By Lisa Copeland, PTMP:
In every parking operation, there is a subtle but essential choreography unfolding each day—the work of customer service representatives. These professionals perform a delicate dance between policy and empathy, structure and flexibility, enforcement and understanding.
Parking, by nature, can create tension. It touches something personal: people’s time, mobility, and, importantly, their wallets. Paying for permits or receiving citations often places customers in a defensive posture before a conversation even begins. In that moment, the customer service representative becomes the human face of the organization—stepping into interactions that are rarely neutral and often emotionally charged.
Yet within these exchanges lies immense value.
A skilled representative transforms friction into connection. They listen actively, acknowledge frustration, and guide customers through policies with clarity and fairness. Each interaction becomes an opportunity—to build trust, to reinforce transparency, and to demonstrate that the organization values not just compliance, but community.
This “dance” requires balance. Too rigid, and the organization feels unapproachable. Too lenient, and consistency is lost. The art is in navigating both, maintaining integrity while meeting customers where they are.
For parking organizations, these moments are not transactional – they are reputational. Every conversation shapes public perception, influences future behavior, and strengthens—or weakens—the relationship between the institution and its community.
Ultimately, customer service representatives do more than answer questions or explain fines. They humanize the system. And in an industry often associated with penalties, they are the ones who make understanding—and even respect—possible.
Lisa Copeland, PTMP, is an Associate Director for Data & Administration at Old Dominion University. Lisa can be reached at lcopelan@odu.edu.
Forum Question: How can organizations ensure fairness while addressing unique customer situations?