It’s time to rethink parking. The days of empty slabs of concrete serviced by unengaged attendants and powered by inefficient technology are over. The future of Parking Access and Revenue Control Systems (PARCS) is in remotely operating your business in a cloud platform. FlashParking is leading the movement in advanced parking technology through the introduction of the industry’s only truly cloud-based solution for parking systems and operations.
Adopting a cloud-based model will help you enhance and simplify parking operations while elevating the customer experience. It serves as both a cost-effective solution that streamlines processes and paves a new path to diversify and maximize your revenue potential.
What Are Parking Access Revenue Control Systems (PARCS)?
Traditional PARCS models consist of physical hardware and software that need to be managed onsite. The demand for parking facilities to extend beyond the limited capabilities of this outdated equipment and manual interfacing is crucial to unlocking the full potential of your space.
Ticket machines, gate arms, and cash machines are not being monitored around the clock for efficiency or longevity. And most existing onsite software doesn’t provide any insight into the valuable data needed to help you adapt to your clientele’s needs.
These antiquated systems are no longer a service that are an asset to the modern parking industry or owners’ bottom lines. The cumbersome process of managing onsite hardware and software, without access to real-time data, makes the transition to a cloud-based solution an easy decision. It offers streamlined processes, data collection, and more—all from the palm of your hand.
Why Are Cloud-Based Services Thriving?
Cloud-based platforms serve as a revolutionary advantage and major competitive edge for many businesses. Companies often gravitate toward cloud-based platforms due to the ease of remotely accessing and processing data from a centralized location. We’ve all experienced this through the emergence of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies such as Microsoft Azure, Google Suite, and Amazon Web Services.
These software models are popular largely because they offer scalable, customizable solutions. Customers pay for storage, providing a flexible and cost-effective approach to storing and managing data. This model is the only viable option for businesses looking to adapt to industry demands and dynamically expand their service offerings over time.
With FlashParking, common configuration processes can be easily initiated remotely from any smart device at any time. Easy access to the cloud enables users to update information in real-time for software deployment and other updates. Plus, behind-the-scenes backups can be completed in real-time, minimizing the risk of data loss and corruption. This ensures constant PCI compliance.
What Are The Benefits of Cloud-Based Revenue Systems?
The economic effects of the current pandemic are impacting every aspect of modern life. Diversifying revenue streams and gaining insights into customer behavior have become top priorities as businesses work to incorporate new and effective recovery strategies as quickly as possible.
With cloud computing integrations, common operations such as touchless parking can be activated without staff members or technicians needing to be physically present on the premises. Business managers can account for lost (or saved!) revenue while finding new potential opportunities, and they can identify issues that need to be resolved as they arise. No need to wait for a weekly or monthly report before making decisions and implementing them in the real world.
So, how are PARCS thriving on the cloud?
Revenue systems that are managed in the cloud provide real-time data feedback. This provides the potential to unlock new revenue by highlighting areas of success, as well as shining a light on neglected or missed opportunities. For the parking industry, this includes the ability to manage and leverage revenue streams, monitor real-time occupancy, and operate equipment remotely.
If a parking attendant miscalculates a charge, or barrier gates and ticket machines are not functioning properly, it is all captured in the cloud. It can be dealt with immediately. Perhaps there are certain days or times when you are seeing surges, or on the flip slide, slow traffic leaves your parking garage empty. No matter the situation, you’ll know in real-time what the status is, and you can react accordingly—24/7, from wherever you are.
Our mobile-first operating system, FlashOS, was developed to address these potential issues and opportunities, liberating parking operators from their legacy investments and preparing them for the future. FlashOS is a digital mobile platform that owners can utilize to dive deep into the insights and analytics of their businesses. Think of it as the engine that powers our entire suite of mobility solutions, including parking access, revenue control, and eParking reservations. All of this raw data is captured and reported back to your business intelligence engine, FlashIQ.
FlashIQ is an artificial intelligence dashboard that displays real-time insights into key metrics, such as revenue, occupancy, and equipment performance, as well as predictive data models. Your dashboard offers a detailed overview of different market statistics that you’ll want to stay on top of, including regional movement trends, commuting patterns, and demand gaps. With instant access to this information, you might see that one section of your garage is regularly not fully occupied, for example. This allows you to strategize and take action to fill the empty space, ultimately leading to more revenue.
Beyond its responsive skillset, FlashIQ can proactively highlight new potential revenue streams and opportunities for partner integrations. It enables complexes—with the abilities to accommodate high-parking volume—to cultivate potential partnerships for underutilized space. Our system provides options for how to optimize that empty space with partner businesses like EV charging stations, electric scooter parking, or a car-washing station.
Working in the cloud enables a holistic view of your parking systems business. With FlashOS and FlashIQ combined in a cloud-based environment, FlashParking is changing the parking landscape. Asset owners gain immediate access to data such as revenue, occupancy, and equipment health to identify opportunities for optimizations and new revenue streams.
Are Cloud-Based Revenue Systems Secure?
The simple answer is: Yes. In some cases, cloud systems are even safer than data stored on a hard drive. Cybercriminals can use malware and phishing scams to hack on-site servers, whereas cloud platforms are far more robust and difficult to penetrate. Cloud servers are heavily encrypted and over-the-air updates will continue to keep your data perpetually secure and confidential.
What makes our cloud-based revenue system stand out is our management and maintenance of the Level 1 Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance on behalf of our customers. FlashParking securely processes over six million transactions per year, providing the utmost in efficiency and reliability for our clients while providing card-holders with the data security they want and need.
How Does a Cloud-Based Revenue System Work With Hardware?
Cloud-based revenue systems enable you to remotely manage, maintain, and update your hardware more efficiently. We designed our hardware with a less-is-more approach. With traditional hardware, if a credit card reader or ticket spitter fails, it would require someone to physically come and fix it and/or reboot the software. Utilizing the cloud, you can fix hardware remotely through FlashOS. A remote digital pulse check consistently provides readings on the hardware components, giving you real-time feedback on the health of your systems.
FlashOS is natively integrated into our line of hardware, which includes parking kiosks in a variety of sizes, efficient gate technology, and optional cash machines. If your business is more robust or complicated, we’ll gladly develop custom solutions tailored specifically for your needs—requiring minimal maintenance on the hardware, as always.
FlashParking hardware combined with the benefits of our cloud-based system allow for future over-the-air updates and configurations as technology progresses, granting you access to our ground-breaking parking systems, business intelligence, and lifetime equipment warranty, all for a low monthly payment.
How Cloud-Based Revenue Systems Are Powering Mobility Hubs
Parking complexes are not just for parking cars anymore: they also serve in a new capacity as connectivity hubs with unlimited potential for new affiliations and cross-promotion opportunities.
Cloud technology, when paired with our hardware-as-a-service model, is the seed you need to convert and cultivate your parking structure into a thriving mobility hub. Customers can access data that enables them to optimize underused space and fuel first- and last-mile consumer journeys. This allows for relevant partner integrations, such as EV charging stations, ridesharing, eScooter/biking docks, and last-mile delivery services.
We are reinventing the parking industry. We see massive opportunities to create more revenue, long-term value, and social connectivity through cloud-based revenue systems and clever integration with HaaS systems. By giving parking operators the full insight, control, and flexibility they need to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing climate, we are future-proofing and transforming that slab of concrete into a dynamic, intelligent business platform.
Through FlashOS, FlashIQ, and HaaS, FlashParking empowers customers to leverage cost-effective solutions, manage data and payments securely, address fixes instantly, operate remotely, and unlock new revenue sources. Our goal is to provide customers the tools to digitally transform your operations, mitigate unexpected issues, and break free from the constraints of legacy infrastructure.
