above the parking pay machines. Accessible through a cloud-based content management system, BAC can instantly update or schedule content, ensuring no promotional opportunity is overlooked. Digital parking signs have also been installed at the entry and exit of the state-of-the-art AIRPARK allowing the ability to dynamically manage pricing changes and promote parking specials.

Digital technology is a critical enabler in creating the seamless end-to-end experience that customers now expect. Enhancing the parking experience with the clever use of digital technology will help parking operators attract new customers, grow market share and increase revenue. Most importantly, though, digital integration into the delivery of parking services will help generate data and customer insights, allowing parking operators to proactively manage and improve the customer experience.

La entrada Big Data and digital signage driving the parking industry aparece primero en El Sur Digital.

Now known by its product name, Dropsource, the company is growing – and quickly. Last year, the team had six employees in Raleigh. Today, it’s 14.

CEO Aidan Cunniffe sees that number expanding with the latest fundraise, particularly in sales and marketing as the company preps to launch its flagship product in early 2016.

“What we’ve been doing over the past year is growing out our private beta, learning a lot from our users,” he says. The product, which helps automate the process of app development, can make anyone into a coder, Cunniffe said last year during an interview with the Triangle Business Journal. A user simply inputs information and the technology takes over, creating an app for their business. Initially, it was targeted toward everyday small-business owners wanting to add a technology element to their company, but lacking the specific know-how. But, over the past year, he discovered that professional development teams are getting the most benefit from the product.

“It helps them collaborate with their teams,” he says.

The company’s new location, across the street from HQ Raleigh downtown, is ideal from a recruiting perspective, Cunniffe says. The startup has hired “from pretty much every local university.”

Dropsource has raised $3.1 million of a $7.5 million round, with 18 investors participating, according to a securities filing. Cunniffe won’t comment on who the investors are, nor will he say whether the company plans to close on the entire sum (“We’re pretty happy with the $3.1 million,” he says).

The startup, the brainchild of founders Cunniffe, Paul Berg and Nate Frechette, had considered relocating to New York City or Silicon Valley. But the high cost of living in those places shifted their focus to the South.

Cunniffe said last year that the blossoming startup culture in Raleigh really clinched their decision.

“It’s exciting not be just another fish in the sea of startups … but to have a chance to help shape this place as it grows,” he said at the time.

When it moved to Raleigh, the company had raised $1.65 million for its customer experience management software platform.

La entrada A year after relocating to Raleigh from Syracuse, tech company rebrands, scores $3M aparece primero en El Sur Digital.