Using Smart Lockers to Boost Operational Efficiency in Higher Education, Beyond Mail and Parcels

Smart lockers are proven to reduce on-campus mail room labour resources by as much as a third because nearly anything can be delivered safely and securely into a locker. Ikea furniture? Check. Care package from home? Check. New laptop? Check.

But if you’re wondering how to boost operational efficiency in higher education beyond mail and parcel management, you might find this solution fitting.

Mail and Parcels’ Impact on a Higher Education Institution

Mail and package delivery is a significant part of university operations and student experience. Students living on campus get deliveries sent to the institution’s mail office, whether that is a care package from home or room decor and furniture. But how can institutions take an extra measure to ensure the operational effectiveness of mail and parcels? A parcel locker may be the answer.  

A whopping 80% of all online orders and packages, including clothing, bedroom accessories, and more, can be delivered directly to Parcel Pending by Quadient university lockers. Operational effectiveness and cost savings are more important now than ever, and this is where smart lockers can really make a tangible impact – reducing manual operations and saving staff time.

Parcel Lockers for a Higher Education Institution

For higher education institutions looking at how to boost operational efficiencies across campus, without investing in multiple solutions, The Campus Hub by Parcel Pending by Quadient empowers universities and colleges to leverage smart campus IoT, such as lockers, to disseminate much more than just mail and packages, this includes:

Library Materials: Books, articles, and other materials students may need from the library. All information is tracked and saved providing a full chain of custody.

Electronics: Student laptops, tablets, and other school-owned devices can be disseminated.

Course Equipment: Course leaders and lecturers can distribute equipment for projects and students can easily and safely return the items.

Coursework: By monitoring the time stamp produced at drop-off, the lockers have been used by universities to allow students to submit important submissions such as student dissertations; helping to ease the staff pressure of manually processing thousands of physical submissions at peak deadline times.

Meals: A student can simply place an order for a meal online via the university’s dining software and then pick up their items safely without physical contact with anyone.

Student Post: Inbound parcels, post and other regular mail. As Parcel Pending lockers are carrier-agnostic, all couriers can deliver into them. They can be used for internal communications too!

Move-in/Move-out Materials: Items such as keys, ID cards, welcome packets and other important school materials can be shared with students via smart lockers.

Event Tickets: Tickets for sporting events, Fresher’s Week events and other student activities can be distributed via smart lockers to minimise queues and contact with ticket agents.

Smart Parcel Lockers

Emerging technologies in higher education are making a significant impact. Having the ability to drop off laptops, library materials, and outgoing packages with a secure timestamp back to each department maintains the chain of custody and reduces the need to install multiple systems.

But picking up goods and assets is not enough. Returns are becoming a major problem as well. A smart electronic locker in the hub also can be used to return goods and assets.

With the ability to move all sorts of goods and items on-campus quickly, easily and securely, colleges and universities are providing a safe, contactless and premium student experience while also saving valuable staff time and resources.

For more information about University Smart Lockers, or Campus Hub, or to book a chat with one of our friendly experts – fill in the details below.