Package delivery has fast become a significant source of frustration for property managers. Every day, front office employees must deal with an influx of inbound goods that must be sent to homeowners as swiftly as possible. In the long run, the situation is untenable for front office workers in apartment buildings. Residents are also dissatisfied with the problem. Dealing with front-office workers for package delivery is usually inconvenient and less desirable.
Many property managers have started using a multifamily package locker to address this issue.
Apartment buildings can use package lockers to deliver and retrieve packages conveniently and securely. Larger parcels that don’t fit in postboxes can be stored in on-site lockers. The courier sends the resident a message with a unique code that they can use to access the locker after the package has been delivered. The parcel can then be picked up at their leisure using self-service package retrieval.
Let us now explore the plethora of benefits that package lockers offer apartment buildings and residential communities and how to pick the best locker service for your needs.
What are Package Lockers?
Package lockers are electronic storage and distribution systems with integrated purchase, notification, and retrieval systems. While they are best known for their impact on the fast-food business, they are now impacting various other industries, with retail purchases being one of the most significant.
All you must do to use a package locker is place an order on the designated platform, which may be accessed by mobile, desktop, or kiosk. Promptly, the order is sent to the company’s back-end system. After completion, the order is automatically assigned to a locker, and the locker’s software program alerts the customer through text or email when available.
Advantages of using Package Lockers in Apartment Buildings
Convenience
Greater convenience for your residents is one of the most significant advantages of parcel lockers. Packages are delivered directly to front office workers without a parcel locker. These employees must log each shipment, notify each receiver that it has arrived, and secure the parcel. When a homeowner receives a notification, they only have a certain amount of time to pick up their delivery since a front office staff member must grab it and cross it off their list.
Front office employees or the delivery driver can enter packages into individual lockers using a parcel locker. Residents can then access these lockers whenever it is convenient for them. Residents who work lengthy shifts can no longer pick up their items at their leisure. Residents would also have the assurance that when a box is marked as delivered, it may be picked up without having to interact with a staff member or wait for their package to be delivered.
Residents will benefit even more from refrigerated parcel lockers as online grocery shopping becomes the future of supermarket retail. Parcel lockers alleviate some of the primary convenience difficulties when front office workers handle deliveries by providing on-demand package retrieval.
Security
Nobody wants to discover that a package that was supposed to be delivered to their door was stolen. Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common event in today’s world. The rationale for the high rate of package theft is straightforward: Would-be burglars are attracted to packages left in the open on someone’s doorstep.
Package lockers keep packages out of the hands of the public by having them delivered directly from the carrier to the locker. This isn’t just a perk for the locals. Package lockers’ additional security can help a property’s overall crime rate. Thieves will be less inclined to attack your home if fewer packages are on the doorstep. At the same time, thefts due to proximity and opportunity will be reduced.
Ease of Use and Accessibility
Residents can use a QR code or a one-time PIN to open the locker door and retrieve their parcel. Customers can also place the return label on the courier and scan it before returning it to the locker station. This simplifies things not only for shipping but also for returns. Residents can also choose when and how their orders are delivered rather than having to wait or risk losing them.
Seamless Property Management
No property manager wants to observe their front-office employees receiving, sorting, and distributing items for hours each day. According to management, that time may be better spent bringing in new residents or doing greater outreach to existing ones. On the other hand, most front-office teams have no choice but to incorporate package management into their operations.
Starting to use a parcel locker is a straightforward answer to these issues. Package lockers allow residents to recover parcels without the intervention of front office workers because packages may be immediately inserted into the lockers. The notification process and procedure can be automated. There will also be fewer disagreements with irritated residents when an item isn’t delivered where it should be.
Package Lockers are the Future!
Smart Lockers have gained popularity recently and are soon becoming a requirement as more people shop online. As the popularity of online shopping has grown, so has the number of deliveries made to multifamily apartment buildings around the country.
While mail carriers strive to deliver materials as soon as possible, miscommunications between property management and couriers can cause delays. Using parcel lockers is one of the most effective solutions to this problem. The robust solution eliminates the need for manual management, lowers the chance of miscommunication, and provides real-time tracking, rapid notifications, and enhanced flexibility.