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Flex Permits

Flex permits allow administrators to specify variable prices for a parking lot, with the possibility of assigning a different price for every hour of the week. Its primary purpose is to provide advanced customization of permit prices, making it highly useful for dynamic pricing scenarios such as making permits more expensive during peak hours. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators.

Setup and Configuration

Flex permits are counted as a type of temporary permit, functioning similarly to standard hourly permits. Administrators manage these settings directly within the lot editor by defining time slots and applying them to a weekly grid.

Admin Side:

  1. Hover over Parking Management, hover over Lot Administration, and click Pricing & Lot Admin.

  2. Click on the lot you wish to edit and select the Flex Permits Tab.

  3. Enable the Enable flex permits checkbox to allow the use of flex permits for this lot. If disabled, users will not have the option to select flex permits, even if the grid is filled out.

  4. Click the Add New button to create a new price category.

  5. Fill in the Name (a user-friendly identifier) and Price fields, pick a Colour to represent this price, and click the Save Changes button.

  6. Click one of the selectable colours in the Options section to make it your active color (indicated by a blue outline).

  7. Click and drag your mouse across the appropriate cells in the Hourly Cell Grid to assign that specific hourly price to times in the week.

  8. Click the Update Lot button to save the cell price layouts to the database.

Time Slot Limitations: Once a time slot price category has been created by an administrator, there is currently no way to delete it. Additionally, any sections left blank (using the default option) on the hourly cell grid will automatically be set to free.

User Side: End-users do not interact with the setup or configuration of flex permits. They will simply see the available flex permit options and price ranges when booking from the portal, real-time map, or guest checkout.

Using this Feature

Once configured by an administrator, users can purchase flex permits through standard booking channels. The final price is dynamically calculated using the prices associated with each specific hour selected within the booking.

User-Side Portal Bookings

  1. Navigate to the permits page. Lots with flex permits enabled will display a preview of the flex permit price range.

  2. Select the Flex option to view the input requirements to book a permit.

  3. Enter the Date, Start Time, and Duration (up to a 12-hour limit). If a booking exceeds the bounds of the current day, the user will be required to pick a shorter duration.

  4. Select a Vehicle stored on the account, or enter a new plate as a guest vehicle.

  5. Review the calculated cost. Selecting a different day will automatically cause the flex prices box to reload with the new day's prices.

  6. Click to reserve the permit, which adds it to the user's cart for checkout.

Real-Time Map & QR Code / Guest Checkout

  • Real-Time Map: The flex permits cost range will be listed under rental costs. Clicking to book a permit will take the user directly to the guest checkout page (the same destination as scanning a physical QR code). If enabled, the user does not need to be logged in to access this page.

  • Guest Checkout: Flex permit prices for the day will be displayed to the left side of the page. Because guest checkout permits are intended for immediate bookings, the day and time will be strictly limited to the current date. Upon filling in the vehicle information and timeframe, the user can click the Make Payment button to be redirected to the payment gateway.

Best Practices and Considerations

  • Choose one pricing method: It is intended for a site to choose between hourly permits and flex permits and not use both. While clients are not technically restricted from using both at the same time, keeping them separate prevents end-user confusion.

  • Understand proration limits: Flex permits are limited to booking on the hour and do not currently support proration. This means if a user arrives during the middle of an hour, they must pay for the entire price of that hour.

  • Utilize grid management tools: Use the Clear, Fill, and Reload buttons to quickly manage the hourly cell grid. The Clear button removes all filled cells, the Fill button populates the entire grid with the currently selected colour, and the Reload button reverts the grid data to the last saved database state.

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