As the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak spread across America, colleges and universities nationwide quickly adjusted their educational and operational approaches. Many transitioned their classes online and advised students to leave campus. While this is a sensitive situation, there are certainly a number of key lessons to be learned from an emergency preparedness perspective.<\/p>\n
A recent McKinsey & Company<\/a> report examines the impact COVID-19 has had on higher education institutions and takes a deep dive into how they can better prepare for the next emergency situation.<\/p>\n We have summarized some of their key findings below along with our own recommendations on how colleges and universities can better prepare for emergency situations:<\/p>\n McKinsey & Company emphasizes that universities should develop an Integrated Nerve Center – a simple, flexible and multidisciplinary organization that adapts to fast-changing conditions while also ensuring safety and maintaining operational functions during an emergency situation. There are FOUR key actions that need to take place to create this Integrated Nerve Center:<\/p>\n Having partnered with colleges and universities for over 100 years and watched them evolve, we\u2019re going to take McKinsey & Company\u2019s emergency preparedness recommendations a step further and suggest that universities also \u201cInvest\u201d in smart technology as part of their emergency preparedness planning.<\/p>\n One example of a smart technology solution is electronic parcel lockers. Electronic parcel university lockers<\/a>, like those offered by Parcel Pending by Quadient<\/a>, are an important addition to a university\u2019s emergency preparedness plan for three main reasons:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a closer look at the main benefits smart lockers provide to colleges and universities:<\/p>\n College students nationwide are shopping online now more than ever. And they\u2019re not just buying textbooks. College students are purchasing everything from groceries and meal deliveries to electronics, clothing and more online. And don\u2019t forget that their family members and friends are also regularly shipping them care packages and gifts. All of this adds up to a large amount of student packages being delivered to college and university campuses. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 31 packages per student are delivered every year, and this number is expected to grow by more than 13% annually.<\/p>\n However, the reality is that campus mailrooms were designed for the majority of their volume (70 percent) to be mail and the remaining 30 percent to be packages. That is simply not the case in today\u2019s world where online and mobile shopping are the go-to shopping methods for students and their family and friends.<\/p>\n As a result, campus mailrooms – which often lack space – are overflowing with student packages. This daily influx of student packages forces mailroom staff to spend countless hours accepting and sorting packages and deliveries and facilitating pick-up.<\/p>\n \u201cIncoming parcel volumes are at record highs, and students have elevated expectations around how quickly they receive their packages. Decision-makers are not setting themselves up for success if they don\u2019t assess their end-to-end process and embrace technology so campus mailrooms are equipped to address evolving needs.\u201d\u00a0\u2014Amanda Taylor, public relations advisor, FedEx<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Electronic lockers are the solution to the package problems that many colleges and universities are facing. Electronic lockers keep packages and deliveries safe and secure and make it quick, easy and convenient for students to retrieve their packages at their convenience 24\/7. University mailrooms no longer need to worry about students rushing to the mailroom before it closes to pick-up their packages. In fact, up to 80 percent of packages can be delivered directly to parcel lockers freeing up mailroom staffers to focus on other tasks. Furthermore, smart lockers also eliminate package theft and missed deliveries, save on space since they are not individually assigned like traditional mailboxes and easily integrate with university mailroom software platforms to ensure a premium student experience.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Electronic parcel lockers remove the chaos of on-campus mail delivery and package management by assuming all customer service responsibilities for mail and package delivery, notification and retrieval. In fact, Parcel Pending by Quadient\u2019s locker solution can reduce package management labor resources by as much as a third and up to 80 percent of packages can be delivered directly to Parcel Pending\u2019s lockers freeing up staff to focus on other tasks.\u00a0 Saving on mailroom staff time is especially important during an emergency situation where manpower typically needs to be reduced but operational functions must remain in-tact.<\/p>\n One trend that we are seeing among the \u2018new normal\u2019 brought on by COVID-19 is the demand for contact-free package retrieval options. Electronic lockers provide a contact-free way for students and faculty to retrieve their packages at their convenience, without having to congregate in long student mail center queues.<\/p>\n Additionally, this new normal has impacted the operations of universities and colleges. For instance, some faculty and mailroom staff may have been furloughed. Electronic lockers become a viable and affordable option for colleges and universities looking to maintain a seamless package management experience. From an operational standpoint, smart lockers allow for a streamlined package management approach with limited staff involvement. This way, students and faculty can still receive their packages and university mailrooms can more easily track, monitor and manage any backlog of student or faculty packages.<\/p>\n \u201cHigher education mail services are looking for advice on how to organize and respond, and are looking for ways to manage a “contact-less” environment. The universities that installed parcel locker systems on their campuses say it has “saved them” as they handle the backlog of student packages and now as they manage parcels for faculty and staff.\u201d \u2013 Christopher O\u2019Brien, Executive Vice President, Business Process Automation, Quadient<\/em><\/p>\n In summary, higher-ed institutions from around the world are facing an unprecedented challenge. The ability to adapt and implement effective solutions by leveraging smart technology will be critical to ensuring the safety and wellness to higher-ed students, faculties and most importantly, to improving the resiliency of these institutions.<\/p>\n Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\nIntegrated Nerve Center
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Smart Technology for Emergency Preparedness
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Provide a Premium Student Experience
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\n<\/strong><\/h3>\nAdjusting to “The New Normal”
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