Do Your Homework: The Value of Knowing Your Vendors

Today more than ever, organizations have access to a wealth of information not previously available or accessible in the public realm. Social media, for example, has opened windows into the world of nearly every organization that’s made a commitment to telling their story and interacting with their communities, clients, and customers. You can generate a great deal of knowledge about any company through all forms of media (social and otherwise). Other ways to identify how a business does its work include:

• Researching Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings
• Networking with other organizations
• Participating in industry associations and events
• Asking for (and follow up with) references
• Visiting 3^rd party review sites
• Determining if they offer and evaluating free trials
• Evaluating ongoing support options

Organizations looking to make the right decision on what vendors to select for a certain product or service can learn a lot about their potential candidates with even the slightest amount of homework while reviewing a variety of platforms. This information can be extremely valuable when it comes to understanding the organization’s goals, how they do business, where their priorities lie, how they treat their employees (often indicative of how they treat their clients), and more.

The parking industry has grown significantly in recent years when it comes to the sheer number of vendors and service providers available to support municipal, university, and private-sector parking programs and locations. From established technologies that have been the primary customer-facing transaction platforms for many years, to new solutions and contactless platforms that enable you to transform how you do business. There are many parking, transportation, and mobility solution vendors in our space today.

You now have an endless amount of information and resources available to help you make decisions on which technologies and vendors to select, and which solutions best fit your organization or parking program. Lining up your operation’s needs, goals, and values with the vendors you are interested in retaining is an important first step to establishing a transparent and long-term relationship for owners, operators, vendors, and customers alike.