About us - Peter from the IT/Marketing department
In this section, one of the two IT and marketing employees, Peter Conrad, introduces himself and gives a brief insight into his career, his work at McParking and a few personal details.
Peter, why don't you briefly introduce yourself? What did you do before you started working at McParking?
I'm 38 years old, married and have a patchwork family with 3 children. I was born and grew up in Berlin, so I'm a true Berliner.
Before I came to McParking, I worked for several years in the chauffeur service / event driving service. During this time, I often drove to film premieres, state visits and major events, as well as for private individuals. That was a very exciting time for me because I drove well-known personalities such as Bill Clinton and Bruce Willis.
How did you get from the chauffeur service to McParking?
I started at McParking as a mini-jobber and at some point our owner asked me if I would like to work full-time at McParking. It was a good fit at the time because the McParking concept appealed to me and there was a great working atmosphere.
You started as a shuttle driver and are now doing IT/marketing, how did that come about?
When I was working as a shuttle driver and at reception, I was always very attentive and took a close look at our processes, including the things that weren't going so well. I then put forward my ideas and made suggestions as to how certain processes could be improved. Some of these ideas worked very well. Over time, I became more and more involved in our back office and was eventually able to implement my ideas myself. I've always had an affinity for computers and a creative streak, which I can now live out.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
My working days are very varied, and I like that too. In IT, I'm primarily responsible for the website, our self-developed car park software, online marketing and the technology on site. So if something doesn't work, I'm there to take care of it.
In my day-to-day work, I drive the further development of our website and our car park software. I am always in dialogue with our employees and develop new functions to make everyday work easier for my colleagues. As soon as these are finalised in our test environment, I put them through their paces before they are transferred to our live system.
Customer contact is also part of my day-to-day work. I take bookings and answer customer enquiries and reviews. Being so close to our customers, I quickly realise where there are still problems and where there is still a need for action. Making the booking process as simple and efficient as possible for our customers also plays a very important role for me.
In online marketing, I take care of our Google campaign, co-operations with agency partners, our pricing, discount campaigns and much more.
Marketing & IT - that sounds like a very atypical combination. Why is it important to share responsibility for both topics?
I think this is no longer atypical in this day and age. The fact that most bookings are made online via the website means that these two topics are closely linked. In order to find out which marketing channel was used to make a booking, for example, a functioning tracking system is required. At this point, you can already see that they are interlinked. On the one hand, you need a good advert (marketing) so that customers visit the website and, on the other hand, a functioning IT system so that the booking can be made.
What are the biggest challenges in your work at the moment?
I'm currently working a lot on advertising on Google. This is by far our biggest advertising channel, so there is a lot of work in this area.
Another big issue is the functionality of our barrier system. It is crucial that our customers can drive into our car parks without long delays. To achieve this, it is important that the barrier system "recognises" the customer and knows that they are allowed to drive into the car park at the booked time, for example.
Everyone has probably experienced a computer malfunction at some point. But what has been the biggest glitch you've experienced in IT so far and how did you fix it?
There have been a few mishaps that I have experienced, but I can still remember one in particular. A few years ago, we had joined forces with another car park provider at Tegel Airport and had to transfer the bookings from another system to our system. There was an error and all the bookings that were transferred had received a booking confirmation with an arrival date of 1970. This naturally led to great confusion among customers. I sat in the office late into the night with my colleagues, the phone was ringing off the hook and we received numerous enquiries from customers. The problem was finally found and resolved and all customers were able to start their journey without any problems.
What has been your greatest sense of achievement in your time at McParking so far and why?
I've had many great successes at McParking, but the biggest for me was the opening of our car park two years ago, because I'd never done it before and had no experience in this area.
During the planning, I was responsible for the entire network technology, cameras, integration of the barrier system and e-mobility. It was completely new territory for me and a huge challenge. Towards the end, we were under a lot of time pressure to get everything ready on time. In the end, apart from a few minor details, everything worked and we were able to start on schedule.
In addition to the QR code scanners, we have now retrofitted a licence plate recognition system and this has been really well received by our customers. Customers are always happy when the barrier opens automatically without having to search for the booking confirmation.
The IT sector is in high demand, what characterises McParking as an employer?
I can contribute and implement many ideas at McParking and we are a cool team within the company. When you have been part of the development for so many years and have put your heart and soul into it, you also feel very connected to the company. Our managing director treats us as equals and always supports us when we need help. Decision-making processes are short and changes are implemented quickly where possible.
You started at McParking at Berlin-Tegel Airport. Do you sometimes miss the location and the airport?
When I think back to that time, I honestly sometimes wonder how we managed it all back then. The location was great back then and I personally thought the infrastructure at Berlin Tegel Airport was also very good. The walking distances there were much shorter than at other airports and you were quickly in the terminal. However, the shuttle with the small buses was always a big challenge in the peak season and meant a lot of stress for the employees.
I am glad that we no longer have this stress and that our customers can rely on a reliable transfer every 20 minutes with our large shuttle buses.
The processes have also changed a lot since then and are now much simpler and more efficient thanks to the technology.
Life goes on outside McParking too. What do you do to switch off?
My favourite thing to do in my free time is spend time with my family. We spend as much time as possible with our little daughter. I also like to go to the sauna and enjoy the peace and quiet. In Berlin, there are some great places for this, such as Vabali near Berlin Central Station. It's a large wellness centre in Balinese style. If you spend a day there, it feels like you're on holiday and you can really unwind. I can also switch off well by doing sport.
And finally, the important question: where will you be spending your next holiday?
I'm planning a flight to Greece this year - from BER, of course. I prefer beach holidays and like lying on the beach in the sun. If the holiday destination also has a beautiful underwater world that invites you to go snorkelling, then the holiday is perfect for me.