Venterra Realty

Parcel Pending package lockers – proptech that delivers for Venterra Realty’s 35,000+ residents

Introduction

Venterra Realty is a highly-rated real estate and property management company, established in 2001 by John Foresi and Andrew Stewart. The co-founders, both with backgrounds in the tech industry, have uniquely differentiated Venterra from the competition – namely by deploying industry-leading technology at their managed properties. Their goal is to provide a “smart community” that benefits both their residents and their investors by leveraging a comprehensive suite of web-enabled applications supporting rent management, utility billing, work order management, and more.

What started as 4 communities in Austin and Houston, Texas has grown into a portfolio of 64 properties across 11 major cities in the southern U.S. that provides housing to over 35,000 people and 11,000 pets.

The Problem

Prior to implementing smart lockers, Venterra’s package management process created friction for both property managers and residents.

Property managers had to manually log, sort, and store any resident deliveries. This involved entering each package into an automated communications platform to notify the resident that a delivery had arrived, then placing the packages either in a storage closet or somewhere in the leasing office (depending on the property).

Because of where the packages were stored, residents had to retrieve their packages from the property team during business hours. And, while the leasing teams wanted to provide the best level of service possible for their residents, the existing package management process often required them to step away from other important tasks such as following up with prospective residents and overseeing community maintenance.

“Some properties had one person on staff full-time specifically to handle packages,” said Joshua Delzell, Strategic Initiatives Manager at Venterra Realty.

The Solution

When Venterra noticed that its on-site teams and residents were struggling with the package management process, they knew it was time to implement a forward-thinking, self-service solution: smart parcel lockers. Venterra’s main criteria for vendor selection was the vendor’s willingness to partner with Venterra’s in-house engineering team. They needed a partner who could seamlessly integrate the locker solution with Venterra’s suite of web-enabled applications and processes.

While Venterra’s team considered several vendors, only Parcel Pending by Quadient was willing to build the integration they envisioned. Parcel Pending’s experienced engineering team worked directly with Venterra’s team to support two key features: fully automated delivery notifications sent to residents through their existing internal messaging system and storage fees billed as part of a resident’s monthly utility fees.

“Our goal is to get to a ‘smart community’ type feel,” Delzell said. “The lockers play a significant role in that.” This integration not only served to streamline the package delivery process, but also saved valuable time for property teams and provided added convenience for residents.

The Results

With Parcel Pending lockers installed at over 50 properties, Venterra’s investment has freed up significant time for on-site teams to focus on satisfying existing residents and attracting new residents. The extra time has paid off: Venterra-run properties have a 1-2% higher occupancy level than their local competitors while facilitating higher effective pricing.

In June, Venterra reached the one million mark for packages delivered into their locker systems. “Our residents love [the lockers],” Delzell added. The lucky resident who received the one-millionth delivery also received a $500 gift card.

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