ON THE FRONTLINE

Tell Me a Story

By Cindy Campbell

I’VE GROWN INCREASINGLY DISENCHANTED with the escalating price of my cable television. I would even go so far as to say it’s become downright offensive. Not to sound like Methuselah, but I’m from the generation that created and first embraced cable TV. Before the internet, it gave us the ability to instantaneously connect to our larger world like never before. The connected world we live in today offers so many more options for global information sharing—and at a much lower price than most cable companies offer. Yes, my decision was made; the time had finally come to cut the cable cord.

With that decision out of the way, the next obvious task was to contact the cable company to figure out how to go about disconnecting. Swirling in my mind were the tales I’d heard from others—the stereotypical, cringe-worthy stories about frustrating phone calls with the cable company’s customer service representatives. With so many competing services available, they’d certainly taken steps to positively respond to the public outcry regarding their notoriously bad reputations, right? Additional customer service classes? Listening skills? Perhaps increased conflict resolution training? You would think so, but alas, from my recent experience, it appears that’s not the case (insert heavy sigh, eye roll and disapproving head shake here).

The Call

The pre-recorded voice informed me that my wait time was estimated to be 30 minutes. Twenty-eight minutes later, I was greeted with what I can only describe as the most apathetic agent on duty. No exaggeration, it was like pulling teeth to get even the slightest bit of help or information. Her flat tone conveyed a heaping helping of disinterest with a just a dash of hostility. Without relaying the entire conversation, her responses included phrases like, “I can’t tell you that,” “I can’t do that,” “I wouldn’t know,” and “I don’t have access to that information”. It was her winning combination of poor word choice and indifferent tone that painted the complete picture. She made no

Even if we can’t give the customer the answer they want, we need to make the effort to provide them with information they need and the options they have.

effort to provide me with available options. My every attempt to communicate in a friendly, professional way was rebuffed. The phone call ended when her ability to be obstinate exceeded my willingness to tolerate it.

Much like my story of the bad cable experience, most everyone out there has a favorite parking horror story to tell. While some of those tales may contain bits of truth, others are full of incorrect assumptions and have become legendary—larger over time. Legendary tales aren’t easily put to rest, especially if we’re presented with examples that confirm them to be true for us personally. A customer may start a conversation with us, holding on to these fabled stories about who we are and how we will interact with them. Their initial attitudes and preconceived ideas about us may not be reasonable, yet they are their starting-point reality. While these baseless assumptions may be wholly unfair to us, what are we doing to change their expectations? What story will they be telling others about their interaction with you?

Beating Assumptions

Just as I had pre-conceived ideas about what attitudes I may possibly encounter with the cable company, our customers may start their interactions assuming the worst outcome. Their defensiveness and angry words may not mean what we initially perceive. Sometimes anger and frustration are the initial emotions a customer communicates to us. Our role is not to respond in kind, but to actively listen for the real meaning of their message. Even if we can’t give the customer the answer they want, we need to make the effort to provide them with information they need and the options they have. Setting aside our instinctual, emotional reactions to their tone and approach is not only helpful to getting the customer what they need, but also offers us the ability to change that person’s perception about the services of your organization and who you are as a professional.

Your attitude, word choice and demeanor may be the key to changing the story the next time it’s told. ◆

CINDY CAMPBELL is IPMI’s senior training and development specialist. She is available for onsite and online training and professional development and can be reached at campbell@parking-mobility.org.

BUSINESS VISION

We seek to streamline and optimize control of your parking structure, its management, productivity and security. Our differentiation and competitive advantages enable you to improve the level of service, while exploring new business opportunities.

MEYPAR USA Corp. 21755 I45, Building 11, Suite D 77388 Spring, Texas Tel.: +1 346-220-4619 (Sales) www. meypar-usa.com · info@meypar-usa.com

The Customer’s Voice Matters, Now More than Ever

By Andrew Sachs, CAPP

IN A WORLD RUN BY ONLINE SEARCHES, the customer’s story is more powerful than ever. Parking marketing has evolved in recent years. As always, operations need to communicate that they offer convenient and accessible parking with desirable amenities. But the old-school methods are no longer effective for pushing messages. Today, effective parking marketing begins with great customer service leading to a positive presence online.

Targeting the Customer

In 2019, about 80 percent of transient parkers found Harbor Park Garage, the Baltimore garage I manage, through a digital search. By comparison, 12 percent found the garage by driving past or just knowing our location, and 8 percent of transient traffic came from aggregators (like SpotHero and Park Whiz, both of which are important Harbor Park partners).

As the most dominant digital search tool—and the owner of Waze—Google is a key gatekeeper; most transient customers are likely to find a garage using the company’s technology. As such, we have to pay attention to what Google values.

Google’s New Approach

While Google’s effect on information sharing is nothing new, recent changes to its information management and delivery have a significant impact the parking industry.

The search algorithm prioritizes reviews in Google My Business, the company’s free tool driving local searches and maps. The algorithm is frequently updated to prioritize local businesses with high scores in customer interaction and ranking. As a result, companies with few or negative rankings and those that do not engage with customers online have lower visibility overall.

And Parking

Google’s new approach makes quality of service critical for all businesses; reliance on Google as a driver of traffic means it’s especially key for the parking industry. It is easy for an angry customer to submit reviews online, where they live forever.

Consider this scenario: a transient parker posts a complaint about being stuck at your gate and not receiving a speedy response even after pressing the call button. The following week, an office manager looking for 200 monthly spaces sees that review and, as a result, does not consider your parking facility.

The most effective way to avoid a scenario like this one is to prioritize customer service, making it part of your company culture.

First, understand customers by walking in their shoes—literally. Walk the garage, use the elevators, drive out of the gated exit, and use the call button to make sure parkers’ garage experiences are as positive as possible and to identify opportunities to go above and beyond with advice or services.

Even in the best garages, mistakes happen. Empower your staff to fix mistakes immediately, doing what it takes to make sure customers leave happy.

Someone might still post a negative review. If that happens, don’t ignore it. Respond to the review and make sure you are accessible—via messaging, social media, and other channels—to keep the lines of communication open.

Ultimately, those positive actions and messages will all work in your favor. ◆

ANDREW SACHS, CAPP, MFA, is president of Gateway Parking Services. He can be reached at andrew@gpsparking. com.