Package Drop-Off & Pick-Up Lockers
Universities, schools, and educational institutions see a lot of student foot traffic every day. These students have different requirements for storage, and it is the university’s responsibility or the school to provide them with what’s necessary.
Storage in educational institutions isn’t only about books; receiving mails and packages is a daily affair for students. With the growing usage of eCommerce and parcel services, students can order electronic devices, phone cases, printer ink, and other items online and pick them up from their university PO boxes.
The Need for Smart PO Boxes
A student receiving packages at their place of study is not a new thing. Family members and businesses prefer sending items via post to save time and money.
The growing number of packages has reached a point where traditional storage methods are no longer sufficient. In a traditional setup, much of the university mailroom space gets occupied by individual mailboxes assigned to each student. When packages arrive, a mailroom manager would manually print out a sheet consisting of names of all the students, who the packages are going to or coming from, and the dates these packages came in. With a surge in packages, this conventional process becomes tedious and inefficient.
That is where intelligent package lockers like smart PO box lockers come in! These self-service package lockers turn notifications digital and enable students to pick up their packages at mail centers that offer 24/7 access.
How Does a Smart PO Box Locker Work?
Smart PO Box lockers are like smart storage lockers. Once an order is placed for school delivery, Smart PO lockers will automatically reserve a spot so that no other package can occupy the available space. Once the package is placed in the locker, the locker sends a notification to recipients stating that their package has arrived, along with the passcode to access the storage box.
Students can then access the storage box to retrieve their package. Once the inventory has been cleared, the locker will notify the central software that it is empty and ready to accept new packages.
Features of Smart PO boxes
So, why are smart package lockers a better choice over traditional storage? Let’s find out.
Modularity: Smart PO boxes come in different sizes ranging from extra small, small, and medium to large, making them ideal for a university campus requiring varied storage needs. It is possible to configure these smart PO boxes that you can mix and match. With careful planning, you can create a comprehensive solution that can easily manage the different-sized packages and mail without occupying larger floor space while enabling the staff to store and retrieve items quickly and accurately.
Efficient Management: The PO box is smart enough to understand when it gets a new package and when the package is picked up. This eliminates the need to manually check the PO boxes to see which ones are free and need to sift through logbooks. This capability enables schools to manage packages efficiently. The reduced downtime between retrieving packages eliminates the need for students to wait longer for their packages.
Convenience for Students: For students, Smart PO boxes mean not having to wait at the university mailroom to get their package. Since students receive a notification with passcode details, they can immediately access their package once it arrives.
Auditing: A university must keep a record of all the packages coming into the campus for safety reasons. In the traditional way of storage, this track and trace process happens through logbooks. However, it is neither a permanent nor a sustainable solution. The system will gradually start showing its cracks with scale. With smart PO boxes, the logging information is automatic and can be traced easily.
Implementing Intelligent Package Lockers in Universities: What to Expect?
Intelligent package lockers have many benefits for universities. Here are some of the most important ways they can help:
A Better Solution for Students
With a traditional solution, the university must notify students about their package once the university receives it. The mailroom, then, requires sorting through hundreds of packages to find out the one belonging to a specific student. Once they identify the correct one, it is handed over to the student, and the student makes an entry in the logbook confirming that he/she has received the package.
Traditional PO boxes take time away from students’ study time. The more students a university has, the more time staff will spend sorting and processing packages.
Smart PO boxes remove the middle man and let students self-service their packages. Here are some of the ways students can access a locker:
- Swiping their ID card
- Entering the PIN provided through email notification
- Using a pin code accessible through a downloadable mobile phone app
- Scanning a QR code
- Using a Bluetooth remote unlock feature available within the mobile app
Reroute Staff for Other Tasks of Importance
The traditional mail storage system requires staff to remain present in the mailroom during working hours to hand out packages to students. The staff must ensure that students receive their designated package. With an automated system like smart PO boxes, there is no longer a need to keep the staff occupied; instead, they can perform other high-value tasks.
Save Precious Floor Area
Smart lockers for packages can be stacked on top of each other, creating shelves that can scale vertically and horizontally. In addition to this, these boxes are made with different size standards. When planning the storage, you can combine these different sizes of shelves to create a comprehensive storage solution with different storage spaces for small and large objects.
Remove Time Constraints
Besides students spending time at mailrooms, they face an additional challenge of time constraints when dealing with traditional mail storage systems. For instance, the university functions within a defined set of working hours. Students must adhere to these timings when looking to access their package. Beyond these hours, students will have to wait until the next day.
However, an automated electronic system doesn’t have such limitations. Students can get their mail outside of the university mailroom time. They won’t require rushing from their classes or feel disappointed if they cannot reach the mailroom on time.
Improving Current Mailroom Setup
A mailroom is necessary within the university campus. The room allows the university to receive and store mail and packages regarding academics and infrastructure that require a secure space for safekeeping. With intelligent package lockers, it is possible to improve the existing mailroom setup and maximize the available storage area. Instead of replacing traditional mailrooms, these lockers improve pick-up and drop-off efficiency.
There are several ways you can implement these package storage lockers within an existing mailroom to enhance efficiency. Let’s explore some of the popular mailroom storage options/upgrades.
Bulk Sorting Shelving
As the name implies, this type of storage is useful in sorting bulk materials sent to the university. The advantage of bulk sorting shelving is that it makes the process of sorting bulk materials efficient and offers a space for storing them.
Some of the key characteristics of bulk sorting shelving are:
- 4-tier storages available
- It comes with an option of angled or level bin storage
- Customizable shelves with either a workspace on top or open storage beneath the shelves
Mailroom Casework
A university has to deal with a ton of paperwork, and most of these processes will require future audits or verification. As a result, it is vital to categorize and sort these mails with special consideration. Modular casework and mailroom furniture sorters are designed to change and adjust so that universities can operate efficiently and responsibly.
Mailroom Furniture Kits
The mailroom furniture kits combine a base cabinet with a table-top sorter. In addition to sorting and storage features, mailroom furniture kits are also modular. You can customize furniture kits to suit your specific storage demands.
Characteristics of mailroom furniture kits are:
- Easy to read label holders
- Shelves that can adjust in one-inch increments
- Slide-out shelving for more comfortable access
- Transparent shelving to increase visibility
Stand-Alone Sorters
Storage and sorters don’t have to take up an entire wall for themselves. Stand-alone sorters are a great example. You can install these sorters without occupying more space and get all the benefits of easy sorting. Characteristics of stand-alone sorters are:
- Bottom storage with or without sliding doors
- Cabinets with slots for outgoing mail
- Available in a variety of wide variety of depths, heights, and widths
- Roll-down or hinged shutter doors
- Slide-out reference shelving
Table-Top Sorters
Table-top sorters can be installed on top of existing counters or desks. You can customize these sorters with single-entry, dual-entry, or pass-through options.
Key characteristics of table-top sorters are:
- Double-sided access
- Durable in-laminate finish
- Heavy-duty steel construction
- Multiple open and closed cabinet configurations
- Wide variety of color options
Find the Right Storage Solution for Your University with Southwest Solutions Group®
Southwest Solutions Group® provides customizable university PO boxes, mailroom storage, and sorting solutions that help meet your unique storage demands efficiently. Not sure which storage system best meets your storage requirements and budget? Talk to one of our design representatives and get comprehensive guidance right from design, selection, and installation. Give us a call on 1-866-447-3848 or send us a message today.
