Training apartment staff to use package and mailroom systems. The secret sauce to optimizing your apartment’s package handling.
As online shopping continues its exponential growth, managers and staff at high-rise, mid-rise, and garden-style multifamily apartment properties throughout the nation have one thing in common regarding incoming resident packages—they’re seeing more and more of them.
With online purchases projected to reach 28% of total U.S. retail sales by 2028, couriers from UPS, USPS, Amazon, and FedEx are entering lobbies more frequently throughout the day. And their package hauls are growing impressively large, with deliveries varying widely in size and type (we’ve all seen those massive roller bins full of packages).
There are a variety of multifamily package delivery solutions designed to address this growing challenge by automating the package delivery and pickup process to some extent.
The Smart Package Room® System
The Smart Package Room® system allows couriers and staff to quickly deliver packages into the room. There, the packages are safeguarded for residents who can pick them up 24/7 using a secure QR code, sent to them via text and email.
Smart package lockers for apartments resemble traditional locker systems and allow couriers and staff to deliver items into pre-sized compartments for the residents to access for pickup. Off-site solutions remove packages from the property and rely on a third-party courier to deliver them to the residents within a recommended window of time.
Solving Delivery Problems
Regardless of the package management solution—smart rooms, smart lockers, off-site—most properties can agree that couriers are not incentivized to spend the time that it takes to fully complete the delivery process.
This can result in “package dumping” or improperly delivered packages. In our conversations with hundreds of property managers, staff, and concierges, the vast majority relate to this frustration as it directly impacts the resident experience.
Case Study: How 210 South 12th Street Personalizes Package Delivery
With many property managers and staff feeling helpless and searching for best practices to utilize at their apartment mailroom, we’ve found that the properties that have managed to turn their package migraine into a package massage have done so by adding one key element: a personal touch.
This critical apartment mailroom best practice is realized in the form of property staff, management, or a concierge who performs routine maintenance of their package room and engages with couriers to ensure that every package is properly delivered.
We recently spoke with Michael Jalil, the Community Manager of 210 South 12th Street, the award-winning high-rise multifamily apartment rental complex located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia. Michael and his staff have a Smart Package Room system at the property, as part of its luxury amenities that make for a one-of-a-kind living experience.
Their staff have taken full responsibility for their Smart Package Room solution, ensuring that every resident’s package ends up in the right hands every time.
Here are some highlights from our conversation with Michael, addressing how adding a personal touch has become a best practice in their apartment mailroom’s package management strategy.
“In this day and age, package management can no longer be an afterthought. It must be built into the day-to-day responsibilities.” – Michael Jalil, Community Manager, 210 South 12th St, Philadelphia
Practical Solutions for Luxury Housing
210 South 12th Street is more than a city apartment complex: it’s a thriving community of professionals—some young, some more experienced, many who work in the nearby medical community.
The tenants work hard and want to return to a home that soothes their soul. 210 South 12th Street offers well-appointed studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom penthouse apartments at the heart of the Center City Washington Square West neighborhood that specializes in culture and hospitality.
A Customizable Solution to Package Volume
With the luxurious standard of living they provide their residents, it’s no surprise that the property management group of 210 South 12th Street was interested in installing a Smart Package Room system to manage their incoming package volume.
The all-in-one future-proof package management solution automates package delivery fulfillment while providing team members with the opportunity to engage with residents to ensure that they never miss a package.
The Smart Package Room system has been operating for ten months and is easily accessible from the main lobby. It is optimized with large shelving units for standard packages (anything that comes in a small or medium box), a rack full of labeled bins for flat packages (padded envelopes), and an open area for oversized deliveries such as televisions, mattresses, and sports equipment.
Interview with the Community Manager
The oversized area can expand and flex during higher shipping periods such as Prime Day, Cyber Monday, and throughout the holiday shopping season. A handheld MobileKiosk™ device facilitates speedy bulk delivery of packages by couriers and on-site team members.
Michael and the management team have instilled the personal touch best practice for their apartment mailroom, ensuring that team members and the concierge are trained in how to deliver packages into the Smart Package Room system.
They perform regular room maintenance to ensure a tidy room, and they assist residents with package pickup if necessary. They work closely with couriers who are new to the system, providing them with delivery instructions and custom PINs to enter the multifamily package delivery solution.
In the case of couriers who place packages outside of the room or don’t deliver them properly, the concierge will step in to complete the delivery process into the room.
Michael views this as a critical part of the team’s daily responsibilities. He noted that when a concierge checks in packages, it helps provide a personal touch. This creates a greater connection and experience with their residents, which sets them apart from the typical multifamily property.
“You can’t automate everything. Some things need a personal touch. Packages are one of those things.” – Michael Jalil, Community Manager, 210 South 12th St, Philadelphia
Apartment Mailroom Best Practices with a Personal Touch
In today’s increasingly competitive multifamily market, properties that offer their residents optimized amenities with superior service—including a genuine personal touch—are well-positioned to increase their rentals and retain the loyalty of current residents.
Contact our team today to learn more about the Smart Package Room solution