Commuters, shoppers and visitors in Grand Rapids, Michigan, now have a better, faster way of paying for public parking, now that the city is using ParkMobile’s “cashless” parking solution.

 

This innovative service -- powered by VoltDelta’s CrytsalWAVE speech recognition technology -- lets drivers use their cell phone and credit card to pay for public parking, as opposed to other options, such as using a kiosk or digging around for change to put in a parking meter.

Once someone enters their credit card information into the system, using voice commands, they never have to enter it again – thus it is a secure and convenient way to pay for public parking. Callers initially register for “pay by phone” by calling ParkMobile’s toll free number and speaking their license plate number and credit card information. Once registered, callers simply dial-in to indicate the zone they are parking in.

According to a press release, the system immediately identifies the caller from their cell phone number. Motorists can also receive text message alerts on their cell phones informing them that the allotted time they purchased is about to expire. This way, motorists don’t have to run back to the parking lot and put more money in the meter – they can simply purchase more time using their cell phone.

 

The service, which is already big in Europe, reportedly covers all parking modes such as digital permits, cashless on- and off-street parking, electronic enforcement and also offers seamless integration with congestion charging.

 

Not only does this system make it simpler and faster for people to use public parking, it also helps the city lower operating costs by reducing the need for parking enforcement and eliminating the need for meter collections. Because the motorist’s information is already in the system, the city can automatically enforce parking “overtime” without having to physically ticket vehicles.

 

“VoltDelta (News - Alert) assists ParkMobile in delivering outstanding customer care for mobile callers in part by overcoming one of the most challenging issues in voice recognition; successfully recognizing the unconstrained string of letters and digits found on license plates,” said Albert Bogaard, CEO of ParkMobile North America, Inc., in the release. “We are pleased to be able to take advantage of VoltDelta’s innovative technology and voice user interface experience as we expand our services in North America and throughout the world.”

 

VoltDelta’s advanced on-demand IVR technology currently handles more than 2.4 billion calls and 2 billion SMS messages per year. Because the software is delivered via the Internet, or dedicated network, using the software-as-a-service model that means the city doesn’t have to invest in expensive new hardware or network infrastructure. What’s more, VoltDelta -- a leading provider of on-demand call center solutions -- takes on responsibility for performance and troubleshooting of the system.

 

“ParkMobile is an excellent example of how innovative voice self-service delivered in an OnDemand model can positively impact an everyday task such as parking while at the same time benefitting local government,” said Terry Saeger, SVP and GM of VoltDelta OnDemand. “VoltDelta is looking forward to continuing to work with ParkMobile by providing the telephony scale and reliability for a growing population of callers along with remarkable voice recognition resources to enhance the ParkMobile experience.”

This is reportedly one of ParkMobile’s first deployments in the U.S. According to the release, other municipalities in the U.S. will be deploying the ParkMobile service in the months to come as well.