How Smart Parcel Lockers Boost Student Safety

With hybrid learning models, mask requirements, and social distancing, the overarching theme for colleges and universities this academic year is student safety. Facility managers like you are learning to navigate “Campus 2.0”, keeping staff and students safe while also delivering peace-of-mind for parents. One option that tackles all of these concerns is smart school student lockers.
Here’s a quick snapshot of how smart parcel lockers elevate safety during COVID without compromising productivity or convenience.

Pre-COVID	Post-COVID	Post-COVID with Parcel Pending Smart Lockers
Carriers deliver to a central receiving area; your employees then sort mail for distribution to satellite mail services centers/offices	Parcels pile up awaiting employee sorting/delivery due to reduction of in-person staffing	Employees distribute parcels to lockers, boosting productivity by 30%!
Students in the dark about when/if they’ve received a parcel; checking in with mail services employees derails productivity	Students receive parcel notices; severely limited pick-up hours	Students receive text/email/app alerts that a parcel is waiting
Students retrieve parcels with in-person interaction	Students retrieve parcels cautiously with human interaction and safety protocols	Students retrieve parcels safely without human interaction; unique barcode or access code opens lockers
Parcels delivered to final destination mail center; students must pick-up during designated times	Students line up and social distance to pick up parcels from mail services center	Students retrieve parcels as convenient (24/7) within 10 seconds without even touching keyboard
Mail services staff manually monitor which parcels have been retrieved and are “stale”	Mail services staff squeeze in package admin tasks as time allows; significant delays caused by reduction in staffing	System automatically notifies students that parcel remains unretrieved

 

Old School vs New School of Smart Locker Parcel Retrieval

If you still have students signing for packages, waiting in line for parcel retrieval, checking in with the mail room, or tracking packages, you’re perpetuating the old school of parcel management. Why not leverage the power of technology to automate virtually every mail room task?  Embracing smart locker technology reduces possible exposure of COVID– 19 to both students and staff while also increasing productivity. A smart student locker is a secure storage locker option for packages with a digital lock and a stainless steel design that will work perfectly.

The Demand for Student Safety is Real

The fear of COVID is founded in facts. Despite rampant reports of school parties, college students remain influenced by the pandemic. In fact, 26% of college students have swapped their choice of colleges this year because of the high threat of getting the disease¹. And 62% of all parents are anxious about sending their kids back to college because of the pandemic².

The Surge in Package Deliveries

Although Parcel Pending by Quadient’s smart locker solutions are carrier agnostic, statistics paint the picture of the parcel pile-up hitting colleges across the country. The United States Postal Service witnessed a 60-80% uptick in package delivery in May vs. a year ago³. Couple that statistics with this one: 62% of Americans are making purchases weekly and you can see the mounting problem.

Easy, Fast, and Safe Parcel Delivering Without Human Interaction

The beauty of the Parcel Pending by Quadient ecosystem is that packages are placed in secure lockers without face-to-face interaction by your employees. Students are automatically alerted that they have a parcel. Our smart parcel locker system then sends recipients a unique access code and/or a barcode to their smartphone, allowing for easy and safe package pickup without ever touching a keypad. In fact, it typically takes less than 10 seconds to retrieve a parcel with no signature required!
Smart locker technology not only promotes social distancing but prevents any human interaction. And, allowing students to pick up 24/7 (depending upon your facilities) spreads out pickups affording even better adhesion to safety guidelines.

College Smart Lockers: Where Safety Meets Productivity

Imagine saying goodbye to the headaches of package delivery, notification, and retrieval and hello to a reduction in staffing resources by about 30%. Our smart locker systems track each delivery and pickup, providing you with a full chain of custody and visibility for each package. Since Parcel Pending by Quadient’s locker system integrates effortlessly with its own Web Tracking System (WTS) or existing university mail tracking systems, you have complete visibility into where your packages are at all times.

Custom Configurations to Meet Your Business Needs

Count on us to custom configure a locker layout that fits your space, needs, and aesthetics. Installed in as little as one business day, our indoor and outdoor smart lockers are available in single, double, or even triple tier arrangements with a variety of locker sizes so that 80% of all packages can be securely delivered to university smart lockers freeing up staff to focus on other tasks. All lockers are ADA-accessible.
One of the cool quotients as a student smart locker supplier is the ability to match your school colors, logo, or mascot. On our stainless-steel lockers, you can even custom wrap our lockers or print your rallying cry.  
And, with our superb, U.S.-based customer service team, we have your back when it comes to support. Available 24/7/365, we offer email and phone support for both employees and students.
The college environment will continue to evolve as we learn more about COVID-19. Don’t let package management problems add more stress to your plate. Save time and money by streamlining your package management process with a Parcel Pending by Quadient locker solution. Find a solution that is best for your campus here.
Sources:

1. Kim, Hayoung, et al. McKinsey & Company. COVID-19 and US higher education enrollment: Preparing leaders for fall. (2020, May 21). https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/covid-19-and-us-higher-education-enrollment-preparing-leaders-for-fall.
2. Deloitte Insights. 2020 Deloitte Back-to-College Survey. (2020). https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/retail-distribution/back-to-college-survey.html.
3. Bogage, Jacob & Dawsey, Josh. The Washington Post. Postal service to review package delivery fees as Trump influence grows. (2020, May 14). https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/14/trump-postal-service-package-rates/.