• Frictionless parking operations have driven overall customer satisfaction, earning an NPS of 65 – among the highest locations nationwide

• Compliance nears 100% – a jump from around 90% pre-installation, capturing more revenue for operations and reducing labor costs

IN MOBILE, ALABAMA, cruise terminal operations are intricate affairs that require both precision and adaptability. Yet, these two traits are often at odds with each other amidst the rolling waves of demand within the cruise terminal. As waves of people arrive and depart within a small band of time, the ability to deliver both consistency and flexibility is an everyday challenge in the cruise business.

Those challenges are especially acute in an industry that has stringent boarding requirements and strict schedules. For departures, time is of the essence. To ensure an on-time departure, there are check-in procedures that must be followed, bags to be checked and passenger documentation to be verified. So it’s imperative that guests are able to quickly park and efficiently enter the queue. For arrivals, guests are eager to disembark as fast as possible and have high expectations for a seamless experience throughout. 

In both cases, the first and last impressions for guests are of the efficiency of the parking experience, says Joseph Snowden from the City of Mobile

Parking is an integral part of the customer journey – especially when it comes to travel. It’s the first and last touchpoint. That’s why we wanted to eliminate anxiety on the way in and out. We certainly don’t want passengers to leave their vacation and be stuck in a garage waiting to pay. An exit without friction leaves the best impression after a great vacation

-Joseph Snowden, City of Mobile | Executive Director of Administrative Services 

To improve the parking experience for passengers, the cruise terminal approached Premium Parking to implement its complete end-to-end parking operating system, GLIDEPARCS®. The OS includes gateless digital parking with online reservations, on-demand mobile payments (both CameraPay® and TextPay®), as well as pay kiosks, to create a frictionless parking experience that reduces wait time and virtually eliminates violators. In fact, the compliance rate nears 100% for each cruise, dramatically outperforming the 90% rate pre-install. 

Fundamentally, parking is an essential part of a flawless vacation experience. Those who have stressful arrivals won’t be in a positive mindset and any difficulties exiting post-vacation leave a negative final impression. And passengers are keenly aware of how valuable stress-free parking is to their overall experience: the system has boosted satisfaction among cruise passengers. 

The Mobile Alabama Cruise Terminal’s parking operations earn an NPS score of 65, among the highest locations in the company.

After implementing the Premium Parking operating system, the Mobile Alabama Cruise Terminal’s parking operation now has an NPS score of 65, which is among the highest locations across all nationwide operations. 

The combination of increased revenues through compliance and reduced enforcement costs is a potent formula for better business outcomes – and happier passengers amplify those outcomes even further, posting positive reviews and fostering a sense of good will that creates long-term loyalty for future cruises.  

Frictionless experience, very customer-friendly, great feedback scores, and impeccable compliance rate. These outstanding results make a major difference in how parking is perceived by our client’s customers – and make an impact on the bottom line. 

-Ben Wesley, Market President, Gulf Coast for Premium Parking

To discover Premium’s full-stack parking technology platform, please reach out here.