Lauren Littlefield

 Just ask the team members at Riverside Parking in Louisville, KY, and they will tell you: All parking facilities are not created equal. The locally owned and operated company has been serving the area since 1978. Known for its commitment to utilizing state-of-the-art technology to maximize revenues and guarantee customer satisfaction, Riverside is in a class all of its own when it comes to parking. 

Recently, the company decided it was time to upgrade its facilities to better compete in the revitalized downtown. An integral piece of the upgrade was improvement of customer service and satisfaction when it came to entering and exiting its facilities. 

“It was important to us to provide a better experience for our customers,” said John Ford, Manager at Riverside Parking. “Our facilities are in prime locations throughout Louisville, and we want our customers to come back again and again, because they know they can count on Riverside for a hassle-free, positive experience.” 

The company recently partnered with Parker Technology, a parking facility customer service solution that provides 24/7, face-to-face video assistance to guests, to upgrade some of its facilities. 

“Before using Parker, when a customer needed assistance, we were able to provide only audio support,” Ford said. “Now, our customers actually see the representative, which adds a level of comfort for the customer and helps resolve issues in a significantly shorter amount of time.”

Parker provides live remote attendants who can troubleshoot customer issues via a video monitor that bolts directly onto pay-on-foot, entry and exit lane equipment in parking facilities. Attendants at its call center are available every hour of the day, every day of the week. 

“Parker has been great for customer service,” Ford added. “Our customers appreciate the consistency and the interaction with a real person whenever they need help. The setup adapts to each customer’s specific situation. Most important, our customers feel like they are being taken care of.”

The partnership between Riverside and Parker has only grown stronger since the first install, he said.

“We’ve been able to automate garages we didn’t think could have been done before,” Ford said. “When automating, there’s always this fear of losing a level of customer service, but Parker has eliminated this concern.”

As the largest city in the state, Louisville has many parking options for residents and visitors; however, Riverside Parking believes it has a leg up on its competition. The newly automated garages are performing well, and customers are more than satisfied, he said. 

And Riverside isn’t done yet.

“We have been really impressed with the Parker system and its representatives,” Ford said. “We plan to use it in many more locations as we continue to automate more of our properties.”