08 Jan LAZ Parking + TeraNova’s Mobility Solutions = Success

Having tripled in size over the past few years, LAZ Parking is one of the largest and fastest growing parking companies in the country. As a market leader with over 10,000 employees managing hundreds of thousands of parking spaces in thousands of locations nationwide, the company leverages all manner of technology including 2,500 wireless devices – phones, tablets, point-of-sale systems, and SIM cards in kiosks and parking meters – operating on four different carrier networks. 

Challenge

Overseeing all of those devices and mobile plans with the four major carriers is no small task. When LAZ Parking Vice President of Information Technology Tony Mele joined the company in 2011, he inherited an exclusive contract with one of the major carriers that included about 1,000 devices. Mele notes that the contract, which had discounts and other incentives, was smart at the time because all of the carriers were still finding their way with respect to corporate plans.

However, when the contract approached expiration the carrier was unwilling to negotiate on overages—a recurring problem for LAZ—and other items so his team decided to bring in a telco consultant to explore options. That led to an arrangement with a third-party mobility TEM provider that touted optimization but didn’t deliver real optimization, according to Mele. 

“A lot of wireless TEM providers say they optimize but all they do is consolidate,” he says. “We needed a provider that supported the whole process and really focused on expense management.”

Solution

Mele and his team searched but had difficulty finding a company they were confident could support LAZ’s mobility program and provide a high level of service. That’s when TeraNova entered the picture through a referral.

“We flew out to visit their office and we were really impressed,” explains Mele. “Their TEM team and optimization processes were solid and they were capable of handling our data-only base stations, which others weren’t. We contracted with TeraNova and as soon as we started using them we were getting confirmation from the field that we made the right decision. Now that we’ve worked with Natasha and her team for several years, I can say it’s one of the best third-party vendor relationships we’ve ever had.”    

Results

In its original audit, experts at TeraNova helped Mele’s team revamp the company’s carrier strategy, streamline wireless plans and consolidate accounts to dramatically reduce mobile expenses. Since then, they have worked closely with LAZ’s TEM manager and what management calls “wireless champions” in 18 different regions of the country to enhance the end-user experience with same-day processing and next-day delivery for replacement devices, control inventory and provide intensive monthly optimization that results in further savings, according to Mele. 

“Natasha also keeps pace with wireless technology trends and is very involved with industry groups and associations so she is always bringing new things to the table when it comes to mobile device management, security practices and so forth,” he says. “Natasha and her team at TeraNova are great medicine for mobility ailments. They help us better serve our customers, and that’s what it’s all about.”

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