Reimagining the Power of Corporate Campuses: Insights from Rob Zinsky

This year, e-commerce sales growth is expected to reach 9%, with the total e-commerce market expected to total $7.9 trillion by 2027. This increase in online shopping, coupled with concerns around porch pirates and package theft, has made it more common for employees to ship personal packages directly to their workplaces. As a result, employee packages have surged, leading to cluttered mailrooms, increased time required for mailroom staff to sort and organize packages, and a higher risk of lost mail and parcels in the process.

Fortunately, smart parcel lockers are helping corporate entities manage these challenges efficiently. These versatile solutions support not only mailroom activities but also the distribution of important items such as IT equipment, documents, key cards, and more.

At our recent Quadient Connects event, Rob Zinsky, VP of Sales at Quadient, addressed this topic in his session, “How parcel lockers transform self-service for government and corporates.” In this informative discussion, he explained how parcel lockers create a seamless, cost-effective distribution system for offices and corporate campuses, providing a modern approach that transcends traditional mail and package needs. Below, we highlight the key topics and takeaways from this exciting session.

1. Package management for corporate campuses is more complicated than ever

Pre-pandemic, parcel volume was already increasing at an unprecedented rate. Organizations initially responded by applying more labour and allocating additional space to store packages. They had to manage, deliver, and audit the chain of custody from carrier to company and then to the recipient. These recipients could be on different floors, in various departments, or even spread across multiple campuses. Essentially, companies became quasi-post offices, responsible for the final mile of package and mail deliveries.

The onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent changes in workforce behaviour brought a new set of challenges. The introduction of flexible schedules made it difficult to track who was in the office on any given day. This unpredictability complicated the storage and tracking of packages and other items for employees. Additionally, as companies realised they needed less space, they began to consolidate floors and buildings, which led to an increase in virtual offices. This added another layer of complexity, as it became unclear whether recipients were even in the building at any given time.

Furthermore, companies began to focus on amenities for employees, especially those who were ordering online and having items delivered to the office. This shift required innovative solutions to manage the influx of packages and maintain an efficient workflow.

2. Managing more employee deliveries with smart parcel lockers

Parcel Pending by Quadient developed Corporate Campus Hub to address the changing dynamics of in-office delivery, evolving smart lockers to serve a variety of needs within corporate settings. For example, hybrid workers require the ability to collect and return tools like laptops and other technology, as well as other important items, such as ID badges, new hire onboarding materials, branded corporate swag, critical documents, bulk mail, and other important assets. By incorporating parcel lockers within a Corporate Campus Hub, in-office deliveries are expanded to be able to deliver not just mail and packages, but also the day-to-day items that employees may require.

The goal of implementing new technology today is to maximise its functionality, thereby increasing overall efficiency and productivity. This means that any technology implemented in the workplace should be reliable and scalable. Parcel Pending’s locker solutions’ seamless chain of custody allows for tracking and reporting on anything at any given moment, providing a complete record of an item’s journey from sender to recipient. This makes the lockers an all-in-one solution for asset management and tracking.

What makes Parcel Pending’s solution even more compelling is its customisable nature. According to Rob, “It’s not a cookie-cutter approach to solving the problem; it’s the analysis we do that allows us to build and customise the right solution for you.” This tailored approach ensures that the implementation meets the specific needs of each corporate environment.

3. An easy-to-use solution for employees and mailroom staff

The workflow for using Corporate Campus Hub is straightforward and encompasses four simple steps:

1. Employees place an order, such as requesting IT equipment, print jobs, or office materials
2. The requested item(s) are delivered to the locker
3. The recipient receives an email or text alert notifying them of their item’s availability at the locker
4. The employee retrieves their item(s) by opening the locker using the barcode or access code provided in the email or text

This process is seamless, with collections taking less than ten seconds to complete. It also allows employees to coordinate their schedule to pick-up items from the locker at their convenience.

For managing, operating, and maintaining the solution, there are numerous backend tools available. Parcel Pending’s Business Intelligence tools provide a real-time visual representation of your system to maximize productivity. All data is accessible in one place, whether the locker is being loaded or someone is responding to an employee’s request for information. Additionally, we collaborate with you to coauthor KPIs that help track data, supporting the value of your investment.

You’re in good company with Parcel Pending by Quadient

Various organisations, including government organisations and military bases, are leveraging Parcel Pending lockers for diverse needs, such as distributing new license plates and insurance information or ensuring military personnel receive their packages during extended absences. The lockers provide secure exchange points for mail, packages, and other important items, reducing foot traffic from outside individuals and enhancing security for employees as well as safeguarding sensitive information. With 24/7/365 accessibility, the lockers create an end-to-end trackable process for items entering and exiting these locations, significantly reducing the time workers spend managing, tracking, and reporting on items.

Deliver MORE to your employees with Parcel Pending

Parcel Pending’s Corporate Campus Hub is the best solution to ensuring a full chain of custody for all assets delivered for your business, helping you mitigate risks, improve efficiency and enhance employee engagement. Our lockers significantly boost employee productivity and are expanding and evolving daily, as seen through our many use cases.

As summarized by Rob, “[Parcel Pending by Quadient is] delivering more than 72 million packages with 20,000 lockers deployed globally. We have our own service organization, so everything is done by a Quadient technician to help support you from presale to post-sale, through the entire journey.”

To learn more about how Corporate Campus Hub can help your business, contact us today, or click here to watch the session in full to learn more about the Corporate Campus Hub experience.