GARAGE MANAGEMENT

This guide contains instructions for changing the settings specific to your garage in the Parkonect system. Please note that your system is live. Make changes with care!

The Garage Management page (see Figure 4.1) is your central portal for controlling garage-level settings, from monthly accounts and validations to rates and grace periods.

(Figure 4.1: Garage Settings Landing Page)

To access this page, you can either go to Dashboard > Garages > Listing > [your garage] or Quicklinks > Garage Settings
When in Garage Settings, the Quick-link bar changes to specific garage setting Modules, as follows:

• Garage – these are your garage profile settings
• Accounts – monthly and contract parking
• Barcodes – setting barcode ranges for transient tickets and valets
• Lanes – Parkonect lane equipment settings
• Rates – rate tables
• Validations – validations settings, ranges and types
• Garage Rate Calendar
• API Overage Rate Calendar

The following modules also appear on the Garage Setting Quick Links bar, but they are specific to Parkonect’s Reservation Engine and therefore are not discussed in this manual.

• Promos
• Advertising
• Services
• Post Parking
• Online Rate Calendar

Garage Profile Settings

The “Garage” module has six distinct garage setting sections that let you define your garage. These items are generally set during onboarding with limited adjustment during the life of the garage.

(Figure 4.2: Garage Profile Settings)

• Garage Profile: This is the default view and shows contact and general garage information.
• Email Notifications: This lets you assign who receives a variety of Parkonect notifications via email. You may add/remove any number of email addresses to receive notifications.
• Logos and Pictures: Upload custom logos and pictures for your free reservation system.
  
• 3rd Party Presales: Change presale grace periods, early entry caps, and other presale-related settings.
  
• Reservation Engine: Contact Parkonect for a Reservation System Manual to learn more.
  
• Other: When enabled, manage vouchers or your pay-on-foot station from this tab.

Garage Profile
You can find the following settings on the General Settings tab (see Figure 4.2):

(Figure 4.2: General Settings Tab)

• ID and Name: Parkonect assigns a unique name and ID to every garage in our system.
  
• Site Info: General information about your site (e.g. address, contact phone and email, etc.).
  
• Grace Period for transient overage (min.): If parkers exit the garage within this window of time, the rate table will not be in effect and therefore no charges will be calculated until after the grace period has passed.
  
• Pay on Foot Grace Period: If your site has Pay on Foot hardware or our Mobile POF, this is where you set the amount of time a parker has to exit the parking facility after they have made their payment. We generally recommend 20-30 minutes.
  
• Lost Ticket: As discussed in the Live Data section of this manual, Parkonect allows the pushing of rates from the Garage Log. The default lost ticket rate is programmed here. If you check “Allow Entry of Lost Ticket Rate” this rate can be manually adjusted in the Garage Log thereby giving more flexibility in the amount that is pushed. If this is unchecked, users can only push the default rate.
  
• Number of Stalls: The maximum capacity of your garage. This parameter is used to determine occupancy and will affect full systems with lot full signs.
  
• Management Company: This is used to select the parking manager or specific office/region for a parking management company associated with this garage.
  
• Primary Contact: This individual is the designated contact for all garage-related inquiries. In order to apply a primary contact to a facility, the contact must be set up as a Parkonect user.

Email Notifications

Parkonect has certain system notifications that are sent by email. This module lets you assign these notifications by user and type, including:

• Parking heads up or down
• Lot full conditions
• Reservations booked/canceled through your Parkonect Reservation Engine.

(Figure 4.3: Email Notifications Tab)

You may add/remove any number of email addresses to receive notifications by tying in an email address and click “Add”.

For a full list of authorized users that have access to the specific garage you are viewing, you can find them below the email notification table. The authorized users are registered Parkonect users with different access parameters to the portal.

Logos and Pictures

You can upload custom logos and pictures for your reservation system from the Logos and Pictures tab (see Figure 4.4). For more information, please contact Parkonect and ask for a Reservation System Manual.

(Figure 4.4: Logos and Pictures Tab)

Third-Party Presales

You can set the following functions on the 3rd Party Presales tab (see Figure 4.5):

• Entry Grace Period: For presale early entry. If parkers are within this window, the gate will vend as if they were entering within their reservation period. They will not be charged an early entry fee.
• Activate Early Entry Fee and Auto-Assign: These must be checked to activate early entry fee collection. Most garages go with the “auto assign early entry fee” whereby a rate table is defined to be used for any early entry transaction (outside of the early entry grace period). You may select any active rate sheet to be the “Early Entry” Rate Sheet. Without the auto-assign feature, an early entry can only be done through the manual function on the garage log.
• Enforce Early Entry Cap: This must be checked to implement the cap you define under Early Entry Cap (min.). The purpose of the “Early Entry Cap” is to stop presale parkers from entering the garage before they would incur significant early entry fees if they are unreasonably early. It is possible that a patron unknowingly attempts to use a reservation for a future date, in these instances, it is best to deny entry instead of automatically applying a charge corresponding to being more than 24 hours early. Parkonect recommends that the early entry cap be set between 4-6 hours, as any patron arriving more than 6 hours before a reservation should be manually handled.
• Activate Third Party Overage Rate Sheet: This must be checked to activate the overage rate table you will choose under the “3rd Party Overage Rate Sheet” drop-down, which gives you the option to select any active rate sheet. If you would like to set a special overage rate instead of using the default overage rate table, use the API Overage Calendar to create a one-day or ongoing exception rate. (See Page 54)
• Single Lane Garage: This function is specific to Parkonect’s gate kit and should likely be left blank.

(Figure 4.5: Third-Party Presales Tab)

Reservation Engine and Other

The Parkonect Reservation Engine contains all of the information for your Parkonect reservation system. For more details, please refer to the Reservation System Manual.

The settings under the “Other” tab are specialized functions that most garages do not require. We recommend contacting Parkonect with any questions on the setting in this section.

Accounts Monthly and Contract 

Parkonect’s Account Module categorizes monthly parkers on an account-level basis with each account having cardholders assigned to it. All cardholders must be associated with an account and therefore if you have one parker for an account, the process to enter them would be to (1) create the account and then (2) create the cardholder under that account.
To access the monthly accounts and parkers (cardholders) using the Accounts Module, go to Quick Links > Garage Settings > Accounts. The Accounts Module landing page, as shown below, will appear.

(Figure 4.6: Accounts Landing Page)

The landing page for the Account Module details all monthly/contract parking accounts that have been created for the garage. On this page, you can:

• Use the “Search Parkers” as a wildcard search function to search all accounts for a cardholder’s barcode, name, or unit number
• Add or edit accounts and their related permissions
• Set all parkers to neutral status

Note: Parkonect generally uses a barcode-based credential system for monthly parking. Other forms of monthly credentials can be used, including FOB, AVI, and license plate; however, the application of these monthly credentials are in specialty manuals and the remainder of this section will solely discuss barcode credentials.

Add a New Monthly Account 

To add a new monthly account, click the “Add New Account” and the Account Details page, shown below in Figure 4.7, will appear for you to enter the critical information required to set up an account.

(Figure 4.7: New Monthly Account Detail Page)

The following is a summary of the key items on the Account Details page:

• Account Name – this is the name of the account. The account name can be whatever you choose and is used as a reference on numerous reports, logs and analytics within the Parkonect system. Please be sure to name the account accordingly.
• Barcode Prefix - All monthly parking credentials consist of two parts: (1) the monthly account prefix and (2) the barcode number. The barcode prefix is set at the account level and must begin with “m”. The “barcode” portion of the credential is entered when the cardholder is created, not when the account is created. Please note: You may use the same prefix for multiple accounts with different permissions or assign a different prefix to each monthly account.
  
• RFID Only Access – this setting is for garages that are using FOB or AVI credentials and therefore may not be relevant to your garage. This is used to add an extra layer of security to exclude barcode credentials that match the AVI/FOB credential from working.
  
• Pool Size Limit – this setting lets you set the maximum number of parkers that an account can have in a garage at any time. For example, if you check the “Pool Size Limit” box and enter “10” in the valuation field, the account would only let a maximum of 10 parkers in the garage even if the account has 100 cardholders. The 11th cardholder will be denied access and would be required to pull a ticket to enter the garage.
  45
  
• Monthly Charge – this field is for information and reporting purposes only at this time. It is not a rebilling or collections feature.

Accounts can also be set for restricted parking rights. Due to the complicated nature of such settings, we recommend contacting a Parkonect specialist should you wish to use this functionality.

After completing the above information, you should hit the “Save” or “Save/Add Cardholders” button.

Add a New Parker (Cardholder)

To add an individual parker, select the specific account to which you want to add a new parker and then click Edit Cardholders, and on the following page, click Add New Parker.

(Figure 4.8: New Monthly Account Detail Page)

(Figure 4.9: Edit Monthly Parkers - Add New Parker)

When adding the parker (see Figure 4.10), you must enter:

• First and last name
• Barcode number
• Starting date

Make sure “Active” is checked, and if the parker is already in the garage, check “Neutral State”. When complete, remember to click “Update”.

If you want to email the parker their barcode, simply click Create Pass to generate a copy of their credential.

CRITICAL: When creating the pass, the monthly parker’s credential will include both the monthly account prefix followed by the barcode entered in the “barcode” field when editing/adding new cardholders (see figure 4.9). Cardholder John Doe’s full credential as read by the Parkonect hardware should read “m104812345” (assuming his account was set with a prefix m1048). Notice that the credential (which is a QR code) is derived from the two fields.

(Figure 4.10: Adding a Monthly Parker)

Edit an Existing Parker (Cardholder)

To edit or delete a parker, you follow the same process as adding a new parker. Select the cardholder you wish to edit. To deactivate a parker, we recommend unchecking the “active” box; however, you can also use the “Expiration Date” to programmatically set a time when the card will no longer be available for use.

Set Parkers to Neutral

Monthly parkers can be set to neutral in three ways:

• Set All Accounts to Neutral: This function should be used if you want to set every parker in the garage to neutral. Using Quick Links > Garage Settings > Accounts, use the button “Set All Accounts to a Neutral State.” You will be prompted to log out all open monthly parkers at the same time as setting them to neutral. This is generally recommended if you have put the gate in the upright position or if you have turned passback off.
  
• Set All Cardholders in an Account to Neutral: This function should be used to set all parkers within a specific account to neutral, not all parkers for the garage. Using Quick Links > Garage Settings > Accounts, select the account you want to set to neutral. Once in the account, use the button “Set All Cardholders to
  a Neutral State.” Please note, unlike the above function, you will not be prompted to log the parkers out. If this is desired, you should use the Enhanced Count tab on the Garage log and log them out individually.
• Set a Specific Cardholder to Neutral: To set a specific cardholder to neutral, perform a search and select the desired cardholder and check the “Neutral State” check box. Be sure to click Update once you have made changes. Please note, unlike the above function, you will not be prompted to log the parkers out. If this is desired, you should use the Enhanced Count tab on the Garage log and log them out individually.

Passback

Parkonect can control passback on an account-level basis. If separate passback parameters are required for parkers within a single account, monthly access levels must be implemented.

Parker Status Log

Parkonect gives you the ability to see any changes made to a monthly cardholder within the accounts section. See figure above. (Figure 4.11: Parker Status Log below)

(Figure 4.11: Parker Status Log)

Access Levels

Parkonect offers the ability to set parameters for individual parkers that control when a parker can or cannot enter a facility, whether passback is enforced, and what areas of the garage are accessible. For additional information on access levels, please contact us.

Other Credential Options

Parkonect also offers GPS-enabled iPhone/Android passes that automatically activate when parkers enter your garage. If you decide to use these passes at your location, you can save a recovery link for every cardholder’s pass under the iPhone/Android field on the cardholder settings page. Parkers simply visit this link to re-download the pass issued to them.

In addition, we offer a variety of traditional access control methods for monthly parkers, from hard passes to keytags and fobs. All scanning-based credentials such as hard passes and key-tags use the same QR code for each individual cardholder, allowing your monthly parkers to mix and match credentials to suit their unique needs.

Parkonect automatically prevents monthly credential misuse, and the use of multiple credential formats at one location will not interfere with passback or fraud prevention.

Validations

Your Parkonect system can create four types of validations (see Figure 4.12). From the Validations menu located in the Modules field, you may see a list of all validations created for your garage and whether they are active or inactive. You can create four types of validations:

• Percent Off
• Dollars Off
• Time Off (in minutes)
• Unique Rate Sheet
  

To create a new validation, go to the Validations Module on the Garage Management page. Click “Add a New Validation”.

To edit or disable a validation, select a validation from the Validations menu. Uncheck “active” to disable a validation.

(Figure 4.12: Adding a new validation)

Validation Details

This section of the validation establishes the validation codes and descriptions which will be visible on the Garage Log and in the various validation reports throughout the Parkonect system.

• Create a prefix – please note, all validations in the Parkonect system must start with “V”. The prefix can be as simple as a few numbers or letters. For example, V24hrXYZ.
• Add a description,
• Check the “Active” box.
• “Use Parking Pass” and “API Enabled” are specialty functions in Parkonect that have their own manuals. Please ignore these or contact a Parkonect representative if you have any questions.

Promotion Type
Establish the type of validation and define the starting and end date of the validations that may be used. If Rate Sheet is selected, you will need to first create the desired rate sheet using the Rate Sheet Module. (See Page 51)

Printing increment is for internal use and generally not used

Valid Ranges
Validations consists of a prefix and a serial number. In this section, the serial number range is defined and once defined, each number in the range can only be used once. Serial numbers that are not defined yet paired with a valid prefix will be rejected by the Parkonect system.

For example, if the prefix is V24XYZ and the validation range is 001 to 010, a valid validation would be V24XYZ001. Examples of invalid validations would be V24XYZ01 or V24XYZ011.

Rates and Specials

It’s easy to change rates and add specialized rate tables on your Parkonect system. Go to Quick Links > Garage Settings > Rates. From this menu, you can:

• Test rates using the Calculator
• Add a new rate table for the Garage or for your Parkonect Online Reservation System
• Edit existing rate tables.

(Figure 5.1: Rate Sheet Summary Portal)

Parkonect only allows one rate sheet to be designated as the “default” rate table, but you may create as many rate tables as you like and schedule the use of different rate tables using the Garage Rate Calendar. (See Page 53)

All rates sheets which reference “online” are specific to functionality that is part of Parkonect’s Reservation Engine, which has its own manual. As such, all remaining rate sheet discussions herein are specific to balances that are charged using your Parkonect hardware in the garage.

Add a New Rate Sheet

To add a new rate sheet, click “New Garage Rate Sheet” as shown above in Figure 5.1.

(Figure 5.2: Editing a Rate Sheet)

The following are necessary when adding a new rate sheet

• All rate bands are measured in minutes. Each new band starts one minute after the previous band ends. For example, if the first rate band is 0 to 30 minutes, the next rate band must start at 31.
  
• Rate tables must total 1440 minutes with no gaps.
  
• When adding a new band, note that the new rate is added to the gross rate of the previous band.
  
• You may only have one default rate sheet at a time.
  
• Specials rates can be added within a rate sheet, but this can only be done after the rate sheet’s 1440 rate bands are saved. See “Edit Rate Sheets” below for further information.
  
• To save your changes, click “Save Rate Sheet”.
  

Edit or Add a Special Rate Sheet

Editing a rate sheet is very similar to adding a new rate sheet. Instead of clicking “New Garage Rate Sheet”, you click “Select” next to the existing rate sheet you wish to edit (see Figure 5.1 above).

Adding specials, like Early Bird or Evening Specials to a rate sheet is simple. While editing the rate sheet, scroll down and click the “Add New Special” box (see Figure 5.2)

The following options can be configured:

• Special Name
  
• In by Time (start/end)
  • A parker must enter the garage between these times to qualify for the special.
•  Out by Time (end only)
  • A parker must exit the garage before this time to qualify for the special.
• Out by Time (start and end)
  • By checking the “Use Out By Time Start” box, you will create a window in which the parker must exit the facility between specific times to qualify for the special.
• Out by Time (next day)
  • Check this box to configure the out-by time for the next day. For example, an evening special parker must exit by 7 AM the next day.
• Daily Limit
  • Limit the number of uses per day. If no limit is needed, please put 1000.
• Minimum Stay
  • Check this box to configure a minimum stay for the special. A parker must stay for a minimum of x minutes to qualify for the special. In by and out by times must still be specified.
•  Start Web Selling Date
  • Input the date to configure special availability.
•  End Web Selling Date
  • Input the date to configure special expiration parameters. If you do not want the special to expire, please put 2050 as the year.
• Special Rate
  
  • Input the amount the customer will be charged if they qualify for the special.
    
• Description
  • Notes and description regarding special
    When complete, make sure you click “Update Rate Sheet”.

(Figure 5.2.A Add New Special)

Garage Rate Calendar

The Parkonect hardware uses a calendar function to determine the rate sheet to be used for transactions and different rates sheets can be applied at the top of the hour and 30-minute point.

The following are the key attributes of how the rate sheet calendar function works:

• The rate sheet designated as the “default” (See Page 50) will always be used unless a specific rate sheet is applied to the Garage Rate Calendar.
• Rate sheets can be applied to the calendar on a default or exception basis.
  • Use the DEFAULT rate sheet type (see Figure 5.3 below) if you want a specific rate sheet to be used on a recurring day-of-week basis. For example, if you want a Weekend Rate Sheet to start every Friday at 5 pm, you would use the DEFAULT type.
    Use the EXCEPTION rate sheet type if you want a specific rate sheet to be used on a specific calendar date. This type of setting is generally used for events. For example, if you want an Event Rate Sheet for October 15th at 7 pm, you would use the EXCEPTION type.
    (Figure 5.3: Garage Rate Calendar)
• To set different rate tables to operate on different days of the week and post special event parking, find your location on the Garages listing and select Garage Rate Calendar from the Modules panel (see Figure 5.3 above). The rate calendar is organized by week. Default schedules a rate on the same day of the week, at the same time, every week. Exception schedules a one-time variation from the default rate table.
• You may plan rates in great detail. Each cell on the Garage Rate Calendar represents one-half hour.
  
• To post the same rate table to different days of the week, select a different day each time. You may post a rate table more than once. For example, you can set a 10 AM - 7 PM event rate on Tuesday one week and Wednesday the next week. Note that the start of a reservation determines rates, so an event rate for a 12 PM football game should be in effect a few hours before and after.
• Click the black “X” to clear a schedule block.
• You do not need to fill every cell with a rate table. Clear cells revert to the default garage rate table.
• Use the Previous Week and Next Week buttons to navigate, or click Current Week from any calendar page.

API Overage Rate Calendar
Similar to the Garage Rate Calendar, Parkonect has created a rate calendar function for calculating overage balances due on presold reservations that have parked beyond their pre-purchased time. This function is specific to presales only and works the same as the Garage Rate Calendar described above.