Balancing Automation and Human Touch in Package Management

architecture - engineering - construction

Balancing Automation and Human Touch in Package Management

June 20, 2024

Short-staffed properties, a lack of space, and cluttered common areas can create a less-than-secure environment and an inefficient package delivery experience that leaves both staff and residents frustrated. Automation can help.

Smart lockers and access-controlled package rooms have revolutionized the way property managers handle package management, allowing residents to retrieve their packages from a secure location at their convenience. However, automated package management solutions aren’t set-it-and-forget-it technologies. Like all technology, disruptions are inevitable, and events such as power outages, misdelivery errors, and resident changes require a human touch to resolve.

But you’re not alone. When issues with your smart package solutions arise, your team’s guidance and our dedicated customer service team at Package Concierge® can make a difference by minimizing the impact of package-related disruptions.

The best way to minimize the impact of disruptions is to prevent them from happening in the first place. While some disruptions are inevitable, a proactive approach can prevent problems before they occur. And it starts with improved resident knowledge and current resident data.

Educate your residents

During move-in, provide residents with a concise one-page sheet that explains how to access and use your Package Concierge® smart apartment locker or package room, and identify the person residents should reach out to with questions or for after-hours assistance.

This is also an ideal time to ask residents to register in the system and ensure they have received their proper login credentials. Keep in mind that residents might not receive their first delivery until months after move-in, at which point your one-page sheet is long gone. So it’s important to ensure they’ve already registered in the system and received email communication from the Package Concierge® team.

Additionally, it’s helpful to direct residents to the Package Concierge® Resident Portal for a crash course on how to retrieve their package, access their account, and turn on vacation mode.

Act fast to keep minor issues minor

Minor package delivery issues can quickly snowball, creating pile-ups as more and more packages are dropped off. It’s important for your staff to feel empowered to resolve these minor issues quickly.

For example, a delivery carrier may try to shove a package that is slightly too large into a locker compartment. The package may then press against the inside of the door latch, making it impossible to open from the outside. In this scenario, an on-site staff member with manual access to the automated locker can open the system and retrieve the package for the resident.

Another common scenario occurs when a carrier accidentally delivers a package to the wrong resident. In this situation, our integrated cameras come into play. Whenever a smart locker or package room is accessed, these cameras take a snapshot. Property managers can quickly identify when the carrier dropped off the package and then access video surveillance footage of the timestamp from the still camera. This gives onsite staff the ability to quickly determine which compartment was used and send a team member to retrieve the package for the resident.

Don’t panic during a power outage

If your property has lost power or internet connection, even for a brief moment, simply swing by the smart package lockers to ensure they’ve rebooted and come back online. Often, smart package solutions will still allow carriers to deliver packages, but the outage may disrupt the automatic resident notification.

However, even for a brief outage, it’s important to outline clear secondary delivery options for carriers and residents. If your locker is out of commission, attach a note that directs carriers to drop packages off at a secondary overflow location, which could be your lobby or management office. While this isn’t a long-term solution, it will prevent packages from being strewn across multiple locations while our technicians resolve the problem.

Finally, it’s key to keep resident info up to date, ensuring packages go to the right people as residents move in and out of the property. You can update this information manually during standard property software updates or allow the Package Concierge® system to automatically update it through our true API integration. This feature helps ensure that current residents get their packages without a hitch, and former residents’ deliveries don’t end up in limbo.

Rely on the technical expertise of Package Concierge®

After years of faithful service, smart package lockers may begin to show a little wear and tear. While our doors and hinges have been cycle tested for over 10,000 uses, any system that is touched by multiple people every day will eventually need a little TLC.

If your system falls into this category, call our customer service line or submit a support ticket on our website. Depending on the situation, an onsite technician will either guide you through a diagnostic process over the phone or dispatch a technician to the property.

Also, make sure to access your management portal regularly for reports on transaction counts, stale packages (i.e., packages that haven’t been retrieved in a timely manner), and system disruptions. These reports are readily available and can go a long way toward keeping your system healthy.

The combination of automation and human management provides a recipe for satisfied residents and less-stressed management staff. But for your system to operate effectively, you need a partner who has your back. Our Package Concierge® team consists of proven, experienced professionals who understand the challenges of managing a multifamily property.

Interested in learning more about the role Package Concierge® plays in ensuring your package solutions run smoothly? Reach out to a member of our team today to get the conversation started.

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Company: Package Concierge®