JustPark: Revolutionizing Parking with SMS Notifications

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries

Applicable Industries

Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Smart Parking

Services

System Integration

The Challenge

JustPark, the world's largest online parking marketplace, was facing a significant challenge in connecting drivers with parking space owners quickly and efficiently. The company initially used an enquiry model to facilitate this connection, but this process was slow and relied heavily on owners being online and checking their inbox regularly. The company tried using a leading SMS provider to speed up communications, but found that the service lacked essential features such as debugging software and reporting tools. The company was in need of a more developer-friendly integration, with full international coverage, excellent customer service, and a robust developer community.

About The Customer

Founded in 2006, JustPark is the world's largest online parking marketplace, headquartered in London, UK. The company was born out of founder Anthony Eskinazi's frustration at not being able to find a parking spot when heading to a San Francisco Giants game. JustPark allows people to list their own parking spaces, from driveways to church grounds, for others to book. The service has over 600,000 users and more than 100,000 listed spaces across the UK and beyond. Originally known as Parkatmyhouse.com, the company rebranded to shift the focus from the space owners to the drivers, reflecting their vision to help people find elusive parking spaces.

The Solution

JustPark turned to Twilio to power their text message services, which allowed them to send SMS notifications to parking space owners as soon as they received a parking enquiry. The integration process was straightforward and quick, taking only about an hour and a half. This solution significantly sped up the enquiry process, reducing the response time from an average of 10 hours to around two hours. Following the successful integration with Twilio, JustPark switched to an instant booking model, where people could select and pay for a parking spot online. The owner would then receive a text message notifying them that their space was booked, and the driver would receive a text confirmation acting as a receipt.

Operational Impact

The integration of Twilio's SMS services into JustPark's operations has not only improved the speed and efficiency of communication between drivers and parking space owners, but it has also allowed the company to shift to a mobile-first approach. This shift has led to the development of the JustPark app and innovative projects such as the world's first in-car app that lets drivers pay for their parking directly from the dashboard, in partnership with BMW MINI. The move to mobile is part of JustPark's strategy to accelerate the booking process and make the JustPark brand synonymous with parking, much like Amazon is with online shopping and Google is with internet search.

Quantitative Benefit