Adam Lueken
Delivering excellent care is the most important part of the patient experience, but many other aspects also contribute to whether a patient has a positive or negative experience in your practice. One such aspect takes place at the start of the patient experience – patient parking.
Depending on your practice location, patient parking may or may not be a problem. If you are located in a smaller city or town in a less congested area, with ample parking and space, your patients (and team members) may be able to access and depart from your practice without issue. But if you are located in a larger city with limited parking or a congested area, or have constant construction around your practice, it can be an important factor to consider.
Common complaints from patients about parking include:
“There were not enough parking spaces or it took too long to find a space.I was late to my appointment or another commitment because of parking complications. The parking lot was too far from the building. The construction around the parking lot made it difficult to access.”
Parking complaints are easy to identify, but determining the underlying causes may require some investigation to deploy the most effective solutions and strategies. If you are struggling with some of the parking complaints mentioned, here are some possible strategies.
Valet Parking
If you are in a larger city and/or downtown area and have the budget available, valet parking can be a convenient option for your patients. This can create a lasting and great first impression for your office too. Valet services can help with many common parking complaints by delivering parking that is faster, more convenient and accessible. This is especially important for the elderly and aging population where mobility issues are more common. This can also lead to fewer missed appointments and patients who arrive for their appointments less frazzled. Happier patients are then more likely to rate your practice more favorably on patient satisfaction surveys and share their experiences with friends and family.
Stack Parking
Stack parking (sometimes called tandem parking) is a more out-of-the-box solution that can help mitigate parking shortages and increase parking capacity. Similar to valet parking, stack parking attendants are stationed within parking lots and take advantage of unused aisle parking space to double park vehicles while not disrupting vehicle traffic.
Vehicles self-park in open spaces and once capacity is reached, they are directed to queue up in the aisles where they are greeted and issued a claim check. Like valet parking, the attendants retain the keys to each vehicle in a lockbox and maneuver or repark each vehicle throughout the day as needed when self-parked vehicles leave the parking lot. And like valet parking, this option will greatly depend on your location and budget allowances.
Managing Employee Parking
Many patient parking complaints can stem from employee parking issues. If team members use prime patient visitor parking spaces, a parking shortage throughout the day can result. To counter this issue, it is important to have comprehensive team member parking guidelines in place to ensure they are parking in appropriate areas.
Have your team members save the majority of spaces for patients, especially prime, closer spaces. If possible, reserve a set area for team member parking. You can also consider using a parking permit system that requires all team members to have a valid parking decal displayed. Communicate this effectively to team members so everyone is informed and on the same page.
Need some help with your parking or even expanding your practice as a whole? We’re always a phone call or click away to support your needs. Schedule a consultation with one of our practice management experts today!