Car park management : 5 questions to ask your supplier!

Imagine yourself on a Monday morning, desperately looking for a free parking space. The minutes tick by, and you start to get annoyed. The team meeting is fast approaching, and you ask yourself : why is car park management so chaotic in my company?

Unfortunately, this is the reality for many of your employees.

Poorly orchestrated car park management can damage your teams’ productivity and morale. Your employees deserve a working environment where parking is an asset, not an obstacle.

So, what measures should you consider to achieve this objective? What questions should guide you in choosing a car park management solution tailored to your needs? Find the answers in this article.

A reminder : the challenges of car park management in the workplace.

Imagine the daily life of each of your employees: how can they be genuinely productive if the stress of finding a parking space overwhelms them as soon as they arrive? Isn’t it evident that effective car park management could improve the experience at work?

However, many challenges remain.

What happens when demand for parking far exceeds supply? Doesn’t this saturation create frustration and conflict between colleagues? What’s more, in the absence of a parking policy, how can you ensure that your employees have fair access to the spaces available?

What’s more, unilateral management of spaces can also lead to inequalities.

Why do some people enjoy parking privileges while others struggle to find a space?

Doesn’t this undermine team spirit?

By thinking about these questions, you can adopt innovative solutions. In particular, you can turn these challenges into assets, thereby improving your employees’ well-being and your company’s image.

So, why use a digital solution for car park management ?

Thanks to a dedicated application like Sharvy, you can offer your employees the possibility of planning their parking, so they know exactly where to park and avoid the stress of looking for a free space. For mobile teams and visitors, it’s also a guarantee of punctuality and a smooth, hassle-free reception experience.

But take the benefits even further: a solution like this allows your (permanent) employees to free up their space as soon as they no longer need it, whether for a business trip or a day of teleworking. This approach transforms your company car park into a shared space where everyone has an equal chance to park, with no race against the clock and no superfluous privileges.

One employee can find a space the moment another vacates it, making the experience fluid and collaborative. This equitable organization of the car park also encourages initiatives such as car-sharing, by allocating special spaces to teams who share their journeys.

So, by transforming access to the car park into a flexible and fluid experience, aren’t you paving the way for a more dynamic corporate culture that is more committed to the well-being of your employees? Here’s a valuable argument to justify the importance of such a solution.

Curious to know more about how such a digital solution works? Find out how Up Coop manages its car park with Sharvy!

5 key questions to ask your car park management provider.

Once you’ve recognized the importance of car park management and decided to use a dedicated application, it’s essential to ask your (potential) supplier the right questions before formally contracting.

This usually comes after a preliminary analysis of your needs & the specific challenges you wish to address. So, having already accepted the idea that a digital solution is needed to optimize your company car park use, here are 5 relevant questions to ask.

1. What is your experience of car park management?

The purpose of this question is to assess the credibility & understand the extent of its expertise, in order to check whether it has already successfully managed similar projects. This includes analysing the solutions they have implemented, the challenges they have faced & the results they have achieved.

Ultimately, this question is designed to establish a climate of confidence in the supplier’s ability to meet your needs.

Here are a few things to consider :

- - Previous projects : Ask your supplier to provide you with concrete examples of projects similar to yours. What strategies have they implemented? What functionalities does the company use? It’s crucial to understand how the application has been adapted to the specific challenges encountered in order to gauge your supplier’s ability to adapt.

- - Customer satisfaction : Ask them how they measure the success of their parking projects. Do they have customer satisfaction data? Testimonials from previous customers? These tangible indicators will give you a clearer picture of the added value they can bring to your business.

- - Adaptability to market developments : Find out how your supplier adapts to technological developments & emerging trends in the parking sector. Is it capable of incorporating innovations into its offerings, such as the management of recharging points (in response to the growing popularity of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles among employees)? A supplier’s ability to evolve with the market is a guarantee of durability and innovation, which is essential if you want to ensure sustainable management of your car park.

2. What features do you propose to optimize car park management?

What’s the purpose of this question? To understand how your supplier can provide a concrete response to your parking needs.

These days, there are so many applications out there claiming to be able to transform your car park overnight… So, finding your way around car park management software can be tricky.

That’s why, in answer to this question, your supplier should (at the very least) mention the following ten features :

- - Management of spaces, their type, zones & visitor parking.
  - Management of shared recharging points and payment for recharging.
  - Freeing of spaces by car park holders on days when they are not using them.
  - Reservation requests can be made via the web or mobile application.
  - Definition of priority rules and specific management features.
  - Manage car park access control (cameras, RFID readers & badges, via the application).
  - Dynamic car park map & real-time view of availability by type of space.
  - Create groups of spaces based on the number of buildings in your company.
  - Quick incident management and reporting via the application.
  - Automatic reminders for reservations.
  - Dashboards on car park occupancy.

A clear presentation of these elements will help you determine whether these functions can really optimize your car park management and meet your challenges. Take the time to ask for a demonstration of the solution. If you prefer, ask for a free trial of the application, as we offer at Sharvy, to get a more hands-on experience !

3. How can your car park management system be integrated with our existing tools ?

The aim of this question? To ensure a smooth transition & avoid additional investment in new tools, such as training.

In response, your supplier should detail the methods for integrating its system with your current tools, such as Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS ) & access control devices (badge, number plate recognition camera, etc).

Does it offer APIs and middleware solutions to facilitate this integration? How does it ensure that data flows securely between systems while maintaining consistency and accuracy?

A clear explanation of these aspects will enable you to better assess the relevance & effectiveness of the proposed car park management solution within your working environment.

On this subject, find out how Subsea 7 manages access control to its car park using Sharvy!

4. What types of reports & analyses do you offer to monitor company car park occupancy?

What’s the purpose of this question? To determine your supplier’s ability to provide you with relevant and usable data on the use of your car park. This information is essential for optimising the management of your car park, identifying occupancy trends and making informed decisions.

Here, your supplier should outline the different types of reports they offer, such as real-time occupancy analysis, peak hour statistics, and usage reports over defined periods.

Does it offer graphical visualisations & interactive dashboards to make the data easier to understand? And what recommendations can it provide based on these analyses to improve the efficiency of your company car park?

A detailed answer to these questions will enable you to assess the added value of its reporting tools, differentiating the solution you are considering from another application.

5. Do you offer a test phase for your car park management solution?

The aim of this question? To check the effectiveness & relevance of the application in a real context before making a long-term commitment. This will enable you to reduce the « risks » and assess the benefits of the proposed solution in real terms.

If your supplier does offer a test phase for its application, ask what features will be available during this phase and how does it intend to gather your feedback? Also, what technical support will be available to help you during this period?

You should also find out how long the trial period will last and how it will work: how many users can access the application, on how many sites, and under what terms and conditions?

Bear in mind that this test phase should provide you with all the information you need to measure the benefits of the solution you are considering so that you can confidently plan ahead for long-term use.

In conclusion

By asking your supplier the right questions, you’re doing more than just choosing a car park management solution : you’re shaping the day-to-day experience of your employees, and laying the foundations for your parking policy.

Finally, don’t forget that the quality of a partnership is also measured by your supplier’s ability to listen and support you. Is it prepared to adjust the solution according to your feedback, evolve according to your expectations, and provide lasting support? This is another point not to be overlooked.

Got a question? Check the following FAQ !

What happens after the test phase?

After the test phase, a full review is carried out with the supplier to assess the application’s performance and suitability for your company’s needs. This retrospective stage enables us to analyse together the data collected, such as: the occupancy rate of your company car park, the number of employees who play the game, the effectiveness of the functionalities tested and any obstacles.

Then, depending on the feedback you receive, you can discuss with your supplier what adjustments can be made to the application before rolling it out on a large scale.

This discussion is also an opportunity to reinforce the training of administrators & to define the support arrangements to ensure the smooth & optimal deployment of the planned solution.

How does such a solution adapt to the different types of employee vehicle?

Whether they are cars, two-wheelers, electric vehicles or bicycles, the parking management solution MUST be able to adapt to the diversity of vehicles used by your employees.

To the question: « how? », well, it varies depending on the solution envisaged. On the Sharvy application, for example, users can choose a specific parking space each day according to their type of vehicle (private car, two-wheeler, bike, lorry, etc.).

Thanks to this flexibility, each employee can reserve a parking space to suit his or her mode of transport, optimising space management and reducing parking constraints. What’s more, some solutions, such as Sharvy, include specific options for electric vehicles, such as reserving spaces equipped with recharging points and managing remote recharging from the application.

This adaptability means we can not only meet a wide range of mobility needs, but also encourage more sustainable practices.