Parcel management in residential buildings has always been a hassle for staff, residents and couriers, but Parcel SafePlace is changing that. Our goal is to provide the BTR and PBSA markets with everything they need to make handling parcels easy, safe and secure.
And we mean it when we say “secure.”
Deliveries to residential buildings have the potential to be lost or stolen every day if your parcel management system is inefficient. In a worse case scenario, your building could be held liable for the costs. This is why you need to be confident that any package room installed in your development has a range of security measures to prevent loss and theft.
There are four key security essentials that are needed for a comprehensive parcel room service. Take a look below to see what you need in place.
A Room in View of Reception
The vast majority of people will remain on their best behaviour if there’s an authority figure nearby. It’s why security guards go on regular patrols; to remind everyone that the area is monitored and action can quickly be taken to resolve any issues.
By keeping your package room next to the reception, it means anyone who does consider taking a parcel that doesn’t belong to them will have to pass by in full view of the receptionist or a concierge. And if your team catches a resident’s eye or makes polite small talk, it lets a potential thief know they have been seen and recognised.
Given that you’ll still want your team to interact with residents regularly, having the parcel room nearby encourages natural conversations without being overtly based on security.
Want to learn more about how your reception layout can help with parcel management? Make sure to check out our full blog on the subject.
One-Time-Only Access Codes
No one should be entering the package room unless they have a reason to be there. To ensure rooms are only accessed by your staff, couriers and residents with a parcel waiting to be picked up, we install software that limits all unnecessary access.
Your team will periodically need to enter the room for:
- Cleaning
- Maintenance
- General security checks
And couriers will need to enter so they can store the parcels safely. A code can be generated for staff and couriers for these activities, but as we say, it will only work once and you will have to be an authorised user (eg. a Property Manager) to create a code.
This is to protect staff and couriers from any false accusations. It also prevents anyone who isn’t authorised from generating a code for any purpose, limiting the amount of people you may need to speak to if any item does go missing.
Don’t worry about residents being able to enter the room to retrieve their deliveries. Once a package is checked in with our logging software, an automatic push notification is sent to the resident with their access code. This allows them to freely collect their parcel at a time that suits them while keeping the area secure from anyone who doesn’t need to enter.
24-Hour CCTV Coverage
Your staff can’t keep an eye on parcels every minute of the day. And even if they could, there’s probably a million other things they would rather be doing.
Every package room we install comes equipped with at least two state-of-the-art security cameras that give full coverage of the area 24 hours a day. CCTV is incredibly useful if you need to identify someone who has moved a parcel and can be used as evidence to safeguard innocent parties.
Cameras are also powerful deterrents. In a perfect world, you wouldn’t actually need CCTV, but with an ever-present watchful eye in the package room, it will certainly put off anyone who considers taking an extra parcel out of the area.
Full Electronic Logging System
Keeping records is a great way to see who has been using the package room. Even if staff do miss a resident or courier entering the room, their details are recorded electronically when they use their entry code, so there’s always a trail to follow.
To use our parcel rooms, residents need to agree to our terms of service. This means giving us their consent to gather and store data such as their:
- Name — Used to match parcels with residents
- Home address — Used to match parcels with residents
- Email — Used as a notification method after a delivery
- Mobile phone number — Used as a notification method after a delivery
- Signature — Used as proof of pick up
- Photo image of their face — Used as proof of pick up
With these details, determining who has moved a parcel is simple. Alongside the entry records, CCTV can be used to shed light on the whole situation and bring about speedy resolution.
Keeping Your Package Room Safe & Secure
The rising popularity of online shopping means a service such as ours is already a necessity in residential buildings. Your team spends too much time handling parcels when they have other important tasks to carry out.
A smart package room frees up their time while ensuring every parcel is safe from theft. It’s the most efficient parcel management system available that works for you, residents and couriers.
We’re always happy to explain our service’s security features in more detail. To learn more, contact our team today.
