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Avoid Holiday Package Delivery Nightmares

Written by: Parcel Pending

4 Min Read

Published: February 11, 2020

Updated: April 3, 2023

In recent years, one of the largest pain points that multifamily property managers regularly encounter has nothing to do with residents and everything to do with the sheer number of packages that residents have delivered on a weekly basis. From the logistics of package management to package theft concerns, the vast majority of property managers are unprepared to handle package management normally, let alone the onslaught that comes during the rapidly approaching holiday season.

Seeing as most properties will very likely face a steady torrent of packages being delivered daily from November to January, it’s crucial that a property is prepared with an apartment package delivery system to avoid holiday package nightmares. 

Avoid Holiday Package Delivery Nightmares

Although it’s only early October, shipping companies are already preparing for the holiday shipping rush. In fact, according to UPS:  

“UPS plans to hire about 100,000 seasonal employees again this year to handle its expected increase in package volume throughout the holiday season, the company announced Monday. “We expect another record peak season this year, with daily package deliveries nearly doubling compared to our average of 20 million per day,” said Jim Barber, UPS’s Chief Operating Officer. The company hired the same number of seasonal workers last year.”

Seeing as there has been a steady year-by-year increase in holiday package deliveries, it’s essential that property managers prepare for the holidays and take all the proper precautions to avoid package nightmares such as theft, damage, and loss.

But this is no easy task for property managers to handle. Kristin Wong writes for Today on the matter, saying: 

“At many complexes, managers and landlords accept and sign for tenant packages throughout the day, then contact those tenants about their deliveries — a process that essentially turns landlord offices into delivery centers.”

Now, as online sales are expected to experience rapid growth with no end in sight, parcel delivery is becoming a much more apparent issue for community managers, especially since few have the storage capacity to handle the deluge. As a result, some management offices have simply refused to accept packages on behalf of residents. 

But this isn’t a solid solution. 

While not accepting packages at the leasing office solves the problem of package management for property managers, residents feel the burden instead. Residents simply want to have packages delivered safely to their residence without fear of theft. Property managers are in the business of customer service. Therefore, property managers are better off coming up with a parcel delivery solution that will service the leasing office well and make your residents happy.

So, what is the right solution? 

It’s simple. Install smart package lockers such as those made by Parcel Pending.

Small Investment, Big Dividends 

Although there are smaller steps property managers can take to add additional security measures to a property, like locks on doors and gates, the best way to alleviate the package management pain point for both property management and residents would be adding smart lockers. This removes the need for property managers to waste hours serving as a mail service, and also relieves residents’ fears that their packages will be safely delivered and stored until they have the chance to grab them. 

Parcel Pending’s smart lockers utilize cutting-edge software and hardware technologies that allow for smooth and safe package delivery, no matter the courier service. Whether or not the resident is home to receive their shipment, packages can be delivered, electronically signed for, and then held for convenient pickup. Additional benefits include: 

  • Round the clock cloud-based video surveillance and monitoring.
  • Lockers in a variety of shapes and sizes, that are able to store large, medium, or small packages. 
  • Refrigerated lockers to keep sensitive items such as medicine or groceries at the proper temperature.
  • A convenient mobile app that lets users manage and track deliveries. 
  • ADA compliance, so that any property manager, courier, or resident can use them. 

Adding lockers eliminates hours of time wasted each week on accepting, sorting, and distributing packages. In addition, offering a simple, safe delivery location makes package retrieval easy and convenient which can boost resident satisfaction and increase resident renewals. A large resident survey by Cortland Partners found that: “Overall, 76 percent of residents strongly preferred having lockers compared to traditional office pickup, and 40 percent of residents said that they were more likely to renew their leases due to the added amenity of the parcel lockers.” Residents will be much happier living at a place where they know they have secure package delivery and the convenience to retrieve their packages whenever they want.

Encouraging Package Safety

Few things can make residents lose faith in their property’s security and safety as quickly as a stolen package. And, if it becomes a trend as opposed to a one-off occurrence, they’ll likely want to leave as soon as their lease is up. Fortunately, there are easy remedies to avoid delivery nightmares and ensure package safety during the holiday season, such as adding smart lockers. Doing so will instill residents with confidence and peace of mind knowing that all their holiday packages will be safe. 

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