Most colleges designed their mailrooms a long time ago. They didn’t know the e-commerce era was on its way and they’d soon face a daily stream of packages.  

The good news is that campuses can level up their package management system with a simple solution that doesn’t require a mailroom renovation — smart lockers. 

Here are seven of the benefits smart lockers bring to the table for universities.

1. Overcome space limitations

Say goodbye to overcrowded rooms and package pileups. Smart lockers instantly create more space by securing deliverables away from the mailroom.

If necessary, the lockers don’t even have to be near the mailroom. Campuses can install them outside offices, dormitories, or other shared spaces instead — anywhere there’s electricity and adequate access to WiFi. 

2. Go contact-free

Mailroom employees who transfer deliveries via smart lockers successfully avoid interactions with students. And students won’t need to stand in line to retrieve their packages. In fact, they don’t even need to touch the shared kiosk on the lockers — they’re able to unlock their items by scanning a provided QR code or tapping a button in a mobile app. 

3. Give time back to staff

Another downside to high package volume is the toll it takes on staff. Processing, organizing, and distributing all those deliveries is a lot of work, and it’s easier to make mistakes when faced with a time crunch.

Backed by automated, self-serve technology, smart lockers eliminate the need for staff members to assist with package pickups. That’s a large chunk of time they can now devote to other tasks. 

4. Provide flexibility and convenience

Between classes, studying, and campus activities, students are busy people. They don’t have the time to stand in line at a mailroom to pick up their deliveries. 

With smart lockers, students know when their packages have arrived via email, text, or app notifications and can plan to swing by the lockers to pick them up when it fits into their schedule. The quick and easy pickup process means that, even if it’s a particularly hectic day, students will have time to retrieve packages in-between classes or outside mailroom hours.

Solve more than package delivery

If they’re perfect for protecting packages, why not use smart lockers to transfer all sorts of items? Campus staff, faculty, and students can use smart lockers to distribute and return everything from technology and textbooks to orientation packets. 

Automate tracking and reporting

The automated, cloud-based platform behind smart lockers ensures the chain of custody is complete by creating a digital record for every package, laptop, textbook, and document that goes through the system. 

If students and staff use the lockers to check out and return technology and course materials, administrators have access to all the transaction details. So they know who has what items and whether they returned those items on time.

Prevent theft and loss

Maybe this one is a given — after all, what good would a smart locker be if it couldn’t protect deliveries? 

Only recipients can access their packages — they can’t unlock any compartments but the ones housing their items, and they need a unique code to do so. 

In addition, real-time monitoring ensures that support teams can quickly address security issues (hardware malfunctions, system errors, etc.) before there’s any trouble.

If you’re interested in adding smart lockers to protect packages and other valuables on campus, get in touch with our team today.