How Parcel Pending Helps PMs Build Better Resident Relationships

The end of the year is a busy time for property managers. Between budgeting, problem-solving, and managing the property, making time for meaningful (and positive) resident engagement can be a challenge. Add in the stress of managing an influx of holiday packages (as much as an 81% increase in deliveries over the non-holiday weekly average¹), and it can feel downright impossible.
So how can property managers successfully do all of the above at once, without compromising on the quality of their resident relationships? By installing Parcel Pending smart package lockers.
Our smart package lockers are designed with multifamily communities in mind, providing property managers with a quick, easy, and secure way to manage daily package deliveries. This allows property managers to get out of the business of package management and back to their real jobs: building meaningful resident relationships and increasing resident renewals.
By serving as a high-value property amenity that enables better leasing office organization and greater community security, Parcel Pending smart lockers are the perfect tool to help property managers build better relationships with their residents.

Smart Package Lockers Act as a High-Value Community Improvement

Property managers want to be problem-solvers for their residents. They handle problems as they come up and, ideally, make community improvements to address problems before they even happen. For example, if residents are frequently complaining that their packages are stolen, lost, or misplaced, a savvy property manager would not only tackle the short-term problem but find a long-term solution.
Smart package lockers are a great way to solve the long-term problem of property package management, both during the holiday season and afterwards. Lockers enable 24/7 resident access to packages in a way that leasing offices do not. And, as current and prospective residents increasingly expect features that enable their on-demand lifestyle², lockers are becoming a “must-have” amenity for properties.
Whether it’s an older property or a brand-new development, Parcel Pending can provide a customized, flexible solution that meets each property’s unique package management needs. Not to mention that our lockers can provide ROI within eight months³, compared to other smart tech improvements that have an average ROI of three years.
By providing a long-term solution to one of the biggest resident problems (especially during the holiday season), property managers can foster a greater sense of security with their residents. This trust is especially important when it comes to lease renewals, making smart package lockers not just a long-term solution, but a high-value one as well.

Smart Package Lockers Ensure Better Leasing Office Organization

The biggest benefit realized by property managers after their properties have added Parcel Pending smart lockers is a reduction in package management workload. In fact, our lockers can eliminate up to 24 hours of time wasted each week accepting, sorting, and distributing resident packages⁴. By freeing up this valuable time, property managers are able to be more engaged with their property and its residents through improved community services and increased resident engagement.
Because smart package lockers decrease the time spent on time-consuming package management, property managers have more time for preparing leasing documents, handling service requests, and speaking with current and prospective residents. This focus on additional resident concerns shows residents that the leasing office can be trusted to provide timely assistance, an important part of their living experience.
This additional free time also allows property managers to find more meaningful ways to engage with their residents outside the leasing office. That could come in the form of more conversations with existing residents or more property-wide events like classes or communal dinners. At a time where residents are seeking out community, these sorts of interactions not only create better relationships with residents, but they also foster a stronger sense of togetherness on the property.
Both of these improvements increase resident morale, which in turn increases lease renewals. In fact, according to case studies conducted with residents of Cortland Partners properties, Parcel Pending smart lockers have increased resident renewals by 40%⁵.

Smart Package Lockers Create Greater Community Security

One of the biggest unspoken resident concerns (and by association property manager concerns) is community security. Unfortunately, current package delivery practices can mean that multiple couriers are on the property at all hours of the day and night.
While most major delivery companies have standard delivery times, gig workers, plainclothes contractors, and many others make additional deliveries throughout the day to keep up with increased consumer demand. That’s a lot of unknown people on the property that often go unaccounted for.
Smart package lockers resolve this problem by creating a secure delivery point where couriers deliver packages and residents retrieve their packages. Our lockers provide full accountability and chain-of-custody, from when a package was dropped off and by which courier, to the exact moment that a package is picked up.
Paired with Parcel Pending’s U.S.-based, 24/7, 100% always-on customer service and our dedicated account success team, residents, couriers, and property managers are provided with an additional security and support network for each and every delivery.
This added sense of security creates peace of mind for residents and property managers alike. Providing a more secure living experience builds resident confidence in the property management team, fostering trust and creating better relationships throughout the community.

Want to find out more about how Parcel Pending smart lockers can make a difference for your property and its residents? Reach out to a member of our team.
Sources:

1. National Multifamily Housing Council. (2018, November 14). Special Delivery: 2018 NHMC/Kingsley Package Delivery Report [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.nmhc.org/news/
2. Lambros, Colleen. Rising Consumer Expectations: Creating New Challenges & Opportunities for Multifamily Communities. (2019, October 4). /en-ca/blog/rising-consumer-expectations-creating-new-challenges-opportunities-for-multifamily-communities/.
3. Parcel Pending. Why Community Managers Should Build Smart Tech Into Their 2020 Budgets. /en-ca/blog/why-community-managers-should-build-smart-tech-into-their-2020-budgets/.
4. Based on an average of 60 packages per day, 6 days per week, at 1 hour per 15 packages.
5. Survey results gathered from case studies conducted with residents of Cortland Partners properties.