Parking Payment System

My first BLOG entry, woohoo! I actually like the word BLOG.  Of course, being a data programmer, I had to find out what BLOG means (I mean separate from the obvious of original "Web Log" definition).

So I searched (NOTE: I do not "google" anything, it's called searching and I refuse to use that term, or for that matter use Google.  I use Yahoo - besides it just sounds like more fun ... YAHOO)

BLOG Web Log Internet
BLOG Better Listings On Google
BLOG Bears Little Organizer GUI
BLOG Boring Lump Of Garbage
BLOG Based Loosely On Groupware
BLOG Boring Lesson On Galaxy
BLOG Biological Links On the Globe

I like the Boring Lump of Garbage one. Cute.  I digress. 

I work for a company that writes parking lot software. I enjoy what I do--I enjoy doing the detective work and finding ways to force data from old systems into our newest T2 Flex system. I know many people would think I am crazy, it is tedious and it can be exhausting.  But at the same time, it is also challenging and puzzling.

At times, I really have to be a detective.  Trying to figure out what the customer needs and how our parking solution will fit their style is rewarding...and they're all so different! For example, cities usually need more citation management and boot/tow capability. Along with that, they need an appeals system. And of course, they need to take payments and report on people and vehicles. Colleges need to have permit solutions and a way to get the students information, give them a permit, and take that payment. Another common need of higher education parking systems is a way to put permit holders on a payment plan for the accademic year, or to take it out of a student account at the bursar.  Parking garages need to have lots and facility management along with the ability to park the customers (and know how many spaces they might still have left), manage events that would use the garages, and allow secure credit card payments. 

Now I get to Blog about it, this should be a lot of fun!

• New Pay-by-Cell (Pay-by-Phone) apps are better than their old text-message counterparts.  As an app the pay-by-phone functionality is more streamlined and provides new options to parkers.  These options can include choosing a vehicle from an account list, keeping a credit card on file, or identifying a location/zone by GPS position, QR barcode, or NFC tag rather than typing a location code number.
• Various “remember my parking space” apps enable a parker to record the GPS location when parking, including optional attached photos or notes-to-self.  Later, when returning to the car you ask the app “where did I park?”  The app then responds with a map overlay showing the car, the photo, and the audio clip.  Some will also tell you the direction and distance between your current location and your vehicle, and it may even give you step-by-step walking directions!
• Payment apps from Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and a whole host of start-up companies like Obopay and Zong (now owned by PayPal/eBay) are making it easier to one-click-pay for things using a mobile phone app – these things will eventually include parking.  The phone provides the ability to protect the transaction with a password (PIN) for more security, and some new phones also support Near Field Communication (NFC) chips (rumored to be on the iPhone 5), further automating the payment process.
• “Parker” is a mobile app that guides parkers to available on-street spaces where Streetline sensors have been installed.  The sensors provide feedback to a central server, which in turn “exposes” this data to users of the mobile app. 
• Bought one of those newfangled electric vehicles?  The Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, and Ford Focus EV all have available apps to tell you how to find public chargers or – in some cases – how much longer it will take to charge.  (Bill Ford, Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company, has been heavily marketing these in-vehicle “apps” as avenues to reduce unnecessary fuel usage and exhaust emissions.  Of course, hunting for parking spaces is a big source of preventable fuel consumption, and Ford is banking on it, literally!)   

• http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderParking
• http://twitter.com/#!/NorfolkParking
• http://twitter.com/#!/aggieparking
• http://twitter.com/#!/ParkingOKC

I just returned from my first on-site customer consulting engagement since joining T2 Systems. I met with Jennifer, Dianne, Dennis, Kevin and many of the staff members at Western Kentucky University to discuss how they are using T2 Flex, what we could streamline and what current functionality is available but not being used. It was an enlightening experience for all involved, including me. Before my arrival they provided me with a list of processes they wanted to review prioritized by “It’s broken and we need to fix it”, “It works but can we make it better”, a “wish list” of things they were not doing in Flex but would like to be, and “Best Practices” – how is everyone else doing it.

I was extremely impressed by the integrity of their database. They run daily queries and reports to connect permits, vehicles, citations and customer records. No stone is left unturned when it comes to matching responsible customers to charges and they use all resources available to them including RoVR, student records, payroll records and appeals filed. 

During my two day visit I was able to observe the day-to-day activities and challenges and talk with staff who had carved time out specifically to review business practices. We found ways to prioritize wait lists using custom fields which will allow them to more fully take advantage of this feature in T2 Flex. We identified the difference between a pre-paid citation and a pre-entered citation which will allow WKU to accomplish the intent of getting the boot information in Flex without causing errors when the handheld ticket writer downloads the same citation but also without attaching a financial transaction when no payments have been collected. We also identified records that could be marked historical to save on screen real estate and processing resources which in turn save time. And what trip to a Parking Office is complete without the sharing of Appeals? Just as I remember – you can’t impound my car, I’m tenured faculty; I had to park close to the door because I had to go to the bathroom (yes, I cleaned it up a little for this blog); and I’m doing my part by riding a bike, you shouldn’t charge me for chaining it to the handrail.

While I was able to use my 12 years experience in the parking business and with the T2 products to offer suggestions, they challenged me with “How can we do this better?” at every turn. A lot has changed in the product since they implemented in 2005 and like most of you; business as usual has prohibited WKU from reassessing the capabilities provided by Flex.

If your department is interested in an in-depth review of your current business practices incorporating any changes since your implementation and suggestions to improve efficiency, contact your Account Manager or the Training Department at T2 Systems. So…on to my report for WKU.

Cases, cases and more cases that is what surrounds the Product Support team day in and day out. If it isn’t one case it’s another. On a daily basis my mind shifts anywhere from Colorado to North Carolina to Alaska to Georgia and everywhere in between, all the while I sit with my feet resting on my cozy heated foot rest. I may not be with you in person but I am in spirit. It amazes me that I can be talking on the phone to someone with problems and testing in their system hundreds of miles away from where the problems are. No matter what the support request is, the support team is there to help you. I might not know the answer right away but I can guarantee that I will try to remember it for the next person that asks the question. Believe me it makes our lives a lot easier if I do. 

In a way, that is how product support really works, you have to see it broken in order to fix it. Product support relies on the users to let us know what we need to fix. Specifics of the situation are always helpful, otherwise we will probably start every case with the suggested solution of - please turn your computer on. I myself was a user of T2 Flex prior to working at T2 Systems and I broke our system - a lot. It wasn’t that I was clumsy, okay I am, it was that I tried new things and they didn’t always work perfectly the first time. I used support more often than my old boss even knows, or needs to know for that matter. So, I was glad I had the solutions and support that is provided by T2 to help me to fix the problems I created. In the end, most of my new ideas worked out and I had Product Support team to thank. It’s really a win/win situation for both involved. If you bring us a new problem chances are pretty good that the next time it breaks we should have all the tools we need to get’er back up and running. And we could possibly provide the information to other users to prevent whatever happened.

Prevention is key. There are a lot of things that could be done to prevent the most common support issues. It might take a little bit of time to get it set up but in the end it will save you a lot of time and possible headache and indigestion. Looking for errors in your logs and reconciling payments daily are probably the most effective methods to preventing problems down the road. It may be undesirable but I guess that’s life, we have to have a problem occur for us to realize that monitoring the situation a little more closely would have prevented it. An example from my personal life is that I should have taken the time to shut the door to my car. Why you ask? No it wasn’t stolen or towed, the reason you leave your doors shut is to prevent stray goats from jumping in and having their way with your formerly good smelling vehicle. I can tell you that I am definitely preventing this situation from happening again and I look for stray goats every time I think of leaving one of my car doors open. This may not be a situation most Parking Services departments can relate to but believe me it is was completely preventable.

If your users are anything like I was, I know that Product Support will always be needed. There is always something new to try, and there is always something old to stop doing. The key to all of this is that Product Support is learning right along with you. Partly because some of us (ME!) are new and haven’t been here that long and also because we as a company are always evolving, and that is the way we like it.