Software That Scales with Your Airport: Rezcomm’s Development Principles

Old technology comes with limitations. It can be rigid and unforgiving to airports that need customisation. It can be bloated and have too many features for airports that don’t need all the bells and whistles.

Tired of these limitations, Rezcomm sought to develop modern digital solutions and simplify operations to serve the needs of those it’s designed for — airports around the world.

With the Rezcomm plug-and-play airport marketplace, our primary goal is to create a system that’s swift to deploy, easily adaptable across regions, and instantly scalable. Here’s how we do just that with our product and the way we work, so airports worldwide can serve their passengers using technology that helps rather than hinders.

1. Working within the current ecosystem

Airports come in all shapes and sizes. You have the bustling global hubs that serve tens of millions of passengers a year and the regional airports with a fraction of the flight and passenger traffic. Their needs and existing resources may differ, but they’re both ready to scale without lengthy setups.

Our system works with our customers’ existing ecosystem so they can be up and running and ready to scale in no time.

How Rezcomm works within existing airport ecosystems:

• Some smaller airports don’t have in-house teams or technical capabilities. Our system is built where we can be that technical arm of the airport and help and support them without them having to invest in a lot of resources.
• Our system is also built for much larger airports that have a significant amount of technical expertise and operational expertise. They might need specific ways of doing certain things or have operational requirements that are different to what the system does out of the box. Our system is flexible and enables customisations so it can work based on the airport’s specific requirements.

2. Adopting a user-centric approach to design

Airports serve many different types of passengers — from seasoned business travellers to first-time flyers — so the software that serves them must be accessible to them all. This means building a product that works well technically and is easy for every type of passenger to understand and use. When we get this right, it leads to happier passengers and, as a result, can positively impact your sales and reputation.

That’s just the end user-facing side of software. Our product must also be technically sound and easy to use by our customers who use Rezcomm’s modules for their airport operations.

To build software that serves passengers and airport professionals, we adopt a user-centric design approach to give our customers and end-users what they need — and want.

How Rezcomm designs for airport users:

• Every Rezcomm client has a dedicated account manager who collects product feedback and communicates requirements onto the team.
• We maintain a system where clients can request updates to existing features or request new features, which are pipelined into the development schedule.
• We also provide tailored features on request, working closely with clients to develop a product that meets their specific requirements and preferences.
• Our client portal is designed to display the Rezcomm menus, product and service names, and visuals consistently from the Rezcomm website and brochures, across to the portal, knowledge base, and additional resources. This maintains continuity and familiarity for all users.

3. Designing for scalability

Scalable design is about preparedness and adaptability. It’s ensuring that as airports grow and their needs change, our product can grow with them, providing a consistently efficient and reliable service.

Imagine your system is a toolbox, and as the workload increases — say, more passengers using airport services — you have the ability to add more tools (or resources) to your box. This flexibility means that as demand grows, your system can handle it smoothly without any hiccups.

Maintaining consistent performance as the number of users increases is a key goal of scalable design. No matter how many passengers are accessing the services, or employees are using the system, the experience should remain smooth and uninterrupted. This consistency is vital for user satisfaction and helps maintain a positive reputation, and reduces staff pressures.

How Rezcomm plans for scalability:

• Rezcomm comes scalable for airports of all sizes — from smaller city traffic to massive global hubs — straight out of the box.
• We turned our ecosystem into serverless microservices that lends to a highly scalable system.
• Our critical system pathways can withstand 1000 transactions per second, meeting the current needs of every airport worldwide.
• If an airport temporarily needs to handle a higher volume of transactions per second, we can make it happen. All we ask is for a heads up on the timeline and potential target so we can monitor the load and be prepared for it.
• Our team stays prepared for how people are using technology now and how they’ll be using it in the next few months and years, so we can be ready for changes in user behaviour and technology before they even happen.
• Each of our clients’ have multiple employees using the product at any one time, so multiple logins and accessibility levels can be set up to meet any requirements needed.

4. Prioritising sustainability

Being a sustainable organisation is about making conscious, impactful choices at every level of operation. In addition to being beneficial for the environment, it sets a standard for responsible business practices and reflects a deep commitment to the well-being of our planet and future generations.

Making the right decisions in terms of which technology partners we choose to invest in and where we put our offices allows us, as an independent business, to contribute to larger environmental goals and work towards creating a more sustainable world.

How Rezcomm prioritises sustainability:

• We work with cloud partners such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Azure. This allows us to partner with companies that aim to achieve ambitious sustainability goals, including Carbon Zero, while delivering the best technology for the long term.
• Our offices are located at Exeter Science Center, the centre of innovative STEMM companies in the South West of the United Kingdom. It enables sustainable and carbon neutral office space, travel, food, and other initiatives, aligning with our wider environmental goals.

5. Harnessing the power of data

Data empowers businesses to make smarter and more strategic decisions. With good data, companies can understand customer behaviour, improve their operations, and tailor services or products to meet customer needs precisely, leading to higher satisfaction and engagement.

Collecting and analysing data enables us to understand our Client’s passengers better so we can build better products and services for airports.

How Rezcomm uses data:

• Client communications help us see the big picture and the details for everyone. Whether it’s a client support agent or the dedicated account manager, every Rezcomm employee that assists our clients knows the exact unique needs for your airport. This enables us to provide personalised customer service, keeping you at the forefront at all times.
• We perform gap analysis on where our website leads are coming from and what their primary interests are. This helps inform the product development schedule alongside customer feedback and requests.

6. Championing openness and innovation

Innovation is the heart of technological advancement. It’s about thinking creatively and always looking for ways to do things better, whether that means inventing something new or enhancing what already exists. Encouraging this kind of thinking keeps us on the cutting edge.

We invest in research and development (R&D), dedicating resources and time to explore emerging technologies and their potential applications. This proactive approach enables us to keep up with new developments, anticipate needs, and build products that meet the changing needs of our clients and passengers.

How Rezcomm champions innovation:

• Our R&D technical team has 30 members with skill sets that range from architects to database specialists to Artificial Intelligence (AI) specialists.
• Our investments in R&D enable us to swiftly bring out customised products, such as AI-based support assistance that can not only answer passenger questions around an airport’s operations but can also help users amend their booking or parking tickets.
• Our scalable solutions enable us to offer airports a risk-free assessment of the entire Rezcomm marketplace. Airports can learn firsthand how we help increase your revenue, increase your visibility, and improve customer experience, without shouldering the burden of an expensive system that may not deliver.

7. Upholding data privacy and security standards

Focusing on data privacy and security is a multifaceted process in technology development. Each element not only stands on its own but also complements the others, working together to safeguard data and maintain user trust. That’s why we have measures in place to keep it safe from unauthorised access.

We stay abreast of international data privacy laws so we can stay compliant as they evolve, keeping your data protected under the latest standards. This ongoing commitment to data security ensures that your information remains confidential and secure, reinforcing the trust you place in us.

How Rezcomm prioritises privacy and security:

• Rezcomm is fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means that we look at who has access to our customers’ data, why, who’s processing it, where and how the data is stored, how it’s transferred, and whether it’s encrypted. All these key elements are checked and implemented to ensure data at every point is as secure as we can make it for airports and passengers.
• We have appointed a Compliance and Data Protection Officer (DPO) in accordance with international data privacy laws, whose contact information is transparently shared in our privacy policy.
• We are a Payment Card Industry (PCI) level 1 certified organisation. This is the highest level of certification indicating compliance with rigorous security standards. It ensures that we maintain a secure environment for processing, storing, and transmitting credit card information.
• Our commitment to GDPR compliance extends beyond our internal data processing policies to our product. Our GDPR-compliant first-party web analytics system provides data that is similar to Google Analytics without sharing any information with third parties. It enables you to track your campaigns and sources in a privacy-friendly way. You can also connect this to our advanced analytics system, which enables fundamental end-to-end traceable tracking that helps you connect your campaigns with revenue.

8. Cultivating trustworthy relationships

Transparent communication is the foundation of trust. Keeping customers well-informed about updates, changes, or challenges ensures they’re never left in the dark. And because communication is a two-way street, we don’t just broadcast — we encourage and respond to customer feedback, actively addressing customer concerns and working together to build a better product and strengthen customer relationships.

How Rezcomm builds strong relationships with clients:

• Our ticket system is available around the clock, and response times are promised in our Service Level Agreement. We respond to any priority tickets within 10 minutes and resolve issues within one hour. This is a service we happily offer 365 days a year. We respond to non-urgent support requests within 24 to 48 hours, and resolve issues within 48 to 72 hours.
• We communicate product updates and changes through emails from our client service team, email newsletters, and on social media. Our email database is consistently monitored so that we can ensure the right contact is getting the right information without being overwhelmed by information that may not affect their operations.
• Every Rezcomm client has a dedicated account manager they can share specific feedback with.
• Our feature request system enables clients to request updates to existing features or request new features for our team to incorporate into the product. This includes a voting system, so if the request has already been submitted, the more clients who vote for it, the higher up the development schedule this will move, ensuring we are prioritising the way our clients want us to.

9. Fostering collaborative efforts

The airport industry is better when software providers and airports work together. At Rezcomm, we embrace this collaborative spirit wholeheartedly. We not only share our knowledge with the industry but also actively seek out partnerships that help our customers build better experiences for their passengers.

How Rezcomm collaborates to advance the industry:

• Our approach to collaboration is proactive and customer-focused. A prime example is our recent partnership with Helm in North America, which exemplifies how we work alongside other industry leaders to not just meet, but exceed, our customers’ expectations. Through this collaboration, we’re able to offer more comprehensive parking solutions tailored to the unique needs of airports.
• We attend various industry events worldwide, such as the SMART Airport event in July 2023 at the Edmonton Convention Center, Canada, and the IAR Online Summits in 2022 where our Chief Digital Officer Victoria Wallace was a keynote speaker. These platforms provide us with opportunities to stay updated on industry trends, network with peers, and discuss emerging challenges and solutions.
• We regularly publish articles on industry websites and journals including International Airport Review, International Parking and Mobility Institute, and Airport Parking Network. Through these channels, we publish articles that offer our insights and perspectives on the latest industry developments.
• Rezcomm is also a member of various key organisations in the industry, such as, ACI Europe and ACI North America, International Parking and Mobility Institute, and Airport Parking Network.

Scale your airport with Rezcomm

If you’re an airport looking to grow and use a system that can be scaled to meet your changing demands, you need a team with the right tools, expertise, and experience to support you. Rezcomm offers affordable and reliable solutions that help airports worldwide optimise revenue, streamline operations, and enhance the passenger experience.

Download our brochure, watch our video, or book a meeting to see how our plug-and-play marketplace can help you grow and be an airport of the future today.