Whether it’s care packages from home, textbooks ordered online, or simply online shopping orders, college students receive a lot of packages and expect to be able to pick them up promptly and conveniently. But without an efficient system, university mailrooms can quickly become overwhelmed by the thousands of parcels they receive each month. Student housing smart lockers are an intelligent solution to this problem.

Smart lockers automate package processing, save time and effort for mailroom staff, and allow students to pick up their packages at their convenience. This intelligent package management solution will help your mailroom operate more efficiently and improve the student experience at your college or university.

Read on to learn about how smart parcel delivery lockers work and the benefits of smart lockers for student residences and other campus applications. You can also check out more of our education storage solutions here.

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How Smart Parcel Delivery Lockers Work

student housing smart lockers
Smart package lockers can be installed in pods in the mailroom, students’ residence halls, or other high-traffic areas around campus. Smart locker software integrates into your preexisting systems to streamline package processing and comprehensively track the entire package delivery process.

Once a package is delivered to the mailroom, a staff member scans the parcel into the system and deposits it into a locker at the student’s preferred locker bank (for example, at their residence hall). As soon as the package is deposited, the software sends an automatic notification to the student by email, text, or the user-friendly mobile app.

Students go to the specified locker bank at their convenience to pick up their packages. They can access the locker using a PIN or QR code included in the notification or scanning the mobile app. The locker door then opens automatically. The system records the transaction, and staff can receive an automatic notification when the package is picked up. Learn more about how electronic parcel delivery lockers work here.

Benefits of Smart Lockers for Student Residences

Convenience for Students

package delivery lockers student housingWith student housing smart lockers, students can easily pick up their packages at their convenience. Convenience means no more treks to the mailroom, waiting in long lines, rushing to pick up a package between activities, or the frustration of not being able to pick up a package while the mailroom is closed on weekends, evenings, or holidays.

Smart parcel delivery lockers eliminate these struggles by providing 24/7 access to packages. Students can pick up packages at their dormitories rather than walking to the mailroom, and they don’t have to rearrange their schedules to pick up a package.

Retrieving a package from the lockers is a breeze, especially with the mobile app that opens the locker with a simple scan. For additional convenience, multiple parcels can be deposited in a single locker, saving students time as they don’t have to keep up with multiple codes to open multiple lockers.

Smart package lockers also ensure that students get their packages faster. University mailrooms must process packages before they are ready for pick up. Processing delays are frustrating when students are waiting on their packages, especially when waiting on an essential item like a textbook. Smart lockers reduce the delays between parcel delivery to campus and distribution to students. Packages are processed and delivered faster, students are notified immediately, and they can easily retrieve their packages at their earliest convenience.

Parcel Security

Smart lockers keep stored parcels secure and prevent package theft. These durable steel lockers have package sensors and video surveillance, and the software keeps a record of all transactions to track the entire chain of custody. These security features significantly reduce the risk of lost packages, increasing student satisfaction and peace of mind.

Increased Mailroom Efficiency

campus mail services lockersThe smart package locker system saves mailroom staff time and effort, improving mailroom efficiency. Rather than manually documenting each package, staff members scan each parcel into the system, which saves time and boosts productivity. And because the pickup process is contactless, there’s no need for staff members to staff a desk to distribute packages to students manually. The automated process is much less time-consuming and dramatically reduces operational costs, which could allow you to raise staff salaries or invest in new resources to improve the student experience.

Contactless Pickup

With health concerns heightened by the pandemic, smart parcel delivery lockers are a great way to reduce the spread of germs and protect students and staff on your campus. The package pickup process is contactless; students using the app can open their parcel locker without interacting with the touchscreen. The smart lockers allow you to efficiently distribute packages to students while complying with social distancing and other health protocols, promoting peace of mind for students, parents, and staff.

Customizability

Smart locker pods are customizable to suit the requirements of your campus mail services. The locker banks come in different sizes and can be configured with a mix of various-sized lockers to accommodate packages of various sizes.

Another aspect of the customizable design is the locker exterior. You can order lockers in school colors or display the university logo or mascot to promote school spirit and enhance the campus experience.

Premium Student Experience

lockers for student residencesProspective students and their parents have high expectations for the colleges and universities they are considering. They’ll expect a good value for their tuition dollars, including a state-of-the-art, modernized campus. The smart package locker system helps your university stand out from competitors, reinforcing a more modern and relevant image of your campus and enhancing the premium student experience you offer. 

Other Smart Locker Applications for Universities

Along with parcel delivery, smart lockers can serve other valuable purposes around your campus. A few other university smart locker applications include:

  • Library book pickup: Install smart library lockers to give students convenient 24/7 access to interlibrary loans or requested materials.
  • Resource distribution: Provide contactless distribution of resources such as move-in materials, orientation packages, IT assets, and more to students.
  • Food delivery: Use our temperature-controlled lockers for contactless delivery of individual food orders, whether for ill or quarantined students or as a convenient service for the general student body.

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Contact Us for Student Housing Smart Lockers

Southwest Solutions Group  provides design and installation services for smart lockers for student housing and apartments. We will also provide a free consultation to determine your exact needs and specifications before the design begins. To learn more or to speak with a specialist, call us at 800-803-1083 or send us a message today.

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Education Testimonials

Wichita State University

“Southwest Solutions Group is the best managed team I’ve seen in the 15 years I’ve been working on campus, bar none. You could give lessons to some of the other contractors we do business with at WSU! Every detail was perfectly coordinated, including keeping the jobsite clean…. thank you!”

Wichita State University
SMU

“Just wanted to reach out and tell you how pleased I am with the renovation. I have been at SMU for quite a long time and for a while I thought that I was destined for inefficient, terrible storage spaces. The transformation that took place was absolutely mind blowing. Chester, Jay, and Marco were absolutely remarkable. They were true professionals and worked extremely well together as a team. I am hoping to find other under-utilized rooms just so I can have them come out again and make them functional. They were able to complete the job even though a whole day was lost due to a power outage on our campus. I thoroughly enjoyed their time on campus and want you to know that these guys are a valuable asset to your company. Again, it was an absolute pleasure to work with you and your team.”

SMU
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“Daryl, your guys are AWESOME! Your installation team just disassembled the sliding file cabinets and are heading over to the new facility. Your installers were very efficient and nice. This is a huge improvement from our experience with the other vendor. It is nice to work with professionals. Thanks for the great job!”

University of Texas
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“Derek and Patrick wrapped up round one just a bit ago. I wanted to let you know that everything went well. The guys were super to work with, very efficient and cordial, and I believe they left the space tidier than when they arrived! I know they will be back to finish the workbench cabinets in a couple of weeks, but I wanted to say thank you to them and you for your help with outfitting our lab. Please let them know I appreciate everything they did!”

University of Kansas

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