This interview is part of our series “The Rise of the Chief Parking Data Officer” profiling parking industry innovators with the vision, strategy, and leadership to create connectivity within their organizations using data. Want to be featured? Send Sarah an email.

Nice and loud for the folks in the back: what do you do at SpotHero, Eli Rothman?

I am the Senior Director of Revenue Operations. I lead a 25-person team and am responsible for creating internal alignment among all revenue functions to the end goal of maximizing revenue potential for SpotHero and its partners.

25 people – zoinks! Which functions fall under your purview?

Salesforce Administration, Sales Enablement, Revenue Operations Analytics, Field Operations, Technical Supply Operations, and Internal Operations.

Could you define “revenue operations” for our readers?

Certainly. Revenue Operations, or “RevOps”, is the function that aims to drive predictable revenue for a business.

You could say that we create cross-functional alignment and serve as the connective tissue between the money-making business functions: marketing, sales, growth, enablement, customer service, field operations, and more.

I’m excited to interview you for this series because RevOps truly creates connectivity between systems and people within an organization, which is très Chief Parking Data Officer. How do you accomplish this?

Indeed. We’re super-connectors! My team creates scalable processes, extensible tools, and measurable insights that allow SpotHero’s revenue organization as a whole to move fast while maintaining our thoughtful approach to serving customers and operators.

RevOps interests me because when a company has that function, it shows that they’re thinking about their Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, etc. teams not as individual mechanisms but as one well-oiled machine for customer acquisition and retention.

Yes. That’s the approach we take at SpotHero. We’re a marketplace business that serves both customers and operators. In order to be the best partner to both, we need processes, tools, and insights that connect these two halves of the business.

We can take the data that we glean from how customers interact with SpotHero and work with operators to make data-driven optimizations to their facility experience that’ll increase customer satisfaction and retention. 

Put on your hard hat, Eli – we’re about to dig in. Tell me more about how customer data results in repeat parkers. 

Data has become an essential part of parking, full stop. A large part of the RevOps function is the management of data on the operator side to the end goal of providing the best customer experience.

It has to do with us managing all of the information required for making a purchase, for getting a parker to their destination, for redeeming their purchase, and for parking at and exiting that location – for all of the 7,500+ locations that we market to customers through our platform.

The smooth experience we provide starts online, extends to on-site, and then full-circles back online when a customer can leave a review. Those reviews contain valuable insights and data that we can relay to operators. 

All of that runs without a hitch based on the accuracy of our data.

RevOps also facilitates the collection of data internally and ensures that the revenue organization can act quickly on what that data says, right?

Yes. We create a focal point for all the revenue functions: delivering a premium customer experience that results in repeat parking.

Between RevOps providing operational support for customer service and our parking supply operations, we’re able to gather structured data from both customers and operators about their experiences with SpotHero so we can continually enhance our offering and be a better partner. 

So it’s a win-win for both parking operators and customers.

100%. Fosters customer loyalty, increases retention, and drives repeat business.

How quickly are you able to act on this data?

RevOps has a really tight analytics cycle between ensuring the accuracy of our data for internal operations and taking action. We plan, execute, measure, and re-strategize on a two-week sprint cadence, similar to a product or engineering team, which allows us to be flexible and innovative. 

I imagine that this two-week sprint approach allows you to be proactive in identifying new revenue opportunities for operators.

Exactly. It’s not enough just to solve problems; that’s table stakes. We take it further than that. Our ultimate goal is to identify opportunities based on the data and enable our operator partners to increase revenue by jumping on those opportunities.

Do you have any advice for companies who are just starting to think about using data or implementing new technologies?

As data becomes more complex and the systems we operate in become more complicated, it’s critical that people either spend the time diving in and becoming thoroughly informed on the technology options that exist for their companies, or that they find partners who they trust to have that expertise. 

One way or another, that complexity exists, and will continue to exist. You need to recognize that in order to make the best business decisions.

And that’s what makes a good partner right now in parking, when so many new technologies are entering the market so quickly.

SpotHero is a great partner for operators precisely because we have that expertise. And we’re also a great company for consumers because we’re continually improving the customer experience in ways that aren’t arbitrary but rather based on measuring how they interact with us and what they value.

Everyone should add you on LinkedIn!

I would love that. Here’s my profile.

(Interviewer’s note: Eli is hiring right now! I can say from firsthand experience that he’s an incredible person to work with, so send him a LinkedIn message if you’re interested.)

Last question. It’s a toughie. What’s in your perfect picnic basket?

Cabernet, aged manchego, and fresh fruit. What’s in yours?

Plain Lays potato chips and french onion dip. Pierogi with all the trimmings. Sour Patch Kids. Large Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee, cream and sugar.

And an enormous bottle of Tums?

Thanks for playing, Eli.