The ParkAdmin module allows administrators to perform all aspects of Permit Management. From this area you will set up your Lots and allocate permits, manage permit rollovers, print hang tags, manage access cards and use the Parking Validation tools.
Developing a Parking Plan
A good master parking plan allows for future planning and revenue growth while maximizing existing potential in an effective way. When developing your master parking plan there are a number of things that you need to determine ahead of time in order to be effective and efficient, while at the same time giving you the opportunity for future planning and revenue growth.
Optimal lot planning is achieved when you determine the physical locations of all the parking lots that you currently have, the current number of parking spaces available, the user types that you allow to park in each lot and how much each space costs. In addition, you must determine the type of permits that you issue (yearly, semestered, monthly, other, etc.) and how many of each type of permit you issue per year. This will help you to determine the number of total permits you need to have available and the the range of permits needed for each lot.
In addition to physical lots, you may also have Virtual Lots. In the example below, you are allowing 3 user types to park in Lot 1 and each user type has a different cost associated. User Types were setup in Phase 3. Lots can link to 1 or more user type. Users can only purchase online parking in a lot if their user type matches the allowed user type in that lot. You have 4 allocation types to choose from; monthly, semester, annual and other. These allocations cover specific time ranges, for instance, yearly may cover permits that are valid from Sept 1 to May 31.
It is important to set up your ranges to ensure that you can cover lost/stolen permits and also to have the ability to oversell a lot. Once you have determined your lot plan you can consider your Sales Window Planning. This requires defining timelines for when various types of permits will be available for sale and when other permits will rollover.
| Lot 1 Breakdown - 1000 Stalls | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stalls | User Type | Cost/Month | Virtual Lot Name | Lot Short Name | Allocation Type | Permit Range | Start Selling | Permit Valid Dates | Users can Purchase online | |
| 300 | Staff | $200 | Lot 1 - Staff | L1STAFF | Yearly | 100 | 400 | July 15 | Sept 1 to May 31 | Y |
| 500 | Full-Time Student | $275 | Lot 1 - FT Student | L1FTSTUD | Semestered | 500 | 1200 | July 15 | Sept 1 to Dec 31 | Y |
| 100 | Part-Time Student | $150 | Lot 1 - PT Student | L1PTSTUD | Semestered | 1500 | 1700 | July 15 | Sept 1 to Dec 31 | Y |
| 100 | Public Users | $325 | Lot 1 - Public User | L1PUB | Monthly | 1800 | 2000 | July 15 | Aug 1 to Aug 31 | N |
Creating your Lots
Creating your lots is done using the Pricing and Lot Admin functionality. Use a permit worksheet similar to the one in the example above to ensure you are creating the lots you need to satisfy your Parking Plan.
Sample Parking Plan | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stalls | User Type | Cost/Month | Virtual Lot Name | Lot Short Name | Allocation Type | Permit Range | Start Selling | Permit Valid Dates | Users can Purchase online | |
| 300 | Staff | $1200 | Lot 1 - Staff | L1STAFF | Yearly | 100 | 400 | July 15 | Sept 1 to May 31 | Y |
| 500 | Full-Time Student | $875 | Lot 1 - FT Student | L1FTSTUD | Semestered | 500 | 1200 | July 15 | Sept 1 to Dec 31 | Y |
| 100 | Part-Time Student | $450 | Lot 1 - PT Student | L1PTSTUD | Semestered | 1500 | 1700 | July 15 | Sept 1 to Dec 31 | Y |
| 100 | Public Users | $325 | Lot 1 - Public User | L1PUB | Monthly | 1800 | 2000 | July 15 | Aug 1 to Aug 31 | N |
| 300 | Any | Temp - Metered | Lot 2 - Parkade - Level 1 | Metered | ||||||
| 200 | Staff | $1200 | Lot 2 - Parkade - Level 1 | Yearly | 2200 | 2500 | ||||
| 500 | Any | Temp - Metered | Lot 2 - Parkade - Level 2 | Metered | ||||||
| 500 | Any | Temp - Metered | Lot 2 - Parkade - Level 3 | Metered | ||||||
Using Pricing and Lot Admin
You will use this area to set up the lots to be visible to your clients and be available for temp parking.
Permit Allocation
Permits can be added individually or in bulk. Use your Lot planning sheet to determine the ranges you will be using.
Sales Window Management
The Sales Window feature allows the admin to configure when permits go on sale and what time frames the permits are valid. There are three important parameters that need to be set in this process.
- When the permits will be available to purchase
- What date the permit becomes valid
- What date the permit expires
Working with Permits
There are 3 types of Permits issued through OPS-COM. Standard permits, Temporary permits and Text2ParkMe permits. Standard parking permits are the monthly, yearly or other regular permits that you sell. Temporary permits are issued for less than 30 days and can be issued even hourly. Text2ParkMe permits are issued on-demand to users through the text messaging functionality on their cell phone. Not all options are available for each permit type.
Permit Search
This allows you to search different lots to view information about the standard permits that have been registered to people.
Permit Switch
Permit Switch allows you to change a person’s current standard permit for another standard permit. There are three scenarios possible with permit switch.
- Switching a user from one permit number to another in the same lot
- Switching permits between two users in the same lot
- Switching a user from one permit number to another in a different lot
Permit Proration
Proration allows you to sell a standard permit to a user that is valid for a shorter portion of the active sales window and have the system adjust the cost of the permit accordingly. A good example is a student parker starting to park a vehicle halfway through a year or semester.
Selling Permits
The Parking tab of the User Profile allows administrators to sell parking permits (standard parking permits and temporary parking permits) to users.
Permit Printing
Hang Tag Printing allows administrators to either print individual hang tags or print batches of hang tags for standard parking permits.
Temporary Permits can also be printed by the Admin.
Permits can also be printed by the users directly, if this setting is enabled.
Permit Rollovers
Standard permits can be rolled over from one active period to the next. In other words the admin can renew a patron's ownership of their current permit by rolling them over into the next active period whether it's a monthly, yearly or semester type permit. Patrons who pay by payroll deduction or through credit card purchases can also have their payments processed automatically as part of the rollover process.
Before Attempting rollovers, please follow the steps in these wiki articles to ensure you have activated the correct Sales Window and that you have your information correctly set up for automatic payments. Read Sales Window Management and Credit Card Management in OPS-COM.