Valet services used to be utilized for the purpose of pleasing customers and giving the impression that your business was sophisticated. However, the technology of valet has come a long way since then. Nowadays, valet is about more than convenience. It’s about making staffing, curbside management, and customer data more accessible and efficient for business owners. Here are a few ways technology services optimizes your business model for valet.
Staff Scheduling
- Technology has made valet staffing more straightforward than in the past. Many valet companies have the ability to track and schedule their parking attendees online. Schedule updates are uploading in real-time, and all calendars and communications can be accessed across multiple devices. Your business staff, as well as the valet staff, have the ability to monitor schedules. As a result, you can make adjustments quickly and maximize communication between teams.
Staying Within Budget
- With more resources to track an employee’s availability and attendance, valet technology has made it easier for businesses to stay within budget. Technologically advanced valet companies utilize mobile GPS vehicle and attendance tracking to ensure that invoices sent to your company are as accurate as possible. This reduces any inconsistency between hours billed and hours worked.
- Technology also permits valet services to track the flow of customers during key business hours so that they can have an optimal number of attendees on-site depending on the time of day or the season. That way, companies don’t have to worry about overpaying for valets who aren’t needed. Then, during peak hours, it also ensures adequate staff to quickly and efficiently serve customers. The result is that you only pay for what you need.
- Another way valet services keep a tight budget with program data is through revenue control and accounting reports. Valet services are now almost completely electronic, so customers can pay for services using a credit card and their phone. A huge benefit of this is that it allows point of sale revenue collection. Rather than analyzing payment and tips days or weeks later, your parking management team can report revenue and budget metrics as they go.
Streamline Staff Communication
- Now that valet services employ cloud-based program automation, it’s easier than ever before to exchange information between staff members, teams, and managers. Data stored on the cloud is mobile and shareable, so all information can be easily sent back and forth from any device. As a result, you can keep everyone in the loop, regardless of if they are on-site or remote.
Customer Insights
- Real-time activity reports allow your business to stay up to date with your customers. By analyzing data over time, you can assess your most active business hours and adjust both valet and company staff accordingly. It’s a great way to think ahead of your audience and be prepared for their arrival.
Performance Tracking
- Whether you analyze valet data separately or integrate it with your own business analytics program, valet technology is a valuable asset when it comes to tracking business performance. In the past, it was more difficult to evaluate the performance of a valet service. With cloud-based parking software, however, you can receive relevant analytics that let you examine progress. These interfaces are user-friendly which allows you to make accurate, timely, and informed business decisions without having to swim through heaps of data. The software can provide you with all the information you need to decide if your parking service provides value to your business.
Efficient Service
- Since going mobile, parking management firms have been able to increase their efficiency. Text-in vehicle retrieval allows customers to request their cars via their phones so that their ride is ready when they exit the venue. This streamlines the retrieval process for parking attendants, and it also prevents customers from having to wait outside for extended periods of time. While this benefit seems small, it goes a long way in reinforcing customer satisfaction. Last impressions are important, so quick valet retrieval is your ticket to making sure that customers leave your business with a smile.
Coordinate Customer Satisfaction Efforts
- Think of parking services as the bookends to your customer service efforts. You’ve done your part to offer remarkable service while the customer is in your hands. Valet companies can help initiate quality service before clients enter your front door and reinforce it as they leave. By coordinating your satisfaction efforts in this way, you can offer visitors the best possible experience with your company from start to finish.
- Just as important as a great first impression is a lasting impression that valet technology can make. Once visitors have applied for valet parking on their phone, they can receive an automated service survey after they leave your venue. This survey can be used to gauge satisfaction with valet services, your company services, or both. This gives you the chance to reach out post-transaction to show that you care about each of your clients. In addition, you can combine service feedback all on one platform, which is easier for clientele and management alike.
Advancements in parking technology benefit your business by providing real-time data on customer activity so that you can better predict peak hours and staffing requirements. Cloud-based operations also give immediate insight into revenue and finance metrics, making it easier to budget your parking service.
Valet doesn’t have to be a separate service that complicates your business model and makes it more effort to manage. Fully integrating a parking management system can actually streamline other aspects of your business model. It can help coordinate your own company’s staffing and predict your client base. In fact, you might find that performance tracking is more efficient, reliable, and user-friendly with a valet service than without. Therefore, a savvy valet company gives your business a technological edge without adding technological complications.