Switching Mobile App Providers to Increase Adoption and Usage
Background
Texas A&M University was established in 1871 and today has almost 70,000 students. So, parking around campus in College Station, Texas, is serious business. The school manages over 36,000 parking spaces in garages and open surface parking lots around the school.
Dell Hamilton, Parking Services Manager, and Lynn Wiggs, Special Events Manager, are key players in the management of the parking operations at Texas A&M and are focused on providing a great experience for students, faculty, staff and visitors. In 2010, they were early adopters, accepting mobile app payments as part of the Texas A&M Transportation Services parking program.
“At the time, we wanted to provide more options to our customers, reduce lines at the payment machines, and provide a reliable way to extend parking sessions,” said Hamilton. “But, we were having limited success with the mobile app. It wasn’t what we hoped it would be.”
Switching Mobile App Providers
In 2015, Texas A&M Transportation Services’ contract was up with their mobile parking app provider so they issued a Request for
“ParkMobile began to rise above other payment providers in the functionality we desired from the product. The people at ParkMobile also exhibited a deep knowledge of their product.” – Lynn Wiggs Special Events Manager, Texas A&M University Transportation Services
Proposal (RFP) to explore more options. They spent time at trade shows and speaking with their peers in the industry. ParkMobile was one of the vendors that made the shortlist for further evaluation.
According to Wiggs, “ParkMobile began to rise above other payment providers in the functionality we desired from the product. The people at ParkMobile also exhibited a deep knowledge of their product.” Texas A&M Transportation Services was looking for an app that would provide the best experience for the user. “If the customers don’t use it, what’s the point,” said Hamilton.
After a thorough evaluation process, Texas A&M Transportation Services made the switch to ParkMobile.
The Transition
After the contract was signed, the ParkMobile team collaborated very closely with the Texas A&M Transportation Services team to ensure a smooth transition to the new mobile app platform. “ParkMobile assisted with signage and marketing strategies to help get the word out about the change,” said Wiggs, “It was a very positive experience.”
ParkMobile officially went live on Texas A&M’s campus in early 2016. According to Hamilton, “We didn’t get any complaints when we launched. Users transitioned smoothly, which in our world is a great thing!”
As the months went by, more and more people adopted ParkMobile. Since the switch from the previous provider, app usage has increased 123 percent and continues to grow every month.
Today, ParkMobile has become an everyday part of campus life, even providing parking reservations for Aggie football games at Kyle Field and other events around campus.
Service and Support
Texas A&M Transportation Services gives ParkMobile high marks for the ongoing service and support they receive. “ParkMobile has been very responsive and timely in my interactions,” said Hamilton. “Support keeps me in the loop on any outstanding issues we have. Getting new lots implemented has been painless. On a scale of one to ten, I would probably give ParkMobile an ‘eight’. The caveat is that I never ever give anyone a ten. No one is perfect.”
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