Develop your business instead of outsourcing.
Pelle Sjögren, co-founder of Mobility46, has been working intensively with new services and business models in parking management for over 10 years. A recurring challenge is that when demand for new services emerges quickly, it is sometimes difficult to meet those needs. What many property owners do then is outsource that service. But surely it is smarter to develop a business and be able to offer this service directly to tenants?
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How common is it for property owners to outsource services that they could offer themselves?
Traditionally, parking has been managed through block leases. This means, in short, that the property owner leases all or part of the parking space to a parking operator. Unfortunately, the property owner loses much of the control over the parking deal with that procedure. That business model ties in with the property owners' traditional business model of renting out square feet. However, it is a business model that is now being challenged and we are seeing a strong shift in the real estate industry with more people choosing to focus on servicing their assets. In that shift, the parking spaces are a strategically important asset to have the ability to provide attractive comprehensive offers to tenants.
“In other words, it is a huge business opportunity for all property owners”
— Pelle Sjögren
Why do you choose to outsource something that, theoretically, would be excellent for you to offer yourself?
A big reason why the whole parking business has been “given away” is, in addition to the aforementioned traditional approach, that the parking business is often perceived as complex and difficult to manage. However, it is far from the truth! All that is needed is a stable business system for the parking management and an organization that takes care of it. In fact, there is a system for this, namely our system Park46!
The issue of electric car charging is often handled in the same way now that demand is increasing markedly. There is too little time to get into what that whole deal looks like and so many property owners choose to outsource rather than offer it themselves.
Our tip is to dare to stop and evaluate the possibilities instead! By taking the time and understanding how to service parking spaces, you can become even more competitive and attractive.
What are the benefits of taking home the deal?
In the short term, outsourcing can be an easy way to get started with different offers and find occupancy in your parking space. But by taking the parking store home, you have 100% self-control and a long-term stable business. It is possible to control your customer offerings yourself and package them as holistic experiences for the tenants. This in turn creates stronger customer loyalty and, over time, contributes to an increased operating net (by bringing home another business where the strategic assets “parking space”, “power” and “tenant” are already available).
By having control over the assets and developing the service specification, you can control the quality yourself and customize the solutions according to the needs of your tenants!
An important thing to consider when bringing the parking business home is how the internal management organization should look and function. For example, many parking transactions can be simplified and automated with a good Parking Management System, which means that administration is minimal and the customer experience is maximized.
If you want to develop your parking offer and, for example, offer electric car charging, what is important to keep in mind?
First of all, you need to take control of your parking spaces because they are needed to be able to build your own charging infrastructure. Once the parking spaces are in control, it is time to identify which parking areas are best suited for electric car charging. Some key parameters are availability, fire safety, efficiency of installation and proximity to electrical switchboard.
The next step is to review the parking agreements. With the construction of a charging infrastructure, there is the possibility of converting the traditional agreements to combined parking and charging agreements. In this way, all tenants have the opportunity to use both the parking and charging points with the same parking and charging agreement with the associated payment solution. All these steps may seem difficult at first glance, but these are functions that are already present in our Parking Management System!
Once you have started to develop your parking offer, what other possibilities are there?
The possibilities are many! Property owners are already sitting on many of the future strategic components for mobility. They have the parking spaces, the power and the tenants. They also own the roofs and walls that tomorrow will be a natural part of the energy supply, including solar energy. Of course, you have to take advantage of it, connect all the assets and capture the potential! In other words, it is a huge business opportunity for all property owners when they can move from renting out only square meters to offering mobility services.
Moreover, what if, in the future, property owners could produce their own energy and use it in their own mobility hubs?
Do you want to take control of the parking business?
Build customer relationships, increase revenue and create the mobility services of the future — with your parking space as a starting point. We show you how to do it!
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