The Power Behind Contemporary Permit Options

What you need to consider to offer extreme flexibility.

7 min read

With a post-pandemic world on the horizon, it is time for organizations, like yours, to prepare for reopening. Now more than ever, consumers demand flexibility. With work-from-home and flexible return-to-work models becoming the new norm, it is vital for parking operators to offer various permit options that complement our new routines.

You may be asking yourself, why are contemporary parking permits a smart alternative to monthly permits? Offering parking permits that are flexible to various visitor, employee, and tenant needs is an effective way for program managers to secure recurring revenue and develop a returning customer base.  

So, what does the future of contemporary access systems look like? We sat down with Herbert Cheng, Senior Systems Engineer and Damian Iannicca, Client Relations Manager here at Precise ParkLink, to discuss how contemporary parking permit options can take your parking facility to cloud-9.

Q. What do businesses need to consider when offering contemporary permit options? (HERBERT)

A. When upgrading your parking permit offerings, it is vital to consider; your access rights, rate structure and billing cycles. Understanding your facility's needs is the first step to implementing a system that is right for you. Your parking facility's access rights typically fall into one or all three categories: multi-site access, carpooling or family and unlimited in-and-out privileges. 

Multi-site or campus functionality is an efficient option for organizations with multiple locations, allowing staff and visitors to travel freely between sites without paying for parking each time.

Carpooling and family options offer multiple permits that can be shared or transferred to any vehicle. This is an ideal option for healthcare facilities, hotels and mixed-use developments with diverse visitor needs. Unlimited in-and-out privilege allows customers to freely enter and exit the parking lot as many times as they need within 24 hours. 

Flexible permit models allow you to customize your rate structure to meet the needs of your visitors, tenants and staff. Rates are commonly determined on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. However, there is the option to have a fixed rate for a specific time, day or customer group.

Like rate structures, your billing cycle can also be customizable to meet the distinct needs of your business. Cycles can be anything from weekly, bi-weekly to monthly or pay-as-you-go- it all depends on the nature of your facility.

Precise ParkLink’s contemporary permit software allows you to customize your access system to not only meet your organizational needs but meet the needs of your visitors as well. By combining various access rights, billing cycles and rate structures, you can offer parking permits to your visitors, employees and tenants, thus securing recurring revenue and developing a returning customer base. 

Q. What are examples of contemporary permit options? (HERBERT)

A. Contemporary permits provide an all-around faster, safer, and more convenient customer experience. They range from scan-and-go and tap-and-go options to vehicle transponders and Bluetooth Low Energy that can be used by frequent visitors such as staff or tenants or by visitors preregistered for parking validations or reservations.

Integrating barcode scanners with your existing parking technology is an easy way to begin accepting digital permits, validations and reservations in the form of a QR code or barcode. QR and barcode access has formed a new standard in the parking and mobility industry and can be integrated with gated and non-gated parking technology. Not only do they provide more straightforward, safer and faster experiences, they also foster accessibility and the ability to connect parking to building access, customer-specific reservations and event registrations.

Installing RFID readers alongside your existing parking technology is also an easy way to begin accepting digital permits in the form of vehicle transponders. The ability to detect transponders on vehicle dashboards and long-range RFID proximity readers offer permit holders hands-free and frictionless access to gated parking facilities. Transponders are immediately detected and read upon arrival at a gated parking entry, permitting instant access.

The implementation of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) access is closer than we think. Soon, BLE permits, validations and reservations will be used as a credential to access gated parking facilities without having to do anything except turn their mobile Bluetooth on. Their payment will be detected and verified via a BLE reader. And after that, vehicle BLE will become a widely used alternative to mobile BLE.

HID cards, a more commonly used access system is a simple tap-and-go model that allows staff or frequent visitors to enter your facility by tapping a physical HID card.

Q. What functionalities come with Precise ParkLink’s permit software? (DAMIAN)

A. Developed by our in-house Research and Development division nearly 15 years ago, Precise ParkLink’s Interactive Parking Access Subscriber System, otherwise known as IPASS™, is a powerful permit engine that simplifies parking permit administration. Initially created for the Toronto Pearson International Airports employee management system, IPASS is widely used today at hundreds of leading healthcare, airport, educational and commercial operations across Canada.

In 2021, Precise ParkLink took a revolutionary leap forward to enhance their existing parking access software, by integrating Parkedin™, our mobile payment and reservation platform—making it a truly digital permit model.

Our contemporary parking permit software has a wide variety of pre-defined reports allowing authorized users to analyze and view financial and statistical information. The data can be exported in several different formats and customized to suit your organizational needs. You can use our financial reporting package to track all transactions at staff or visitor levels.

When you invest in our permit software, your customers have unlimited access to our remote live central monitoring facility. Our multi-lingual customer service representatives are available to answer all permit-related inquiries. We also have an online registration process and designated web portal addressing all permit needs.

The future of access is here, and it requires organizations like yours to switch towards contemporary permit options.

Want to learn more about the power of contemporary permit options? Watch the full interview below!