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Spotlight: Cortland Uses Parcel Pending Lockers to Delight Residents

Back in 2015, Atlanta-based Cortland, which owns over 400,000 apartment homes throughout 10 states, was desperately struggling to manage a major influx in package deliveries.
Due to increases in online shopping trends, Cortland property managers (PMs) were suddenly dealing with large quantities of packages arriving for its residents, which were growing at a staggering rate of 40% annually. In fact, one of Cortland’s communities in Austin, The Aspect, was receiving between 25-30 packages per day, and each one required about 5-6 minutes for the team to manage and facilitate. These parcels were stored in a small room that quickly became crammed and disorganized. In addition, most residents would pick-up their items between 4-7 p.m. – a timeframe when the office team was typically busy tending to prospects or addressing resident requests. As such, package pick-ups inevitably created bothersome interruptions and distracted PMs from other more important tasks.
“Our property management teams were spending too much time on package management, taking them away from their primary responsibilities of managing the property and serving residents,” said Brian Ericson, Cortland’s Vice President of Marketing Insights.
Cortland initially launched a resident notification system called “Notifii” to track packages electronically and alert residents when they had a delivery. While this was a big step forward, the system still did not fully solve Cortland’s packaging problems.
The solution? Parcel Pending’s apartment package lockers.
In October 2016, Cortland installed Parcel Pending lockers at The Aspect. PMs immediately noticed that they regained valuable time by no longer having to manage an abundance of packages. Not only were they saving time, but PMs were also increasing their efficiency by re-directing time once spent on dealing with packages to more important resident issues.
Even more impressive was the overwhelmingly positive feedback Cortland received from its residents via a consumer survey it issued. According to Cortland’s survey, a whopping 82% of its residents at The Austin expressed that they were very satisfied with the Parcel Pending lockers and 70% strongly preferred having the lockers. Moreover, 40% of residents said that they were more likely to renew their leases due to the added amenity of the parcel lockers. Positive resident feedback included: Even more impressive was the overwhelmingly positive feedback Cortland received from its residents,
Eventually, Cortland launched a resident notification solution called “Notifii” to track packages electronically and alert residents when they had a delivery.
While this was a big step forward, the system still did not fully solve the problem

  • It’s a dedicated amenity and not just a back room overflowing with boxes. It gives the whole operation a more organized feel.
  • My packages are easy to get whenever I have the time to swing by; if employees are busy with other customers I don’t have to wait to receive a package.
  • I love that I know my packages are safe with the package lockers now. Before, sometimes my packages would be left on my doorstep and not taken to the office, so I worried about them getting stolen. Now I can pick them up at my convenience and not worry and rush trying to get home.
  • I love the convenience and not wasting the staff’s valuable time.

Parcel lockers are an amenity that Cortland residents didn’t know about previously but since installation they are now clearly embracing them! PMs can utilize these parcel lockers to not only save valuable time but also to boost retention rates. This amenity is a win-win for both PMS and residents alike.
With the initial implementation an unqualified success, Cortland recently moved to install parcel lockers at additional properties in Atlanta, Charlotte and Austin.
 
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