Valet parking has long been associated with luxury hotels and restaurants that want to offer extra amenities. Enterprises such as hospitals, sporting events, and offices have caught onto the trend of using hospitality parking services. More importantly, they’ve saved money by doing so.
The hassle of finding parking seems inevitable in a metropolis or big city. If people can avoid it, they will. In fact, across all industries, from retail, restaurants, to eCommerce, consumers are more willing now than ever before to pay extra for convenience. When consumers are making a decision, convenience may trump many other factors. The convenience factor could stop a customer from engaging with your company and choose your competitor next door.
If you want to save money, you should set ease for your consumers high on your priority list. Explore these seven tips to learn how optimizing valet can generate profits for your business.
1. Optimize Space
When customers park for themselves, they leave excess room in front, behind, and on the sides of their car. They may park a door’s length away from the car next to them to get their family of 6 and a giant stroller out of the car. If your business is in an urban area with only street parking available, you may have customers who don’t feel comfortable navigating city parking. They’ll be overly cautious, leaving extra, unnecessary space.
Parking attendants know how to park more cars in a given amount of space and are experienced with maneuvering cramped urban parking lots. This level of optimization allows for more cars and therefore more customers. In general, valet services are the savviest way to optimize parking management.
2. Add Convenience for Customers
Customers care about the cost of their time and effort in the same way they care about the money they will be spending at your business. They may decide it has taken too much time and energy to find parking to enter your business. This could lead them to determine what you have to offer isn’t worth the hassle, or they’ll turn to a competitor. Don’t let the cause of losing a consumer be convenience. Especially if the problem was parking and the clear solution could be valet services.
A valet service saves clientele time looking for a parking spot so that they won’t be deterred from entering your business. Although customers may have to pay for valet, you’d be surprised how many people place a high value on convenience when it comes to parking. These consumers see the benefit of valet convenience and that outweighs the cost. The customer will feel like they profited and be more likely to enter your front door.
3. Reduce Stress for Clientele
Imagine this scenario, a customer comes in from the pouring rain, soggy, chilled, and downright grumpy. Unless you’re an umbrella salesman or have a stunning display of fireplaces, that customer probably isn’t in the best mood. Whatever service you’re providing won’t seem nearly as high on their priority list as dry clothing. As a general rule, people aren’t very open to business propositions while aggravated or downright uncomfortable.
Now picture an alternative scenario, it’s still raining, but this scenario is sunnier than the last. Your customer was able to pull right up to your front door because you had a valet service. They come in dry, happy, and ready to do business. Add someone at the door with an umbrella for guests to and from the valet station and you have the ultimate parking customer experience.
If your business is located in a city with an ever-changing climate or a shortage of parking, valet services are especially important. When customers have a calm, positive mindset, they’ll be more open to the services your business provides. More importantly, they’ll be more open to spending money.
4. Customers Engage with Your Business for Longer
If your business provides a valet service, your customers don’t have to worry about the safety of their car or running out of time on a parking meter. As a result, customers don’t feel any pressure to leave your business, so they stick around longer. This gives you more time to make a business proposition, drive sales, and to engage with your customer base.
5. Create a Returning Customer Base
Valet services can build loyalty by providing the added value of customer service. If a client receives great customer service as they are exiting your business, they will leave with a positive, lasting impression of your company. Bookending guest experience in this way encourages customers to return to your business again and again. Repeat business generates long term revenue.
6. Appeal to a Sophisticated Audience
Valet services are associated with luxury and prestige. By incorporating high-quality valet assistance and technology, you signal potential clientele that your business is high end. A quality signal like this can help draw high paying customers to your business. This prestigious group is willing to pay higher prices for your services and buy more of your product. Which in turn, develops more revenue for you.
7. Differentiate Your Business
Depending on the type of business you own and the level of nearby competition, valet services can help you set your company apart from the rest. On an urban street surrounded by similar businesses and few parking spaces, a customer is more likely to gravitate towards a venue that offers valet.
Providing valet services instantly makes your business more attractive than surrounding options that require the hassle of parking. It also gives your business a leg up on surrounding competitors by signaling the quality and sophistication of your business and its clientele. Charm and convenience help your business stand out in the crowd.
Invest In Convenience For Your Customers
Do your business a favor and invest in the convenience of valet services. Parking assistance will save money by adding value to your company and give consumers the luxury and ease of valet parking. It reduces the cost of time and stress for customers, making them want to engage with your company and keep them coming back for more.
