Can you give us some insight into your role as Head of Data at YourParkingSpace?
I manage a wonderful team of Data Analysts and Scientists. We provide daily data support to various departments within YourParkingSpace such as Customer Service, Sales, Account Management, and many more; empowering them to make informed, data-driven decisions. Enabling access and democratising data stands as a fundamental pillar in our data team's approach.
YourParkingSpace is a unique business in terms of data. We receive various types of data as the company practically operates with three business models: As a Marketplace, an Operator and a Solution Provider. Therefore, the amount of data we are handling from all the different sources varies a lot and requires a diverse set of skills.
Can you tell us more about this and the process behind building the Data Analytics Dashboard?
The business very early recognised the need of our clients to have access to their data and The business very early recognised the need of our clients to have access to their data and be able to make quick data-driven decisions. We had discovery sessions with our clients to identify the most valuable metrics for them and what questions they wanted to answer with data.
We offer a comprehensive portal enabling our clients to access real-time data, providing a detailed overview of their car parks. Our portal serves over a hundred commercial clients, granting access to data from thousands of car parks spanning across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Above all, the portal embraces the very essence of our data strategy – automation and data democratisation, where every person within the YourParkingSpace ecosystem can make data-driven decisions.
It is important to mention that the data work at YourParkingSpace is a result of an amazing team which works closely. None of this would be possible without a highly skilled robust data team which consists of amazing and talented professionals for whom I am grateful.
What does the Analytics Dashboard consist of and what does it offer to our clients?
The portal provides live data for several metrics including but not limited to, occupancy and utilisation rate, daily – weekly – monthly revenue and bookings, duration of bookings, repeat visitors and types of vehicles. The portal combines data from the marketplace, the ANPR cameras, kiosks, QR codes and validation tablets.
How does the Analytics Dashboard make YourParkingSpace stand out from other parking providers?
The portal has been built, taking into consideration the needs of long-standing big names in the parking industry who wanted to get access to data and leverage the power of data-driven decision-making.
The competitive advantage of our portal is that it was created with the guidance of those with many years of experience in the parking industry and it’s specially made to tackle long-standing problems within the industry such as overstaying parking, automated PCNs, efficient utilisation of the spaces and more. We combined the empirical evidence of the people in the industry with statistical insights built upon data.
The portal combines a modern design with an in-depth analysis it is also highly customisable. It can be accessed from everywhere and at any given point.
Finally, are there any exciting plans for the Data team this year?
Automation will continue to play a significant role within the team, and this is where we will focus our efforts. The latest developments in AI have also opened exciting new opportunities that we are keen to explore.