1. Are You Ready For Automation?
ACAP
MARCH 2008
NPA
Each presenter
Introduce your self and answerer these demographic questions:
# of lanes of equipment
# garages
# visitor transactions
# spaces visitor and regular
Parking budget, debt and debt service
Campus population
What do you have? research park, stadium, special events, presidential library, performing arts center
Peter Lange
Associate Director
Transportation Service
Texas A&M University

2. About A&M Texas’ first public institution of higher learning
Land-Grant, Sea-Grant and Space-Grant university
Sixth-largest university in enrollment
12,000 faculty/staff, 46,000 students
One of largest campuses – 5200 acres
Home to George Bush Presidential Library and Museum

3. About Transportation Services
36,310 parking spaces
79 buses operating approximately 117,000 hours each year and 1.4 million service miles
Ridership over 4.5 million/yr
Department budget of $26 million
Parking budget of $8 million
Transit budget of $5 million
108 employees

5. What can we Automate? Access Control Revenue Control
Permit/Credential Sales
Permit/Credential Fulfillment
Enforcement – Citations Appeals
Customer Self Service
Interfaces
Integration
Workarounds
Compromises
Business rule changes
Loss of functionality
Revenue Control - Dispenser tickets – card-in/card-out, in-lane cashier, central cashier, pay-on-foot, pay-by-cell
Access Control - Credentials, transponders, manned booths, proximity cards, gates and lane equipment
Permits - Application, registration, wait-lists, hangtags, online sales, kiosk, decals
Metering Devices - Single-space, multi-space, pay-by-space, pay-and-display, in-car meters, mobile LPR
Enforcement - Warnings, tickets, citations, handhelds, appeals, processing, scofflaw, boot, tow
Money - Debits, credits, receivables, transfers, collections

6. Complex
Peter
parking access and revenue control hardware, management software, LPR, payroll deductions, internet sales, account management, citation issuance, event parking, pay-by-cell, security cameras, signage, DMV data, data warehouse

7. Technology is best when it is invisible
Our Philosophy
Technology is best when it is invisible
Barbra white the CIO at UGA said “…..an overarching commitment to simplification”
We what to be in a place – have an organization, systems, infrastructure that can react and change. Complex systems are difficult to change. I think to succeed you need to change.
Game consoles
PC – maybe – 4 year old can get to Disney.com
Build flexibility in to your applications
The gate goes up – customer has no idea of the interfaces, data bases and communications that are in place to raise that gate.

8. Facility Automation

9. Facility Automation

10. Have one system that pulls it all together
All financial information to help us manage and report on revenue from multiple sources
Allow our customers to pay for anything related to parking at any of our physical or virtual locations
Have a complete view into our operation, rather than multiple separate views
Manage all our spaces in a consistent unified manner
Upgrade one piece without reconfiguring all of the other pieces
Have one point of contact for questions and maintenance of the pieces
Peter

11. Cool Stuff
Managing all permits and access cards in one database with no duplication of data or data entry.
Taking payment for any parking item at any outlet – ISF at the office or online; citations at the pay station in a garage, all online, etc.
Unified inventory and management of all parking spaces, audited or access/revenue-controlled.
Single point of online access to everything parking for our customers.
Unified reporting and business-process configuration and tracking.
Patrick

12. Facility Automation

17. Permit Distribution Focus limited resources on your core business
Improve process
Permit Direct
2006 – present
All online
No lines at customer service
Majority (%?) of customers register online during first months of registration
Customers call us to find out when registration begins

22. waitlist

24. Screenshot of appeals Describe the process Appeal Agreement
The appeal process allows a customer to appeal a parking citation believed to have been issued in error. The appeal form must be completed within 14 calendar days of the issue date of the citation. Customers are not required to pay the fine before filing an appeal to receive the early payment discount. There must be substantial and valid evidence that the parking violation was not committed, or that it occurred due to circumstances beyond the customer's control. Valid documentation of the evidence must be provided when the appeal is submitted. Appeals that are vague or incomplete will be rejected. The following are not valid reasons for an appeal:
1. Lack of knowledge of the regulations, for example, new to campus or have not reviewed regulations;2. Other vehicles were parked improperly; 3. Only parked illegally for a short period of time; 4. Stated failure of parking officer to ticket previously for similar offenses; 5. Late to class or appointment; 6. Inability to pay the amount of the fine; 7. No other place to park. Student and Non-Affiliate Appeals The Student Parking Appeals Board receives and adjudicates student appeals. Three members constitute a quorum for all meetings. The board meets on a regularly scheduled basis of not less than semi-weekly during the semester, including summer sessions. The board will not meet during dead week, finals week, Christmas break, or Spring break. Faculty/Staff Appeals The Faculty/Staff Parking Appeals Board receives and adjudicates faculty and staff appeals. Three members constitute a quorum for all meetings. The board meets on a regularly scheduled basis of not less than monthly during the fiscal year. Both appeal boards have the authority to dispose of a case by:1. Upholding the charge(s) completely 2. Upholding the charge(s) but reducing the fine to whatever amount it feels is appropriate in light of extenuating circumstances 3. Dismissing the charges completely The appellant will be notified in writing by the Transportation Services office of the board’s decision. Only student citations are eligible for oral appeals. If you fail to appear at your scheduled time before the board, your appeal will be read without you. All decisions rendered by the Appeals Board are final and re-appeals are not available. I have read and understand the above statements and would like to submit an appeal for a violation received.

28. What does the staff think

31. Moving Business to the Web
February 2003 – January 2004
1,000 online transactions(%?)
$5,000
February 2004 – January 2005
22,854 online transactions (29% of total)
$1, (42% of total)
77% of $ automated
47% of transactions automated
February 2005 – January 2006
35,083 online transactions (43% of total)
$2, ( 57% of total)
81% of $ automated
56% of transactions automated

33. Communicating With Gen Y
Cell Phones
Laptop Computers
High-Speed Internet Access
Instant Messaging
MP3 Players (iPod)
Personal DVD players
Digital Cameras

34. Generation Y - Technology
Spend 1/3 life on the Internet
Average student has 2 addresses; is preferred method of communication
Very tech savvy
Video games, cell phones, PDAs, music downloads, MP3 players, instant messaging
Do not use lengthy messages.
Try to get message in 1-2 sentences.
Internet is the media of choice.
First generation to grow up with computers in the home
It’s predicted that by 2010, the Gen Y populations will be 32% of the total population
Grew up in media saturated, brand conscious world = raised as consumers
What do you think students look for in an advertisement? It might surprise you that from our research it is unvarnished truth, irony and humor
75% - 90% of the of the teenagers have a computer at home
50% have access to the Internet from home
Using computers since nursery school
Graphics oriented, see text as supporting visual methods
A picture is worth a thousand words
Thrive on change
Variety = a few things that change frequently
Demand quick, if not instant, gratification
Self-Reliant: Used to doing it (and many other things) themselves, multi-taskers

35. Customer Communications
Know your customers and how to communicate with them
Comprehensive and up to date website
Surf the web for ideas (other universities, eCommerce sites)
Can be scaled down for a smaller department
Use technology to improve customer service not eliminate it
Communicate to drive customers to use the technology

36. Organizational Philosophy
Technology at the table
Software guru - knows the technical side and the business side inside out
Use the software
Hardware becomes less important
Business analyst – might be more appropriate
Developers
Power users
Can your commodity computing be done by someone else at the?
Fewer staff in some areas but more technical staff needed. Technical staff can accomplish more with less. Focus on core business. IT needs to help improve process in a limited resource world IT must make the functional users job better.
Off the shelf applications
So often I see or talk to organizations that don’t use PP completely.
Someone to bull dog problems – bite on until the problem is solved.
Bridge the functional technical gap – IT guy must be able to translate – geek speak to English.
Developers focus on improvement to process – interfacing
Power users are very important – foster their growth – train them to become more self sufficent
Team
Programmers
Communicators
Project Managers
Equipment
Servers
Software

37. ROI in a University Setting
Political
Practical
Possible

38. Peter Lange plange@tamu.edu
Questions?
Peter Lange
Presentation available online: