If you are planning on buying or renting a new office, there are several things that you need to consider to make the best choice. Two of them are the availability of parking spaces and the type of car park that you, your employees and clients can use. Offices in bustling city centres usually have indoor garages, while buildings situated in the suburbs are more likely to offer outdoor car parks. Which of these two solutions is better from the employer’s point of view?
Advantages of outdoor car parks
When it comes to the benefits of outdoor car parks, one of the most important is the possibility to access the building easily. You and your employees can leave cars in the parking lot and quickly enter the office, usually without the need to use the lift, stairs, etc. Another advantage is that in many large offices the car park is visible from the office windows so that staff can always watch their cars and react when necessary, e.g. when a car alarm goes off or when they hear suspicious noises. What is more, rental fees for outdoor car parks are often lower compared to the underground garages as, in general, this kind of space needs less daily maintenance than indoor car parks.
Advantages of indoor car parks
However, indoor car parks also offer benefits, and there are plenty of them. Firstly, leaving a car in an indoor parking lot protects cars against bad weather. As cars are parked under a roof, they are not exposed to UV radiation, heavy wind, rain and snow. Moreover, access to the parking area is often restricted to car owners. An indoor car park is usually the only solution for buildings located in city centres as they don’t take up additional space. Finally, indoor car parks are easier to equip with new technologies such as CCTV cameras, fire detectors or free parking space indicators.
Which car park type is better?
Both indoor and outdoor car parks have their pros and cons. If your company has lots of frequent visitors who visit your site, it may be easier for them to use an outdoor parking area as it provides better access. Indoor car parks, especially underground garages, can be daunting as they connote with paid access. What is more, many office buildings only have a restricted number of parking spaces per office, which may be insufficient at times when you have many clients visiting your company.
How to effectively manage company parking areas?
No matter what type of parking lot your company has, effective parking management is necessary to make the best of it. Not finding a free parking space early in the morning, right before the office opens, can be really frustrating for your employees. The same concerns clients who want to use your services but cannot leave their cars and are forced to park miles away from the office.
Luckily, our innovative technology for parking space management, the Parkalot app, is here to help you manage your car park. The app lets your employees book parking spaces in accordance with their work schedule. The system also allows parking spaces that can’t be booked to be indicated – these can be reserved for your clients and business partners. The system guarantees maximum occupancy of your parking area and combines efficiency, high affordability and, most importantly, a frustration-free parking experience. Click here to learn more about how our software solves common parking issues in companies. Schedule a free pilot session to discover the features of the system.
If you’d like to introduce Parkalot – our car park management app – in your company, please contact us at contact-us@parkalot.io or book an onboarding call.Start using Parkalot in an hour. Allow your colleagues to commute by car, and park on the parking spaces assigned to those who are working from home.