3 Key Takeaways from Rob Zinsky’s Quadient Connects Session on Harnessing the Power of Campus Hub in Higher Education

The landscape of mailing and shipping requirements in the private and public sectors has experienced significant changes in recent years. As these needs evolve, there is a growing demand for modern, convenient, and flexible processes, particularly for on-campus delivery. Many campus mailing service centers are experiencing the strain caused by the rising number of deliveries for students, faculty, and staff. The surge is putting immense pressure on mailroom employees, especially on campuses with outdated mailrooms that are not equipped to handle the influx, creating a cascade of challenges.

Enter parcel lockers – a transformative solution that helps campus mailrooms manage this challenge by providing a comprehensive, organized method for expediting package distribution more seamlessly than ever before. At our Quadient Connects event, Rob Zinsky, VP of Sales at Quadient, discussed this topic in his session, “Unlocking Excellence Through the Revolutionary Potential of Smart Lockers in Higher Education.” In this session, Rob explored how smart lockers enable higher education institutions to manage their growing mail volume and transcend conventional mail practices. Below, we highlight the key topics and takeaways from this enlightening session.

1. More students are choosing to order items directly to their university or college

College and university students are shipping almost everything to campus, and parcel lockers are now handling far more than just parcels. As package mail has transitioned from traditional mail, such as letters and metered mail, growth rates have soared to unprecedented levels. Universities initially responded by increasing labor, extending mailroom hours, and allocating more staff and space to store packages. However, these measures have led to decreased customer service, long lines, and overcrowded storage areas, especially during peak periods, such as end-of-year move-out and holidays.

The pressure has had a direct impact on the student experience, particularly when considering new dynamics resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as remote learning, hybrid schedules, social distancing, and contactless workflows. These ongoing challenges continue to affect universities as they strive to improve their mail management processes.

2. Campus Hub offers the best solution for on-campus deliveries, and more

Campus Hub^TM emerged in response to the evolving campus dynamics, particularly the surge in on-campus deliveries. Campus Hub alleviates the burden on higher education institutions by providing a tailored logistics system that connects all on-campus services, including library, bookstore, IT services, and more.

The lockers’ capabilities have been expanded to offer a complete solution, encompassing multiple exchange points across campus. Rob highlights, “The system supports various campus services, not only deliveries but also the return of assets. It enhances the overall experience for students, faculty, and staff, and as an added bonus, it enhances the university’s image.”

3. Lockers deliver more efficiency with the power of smart technology

The lockers use open APIs, allowing them to integrate seamlessly with any back-end system currently used by the institution. This integration provides full visibility and a streamlined workflow, ensuring all necessary information is readily accessible. Whether the institution needs to load data or respond to information requests, everything is at their fingertips. Following integration, parcel pending works in conjunction with the university or college to develop KPIs that help track and showcase the effectiveness of the solution through data. Highlighting the system’s ease of use, Rob notes, “Managing, operating, and maintaining the system is simple. There’s a host of back-end tools that will give you a visual representation of your system in real-time to make your school as productive as possible.”

Build an intelligent campus with the power of parcel lockers

Technology has become the cornerstone of modern universities and colleges, especially for institutions aiming to meet new student expectations. For campuses, parcel lockers represent an ideal solution to align with these evolving campus dynamics, particularly through Campus Hub.

Parcel lockers integrated with Campus Hub offer the best solution by ensuring a full chain of custody, mitigating risks, and providing limitless possibilities. Campus Hub’s streamlined workflow significantly boosts efficiency and productivity while supporting students, faculty, and staff. As Rob stated, “The overall experience for both the system user and the recipient is world-class.”

Contact us today to learn more about how Campus Hub can transform your university or college campus.