Ready or not, merriment is just around the corner, and with that comes multiple packages daily. At this time, like Santa, delivery companies are working at overdrive to deliver all packages to the rightful recipients on time and safely. Prepping your package room system for the holiday season is—as they say—a marathon, not a sprint, especially for a multifamily/apartment. That’s because it’s one of the most important and busiest times of the year. It can feel like the package room is under attack due to the influx in package traffic.
The package rush is an exciting time. However, you need to address issues such as the 1.7 million daily package thefts. If you are in charge of packages in such a building or the concierge, here are some steps you can take to ensure the package room is prepped and ready for the holiday rush:
Steps to Ensure Your Package Room System is Ready for the Holiday Rush
Set Expectations
Everyone must know how to pick up their packages, so be sure to communicate the expectations. Once you dedicate yourself to communicating expectations, it’s easy to commit to upholding the standards you set forth.
It seems simple enough. However, you will receive hundreds of packages daily during the holidays. This could result in countless mishaps if the customer is not given precise details about where and when they can pick up their package. Setting expectations and sticking to them boosts clarity to all parties involved.
Notify Residents as Soon as Their Package is Ready in the Room
Most residents are eager to receive their packages. Be it items they bought online, holiday presents from family and friends, or even surprise packages during the holiday season.
A common frustration shared among residents is that they are not notified when their package arrives in the package room. Whether they are waiting on a pending delivery or expecting a signature, many of your residents will wonder how you do not have some system in place for notifying them.
Several options out there can help notify your residents that their package has arrived. You can call them, send a text message, email or use a reliable web-based package tracking software or app for tracking and notifications is a nice touch. Notifying the residents when their packages are ready boosts their trust in you and increases the package room system’s efficiency.
ID an Overflow Room
Agreeably, the holidays get crazy busy with packages. It’s common to receive numerous packages every hour. This can quickly overfill your package room causing mayhem inefficiencies to the package room system or at the front office.
Overflow rooms are the answer to every package room manager’s dream. It’s a way to keep your main storage areas tidy and organized and to grab packages and send them out quickly. They are always good to plan when you design your package room than to realize after the main room has reached its capacity.
The good news is, you don’t need to follow any particular design since the overflow room will only be helpful during the holidays. However, design this overflow as similar to the main package room as possible, and include shelves.
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Label Shelves and Pick an Organizational System
Here’s a sad fact: you might lose 40% of your workday due to poor organization and lacking a way to cope with the influx of packages. Furthermore, a manager loses an hour daily to disorder. This can result in numerous financial losses, as Stephanie Winston, author of The Organized Executive, pointed out.
To organize a package room, first label the shelves and pick an organizational system. For example, you can use the label shelf system to organize the package room by labeling it according to the apartment numbers. The best part of labeling your shelves is that it will allow you to keep closely related items in the same cabinet for inventory efficiency, space optimization, and security.
Consider Self-Service Package Pick-Up
Self-service parcel pick-up is an increasingly popular option. It allows residents to schedule package deliveries at a convenient time rather than having them left on their doorsteps or the package room’s shelves. From households receiving online orders to seniors with mobility issues, self-service package pick-up may be the ideal solution for the package room system.
Self-service package pickup kiosks are in use in thousands of multifamily residencies around the United States. You can deploy self-service pickup lockers, with each resident having an individual locker and access logs. Each time you put a package in the vaults, you can notify them. Self-Service Package Pick Up frees space, is secure, and is efficient.
Implement a Photographic Identification System
If packages are damaged, returns could be a hassle during the holidays, and you don’t want to deal with that.
Sometimes the residents want fast shipping and might not mind what the package looks like when it gets there. After all, is it still in one piece? Yep. Then it’s good, right? Wrong. The condition in which a resident receives the package is just as critical as when they ordered it and paid for it.
So, as a manager of the package room, take photos when packages come in and when they leave to keep track of their condition and help ID the package on pick-up. If there are any discrepancies regarding the package, you can use the photo evidence to settle any disputes.
Deploy Notifii Track, Package Management Software
The holiday season is the perfect time for package delivery. Many families depend on an efficient package room to ensure they receive their packages at the appropriate time.
That is where our technology works best for you; to track when these packages enter an apartment community and need to be picked up by a resident. After logging every package, you can notify a resident that their package is ready for pick-up. With Notifii Track Package Management Software, you can rest assured of a flawless, efficient, fast, and accurate package dispensing process. If you wish to learn more about running a successful package room system, schedule a demo with Notifii today.
Read More:
Package Logging Room Considerations for Holidays 2021
Package Management Health Policies to Keep Your Residents Safe
Package Management Best Practices: Ways to Increase Accountability