For most drivers looking for short-term parking options, parking is–and should be–a non-event. They park, they visit their destination, and they leave without incident. Sometimes their reasons for parking are fun and exciting, like an event or night out; other times, the reason might be more emotionally sensitive, like a family member or friend visiting a loved one in a hospital.
How the person will park is likely not on the minds of hospital visitors; instead, their minds are consumed by who they will be seeing and for what reason. Given the sensitivity of hospital visits, parking managers have an opportunity to empathize with visitors and make their visit a little easier, especially if they are dealing with a difficult emotional situation.
Let’s take a quick look at why customer service should be top of mind in hospital garages as well as how you can easily improve a visitor’s experience.
Empathy is Key
Customer service is an undervalued asset in parking management to begin with, but in hospital garages or facilities, it’s especially important that employees empathize with visitors. The last thing patients or their visitors want to worry about is the amount of money they need to pay for parking; if your operation can provide opportunities to make parking interactions quick, clear, and efficient, they should.
In addition, if you know that vouchers are available to discount or comp their parking, let the visitor know. While it may seem counterproductive to operate a garage with the intent of producing revenue and then telling visitors how to get discounts or free parking, exceptional customer service will draw visitors back to your garage and encourage new ones to try you out through word of mouth recommendations.
Making a Tough Visit Easier
Furthermore, the parking experience should go beyond entering and exiting. Your parking attendants should act dually as parking specialists and customer service representatives; they should know the layout of the hospital, including where the different departments are, to guide them so they don’t need to stop and ask questions.
Hospital-based facilities should also suggest services such as changing flat tires, providing battery boosts, and offering golf cart rides for visitors who may have forgotten where they parked. Could you imagine coming from a difficult hospital visit only to find out that your tire was flat and that no one was around to help you? These types of services should be prominently promoted so if those issues do occur, visitors will know that it can be quickly and easily resolved.
Final Thoughts
In the end, parking in a hospital facility should be the least of the visitors’ worries. If an issue arises, your staff should be ready and able to help the visitor while being empathetic to their reason for visiting. The last thing you want is for the visitor to be frustrated with their parking experience; rather, it should be at least a non-event and at most an exceptional experience.
Contact us today for more information about improving your hospital’s parking management.