With every new academic year, another influx of students bursts onto the scene, full of energy and excited about the prospects that lie ahead. And every year, there’s also a lot of staff working in purpose-built student accommodation, bracing themselves for the onslaught that comes with their arrival.
The first couple of weeks of term are pandemonium. Students need time to settle into their new lives, and staff must manage a doubled workload overnight.
It’s a lot to handle, significantly since the number of students has risen yearly since 2014. If the trend continues, managing move-ins will only get more challenging.
However, an effective student parcel delivery system will keep things in order. We explain how the proper parcel management set-up gives your student residents and staff more time and space for the perfect start to uni life.
A Helping Hand for Staff & Students
The student move-in experience has dramatically changed with the rise of internet shopping. Before online retailers changed consumer trends with lower prices and speedy delivery times all across the UK, the thing was to buy all the necessities for university before leaving.
This also meant students took a lot of heavy luggage on the train with them or roped in Mum & Dad to travel halfway across the country because their cars had ample boot space.
Students don’t need to do this anymore. Everything they need can be bought and delivered at the click of a button. But with delivery times as broad as 7:00 in the morning and 8:00 p.m., there’s very little chance of them sitting inside and waiting all day.
While the students are exploring the city and getting to grips with their new-found freedom, it’s up to the front-of-house staff to handle the deliveries.
Without a solution, it won’t be long until the front desk is overflowing with parcels. You could always refuse to take packages in but want to form a friendship based on respect with the students. Turning away deliveries won’t help that cause. This is why having a plan is crucial to your staff and the students.
A Much-Needed Storage Solution
Keeping on top of parcel deliveries is difficult at the best of times, but the start of the academic year presents a challenge like no other. The number of packages that arrive in the first couple of weeks can be triple the average amount, and all those deliveries need to be stored somewhere.
Without a dedicated parcel room, packages clutter the front desk, which will:
- Make organisation difficult
- Create a health & safety risk
- Leave parcels more susceptible to damage and theft
Parcel rooms are the best solution. Not only do they provide plenty of storage space, but high-level security measures make them incredibly safe places to leave deliveries until the owners can pick them up.
Some PBSA operators have looked into installing lockers for deliveries but don’t provide a comprehensive solution. When students order larger essentials such as bedding, there’s not a locker big enough for storage. These items then usually end up in the hands of front-of-house staff, which defeats the purpose of a locker in the first place.
More Time to Help Students
For many young people, going to university will be their first time away from home, and everyone reacts to this in a different way. Some will love their new-found freedom, and others will find it difficult to be away from friends and family.
The more support your staff can provide, the better. However, if front-of-house staff (arguably the face of your development) are trying to balance their customer care duties with wave after wave of package management, something is going to falter unless you have a student parcel delivery system in place.
The correct set-up — such as a parcel room or an electronic parcel logging system like PSP Lite — will free up your staff’s time, so it can be used better.
A package room gives couriers a place to store items without having to leave deliveries at the front desk and without the never-ending struggle of fitting an oversized item into an undersized locker.
PSP Lite can be used to check packages in as little as 5 seconds, with push notifications automatically sent to the owners. If that sounds good, get in touch to see if your development qualifies for a free two-month trial.
Some ways your team can utilise their time to benefit the students include:
- Setting up social events
- Assisting with enquiries
- Conducting building tours
Are You Prepared for the New Academic Year?
The start of term is always a handful, but an effective student parcel delivery system will streamline the hectic first few weeks. With students able to adjust to their surroundings and staff able to free up their time to help, the new academic year can start without any hiccups.
Parcel SafePlace provides the best options for package management, whether you’re looking for a full parcel room or an easy-to-use electronic logging system.
Make sure to reach out to us for more information and assistance.
