Parcel Pending vs. Other Brands: Which Smart Locker Fits Best?

Since the start of social distance measures, couriers have experienced holiday-level delivery volume as more people shop online for essential items. The USPS alone has experienced a 70% increase in package delivery volume¹. This struggle with growing package volume is only made more challenging as leasing offices and common areas normally used to store resident packages are closed to both staff and residents. 

The solution many properties are turning to is contactless delivery using smart parcel lockers. For properties considering investing in a smart locker system to provide convenient, secure, and contact-free deliveries for their residents, here are a few important considerations to make when choosing an intelligent locker vendor.

Industry-Trusted

When considering a smart locker system vendor, start by selecting a company with significant industry experience or one that is trusted by multifamily communities across the country. Ideally, a locker vendor will have proven experience in both regards.

Parcel Pending by Quadient has significant experience providing and supporting package management solutions for multifamily communities across North America. Our CEO, Lori Torres, and our accomplished leadership team developed our intelligent locker solutions based on over 80 years of combined expertise in property management and resident experience.

Because of our background in property management, we uniquely understand property and resident needs. We know how and when residents interact with our products. And, most importantly, we know that residents expect convenience. That’s why we’ve provided a convenient, self-service, and contact-free solution that is available 24/7/365 – whenever residents need it.

Property Partnership

Electronic locker systems are an investment in the property and its residents – and a significant one at that. An important investment such as locker solutions should be customized to meet the property’s unique package management needs, not based on cookie-cutter formulas.

Parcel Pending by Quadient works with each property from planning to implementation and ongoing support to ensure the success of each and every one of our intelligent locker systems. By providing scalable, flexible configurations, as well as custom colors and designs, we ensure that each system provides a strong return on investment for the property, while also meeting residents’ needs for locker access, convenience, and security. 

We also offer an extensive portfolio of intelligent locker solutions to meet each property’s unique package management needs, as well as flexible payment plans to meet different budget requirements. Whether it’s a property of 50 units or 500, we’ll create a customized solution to meet desired property aesthetics and fit the space and package volume requirements as well.

Dedicated Support

One of the reasons why many multifamily communities implement a smart locker system is to relieve the burden of package management for property management. In fact, smart lockers can eliminate up to 24 hours of time wasted each week handling and sorting packages².

With fewer staff and resources on-site, property management could face significant challenges if support is required for an intelligent locker system. When considering a vendor, be sure to ask if they provide support for their electronic locker systems. Is there support available at the property level? The resident level? What happens if the locker solutions need repairs?

Parcel Pending by Quadient provides training for on-site associates on everything from installation to implementation as well as ongoing support for all property-level issues, including maintenance for the locker systems. As part of our property-level support, we also have dedicated courier specialists who help ensure successful onboarding and continued use of the lockers by couriers and delivery drivers.

Residents will have access to dedicated 24/7/365 real time, US-based support via email and phone, where our dedicated Customer Service team can help with package-related issues, answer administrative questions, troubleshoot user problems, and arrange service calls.

Contact-Free Features

Residents are constantly seeking greater convenience, speed, access, security, and personalization³. The next-day, safe, contact-free home deliveries offered by most businesses right now are exactly that. As such, the consumer preference for convenient, contactless delivery options is unlikely to change.

When evaluating a potential smart locker system, inquire about the vendor’s contact-free features. Are residents able to retrieve their packages contact-free? What features or services do the vendors supply to help ensure resident safety and security?

Parcel Pending by Quadient offers two contact-free package pick-up methods for multifamily properties. Residents can pick up packages using a bar code scan or using their mobile phone with our free mobile app. By scanning the bar code or pushing the button in the app notification, the resident’s locker door will open without having to use the kiosk touch screen. 

Innovative Solutions

A big part of a property’s choice to invest in an amenity or piece of equipment is long-term value. Ideally, an investment for the property will be able to adapt to changing property and resident needs. Smart parcel lockers are no exception. When evaluating vendors, be sure to ask how they are innovating their products to address changing industry needs and provide an adaptable, long-term solution for multifamily communities.

Parcel Pending by Quadient is constantly adapting our solutions and offerings to better serve our multifamily partners and their residents.

For instance, Parcel Pending by Quadient recently introduced Locker Lite – a big solution for a small community. With our background in multifamily, we understand that small communities, those with 100 units or less, face the same problems as larger properties in meeting residents’ needs for secure package deliveries. This led us to develop a smart locker system designed with smaller properties in mind, as well as create flexible pricing options to meet a variety of budget needs.

We also saw a need from properties for a long-term package locker maintenance plan similar to ones provided for other major onsite amenities and equipment. We developed Parcel Pending Assurance, an extended warranty offering, to give our multifamily partners peace of mind knowing that locker parts and maintenance are covered.

Adding new amenities may not be at the top of most properties’ to-do list right now. But if package management has gotten out of hand, Parcel Pending is available to help. Reach out to a member of Parcel Pending’s team to find a solution that fits a range of unique property needs and budgets.

Sources:

1. Bogage, Jacob & Dawsey, Josh. The Washington Post. Postal service to review package delivery fees as Trump influence grows. (2020, May 14). https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/14/trump-postal-service-package-rates/.
2. Based on an average of 60 packages per day, 6 days per week, at 1 hour per 15 packages.
3. 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/.