KeyTrak Develops Key Control System for Valet Parking
6 January 1999
KeyTrak Develops Key Control System for Valet Parking
ATLANTA--Jan. 5, 1999--Company targets parking facilities and valet companies with
system that tracks keys and vehicles
KeyTrak, Inc. (www.keytrak.com), announced today that they had developed a new key control system designed specifically for valet parking.
The new system, called simply KeyTrak VP, can be used by parking lots, parking garages, and other valet parking facilities to track vehicle keys as well as the vehicles themselves. KeyTrak VP consists of a PC, proprietary Windows-based software, semiconductor button technology, a printer, key tags, and a steel drawer that protects keys from unauthorized use.
"Today, more than 2500 automotive dealerships are using KeyTrak systems to track their vehicles, so creating a Valet Parking system is a natural extension of our current product line," explained Mark Queen, KeyTrak's president and founder.
"Quick and easy to use, the new KeyTrak VP systems takes only seconds for an attendant to operate. He uses a keyfob with a semiconductor button, opens the locked key drawer, and inserts or removes a vehicle key," explained Queen. "The system secures and controls the key."
While key control is the primary purpose for the KeyTrak VP, the system also serves as a management tool, providing shift audit reports, damage logs, check-in/check-out reports, and reports for hotel billing or accounting.
"Data is captured every time the drawer is opened or closed, so the attendant and management know not just who has a key, but when it was taken and where the vehicle is located." Even though the KeyTrak system is capturing a lot of information, said Queen, the process of retrieving a key is almost instantaneous.
Besides key tracking software, KeyTrak VP comes with a time clock, vehicle damage recording software and detailed reporting capability. The time clock helps management keep up with employees and their hours worked. The vehicle damage software, based on a detailed vehicle diagram, lets attendants pinpoint damage that they see as they check-in a vehicle at a lot.
"This feature," said Queen, "definitely is a benefit should a customer feel his car was damaged while in the care of the valet company. Using a KeyTrak check-in report, the valet company has proof that the damage was visible at the time the car was originally parked by an attendant."
The vehicle damage software also helps management track any damage that may occur at the parking facility. The KeyTrak system shows damage by pinpointing the parking location and reporting which attendants parked or removed the vehicle.
KeyTrak VP also has a "blocking" program that identifies other vehicles that may be blocking a customer's car. "So, when an attendant retrieves the keys for the customer's car, he can also obtain keys for cars blocking that car in," Queen said.
Another benefit of the system is the on-screen reporting that quickly identifies the number of spaces available, the number of spaces used and the per cent of occupancy. This and other detailed information, such as the number of cars parked hourly and daily, are also available through KeyTrak VP reports.
Users can add information on the fly or use a drop down list to record types of cars-- makes, models, colors, etc.-- when cars are checked-in. "Having such detailed vehicle information will definitely cut down on the amount of time a customer has to wait on getting his car," Queen said. "Plus, since the system records the time a key is removed, management can quickly determine how long the customer wait actually is as well as gauge the performance of the attendants."
For valet companies with more than one location, KeyTrak VP can help management standardize operations from lot to lot, said Queen, as well as serve as a definite advantage when a company competes for additional parking contacts.
KeyTrak, Inc., the leader in key control in the automotive industry, is also the premier computerized key system provider for the housing industry and for government facilities. KeyTrak systems control over 2 million keys each day at almost 4,000 systems installed worldwide.
The company's customer list reads like a "who's who" of security-minded customers. Customers include the U.S. House of Representatives, Federal Reserve, the Empire State Building, Post Properties, Trammell Crow, Lincoln Properties, Andrews Air Force Base, Fort Meade, Hendricks Automotive Group, Federal Express, Bank Boston, the Prudential Center, Yale University, the USAF Academy, Grand Casinos, Columbia University, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and more.
KeyTrak, with almost 100 employees and distributors, has offices in Atlanta, Orlando and Tampa, Fl.
