I had a most interesting discussion with Mike Harley, COO of SMC Software. Amongst other things, we discussed parking reservations and I gave my usual response that the whole concept was a solution in search of a problem.
Mike gave me some food for thought. He said that we live in an increasingly complex world. He asked me if I had all the information about my trip this week to Tampa, Atlanta, Austin, and Cincinnati. I said yes and he asked if it was all securely entered in my smart phone. I said of course. He asked why, because after all, I could go to each airport and car rental place and hotel and get all the information I needed on terminals there. I noted that having all the information at my fingertips ensured I wouldn’t make a mistake and also that I didn’t have to think about it until the next step of my trip was about to occur.
He got an “ah ha” look on his face and said, well, when you go to a hockey game, you have your tickets, your dinner reservations, so you won’t have to think about them, why not a parking reservation so you won’t have to think about that either.
Our lives our complex enough, he went on, without having to think about where we were going to park, particularly in an area with which we are unfamiliar. One less issue we can deal with before the fact. We can sit at our desk when we purchase the tickets and make the dinner reservation and can make the parking decisions then too. Often we can also pay for them in advance. One little thing less we have to add to the hassles in our lives.
I had to admit that I hadn’t considered this but of course he’s right.
When I got my plane reservations and checked I noticed that I was TSA Pre Approved. Those little letters meant that the security nightmare at the airport was gone. It even meant I could wear some shoes that were more difficult to take on and off than the loafers I usually wear, but were much more comfortable. Hassle reduced.
The GPS in the cars I rented took tremendous pressure off. I didn’t have to scan a map or worry about whether or not I could find my appointment locations. Key it in and forget about it. With Garmin on my smart phone, I can key in all the addresses from home before I leave. Less hassle.
So why not parking, says Mike. Frankly I had to agree. He has other ideas about this concept and will be discussing it with you folks that attend PIE in March. Its a presentation I don’t want to miss.
JVH
