How Does a Parcel Room Improve Building Management?

You have a lot of responsibilities as a residential operator, and finding ways to improve building management is almost always at the top of the list.

This is easier said than done, especially when there are many different aspects to facilities management. You could be negotiating terms of service contracts one day and hiring a new and experienced technician the next to help keep your building running smoothly.

But how does your BTR/PBSA manage when it comes to resident parcel deliveries? Are you losing time and money? Finding it hard to keep track of data and paperwork?

Installing a parcel room will greatly help improve building management. We discuss how below.

From our own data, we know 4500 parcels are delivered on average per month to residential buildings with 700 residents. Deliveries on this scale can seriously disrupt your team’s day. Front of house staff can spend several hours per shift:

• Handling incoming deliveries
• Safely storing parcels
• Notifying residents
• Finding parcels again when the owners comes to collect them

A dedicated parcel room ensures package-related duties are kept to a minimum. Instead of manually signing in each item, our electronic logging software is used to check in packages in as little as 5 seconds. A push notification is then sent to the resident to let them know their package is waiting downstairs.

This saves customer service staff countless hours. Across all our sites, the average amount of parcel collections made by residents between 9:00am and 5:00pm is 225. That’s equal to 28 resident pick-ups every hour.

But with our dedicated parcel room, customer service advisors aren’t being distracted from their duties 28 times an hour. The time saved by engaging with automated building management methods can be put to better use by:

• Better serving your residents
• Planning new community events
• Selling and following up on new leases
• Carrying out many other things on your plate

The more time that can be saved through automated processes, the more time your employees will have to complete other important tasks. In turn, the leadership team in your BTR/PBSA will have greater support managing the building and attending to the needs of your residents.

Data should heavily influence every decision we make. It highlights what’s working, what can be improved and what needs to be removed. Without data, it’s impossible to make an educated response, and decisions are reduced to gut-feelings and guess work.

Parcel rooms and the accompanying electronic logging software can be used to track and store data such as how many deliveries are made each hour and the busiest times for parcel collections.

By analysing the numbers, you can make more informed choices to improve building management. As an example, if you know categorically that a certain day or time sees fewer parcel deliveries and pick-ups than others, you can:

• Reschedule reception cleaning duties to take place during quieter periods
• Ensure tours and viewings are conducted when the reception is most likely to be clear
• Assign additional staff to help during peak hours

Data helps you to work smarter, not harder. If you don’t have the resources for overtime pay or you need to find ways to reduce overheads, quantitative data makes it clear where your collective efforts can be put to better use.

If you’re short on space, and a parcel room isn’t right for your building just yet, PSP Lite ensures you still have the means to capture important information to make the right decisions.

Using the kiosk provided, every parcel is still checked in by the courier and tracked. That data is then saved for you to access whenever needed.

We’re currently offering BTR and PBSA operators a taste of PSP Lite, so get in contact with us to see if you qualify for a free two month trial.

Streamlining your building management processes doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Proptech such as Parcel SafePlace and PSP Lite makes it easier to find the time to complete daily tasks, and capturing data gives you a way to make more informed decisions that save time, money and hassle.

A dedicated parcel room is the most requested amenity from residents, so not only will it help you, it’s a product that almost every person in your building will benefit from.

To learn more about our package rooms and if they’re right for your BTR/PBSA, make sure to get in touch and speak with one of our colleagues today.