July 2023
The way in which packages are received and managed has changed as volumes have doubled, tripled and quadrupled. Residents find it unacceptable for their valuable items to be left unattended where anyone can sort through and possibly take them. They find it unacceptable to reside in a community unable to find space where these important items can be left.
Consumers expect a parcel management system that includes real-time notification, access via their smartphone, the ability to have items stored for a short period of time until retrieved, and a package return option. While this may seem to be a complex undertaking, available technologies make the process seamless.
A further complication is that growth in purchases have created a dramatic increase in parcel delivery companies. Amazon alone relies on 12 carriers in Canada. Your parcel management system needs to be capable of processing these growing volumes and dealing with the proliferation of delivery services.
The challenge in package deliveries has always been greatest in the “last mile”. Regardless of how far a package has travelled, dealing with that “last mile” remains difficult. It is clear that high-rise residents dislike having to pick up packages from locations away from their home. Increasingly, this is becoming more difficult and expensive for those without access to an automobile. Their preference is for a secure location at their home.
Allowing unknown and unverified parcel delivery personnel to wander throughout a high-rise building poses a security risk. Packages can be left with a concierge who stores them, informs residents when their packages arrive, and facilitates retrieval. This requires a sophisticated solution for handling these tasks with minimal effort since package management is not a primary responsibility. Software solutions are readily available, such as those provided by BuildingLink and UpperBee Software, that are economical and easy to use.
Parcel rooms, which appear to be a simple solution, are problematic. Carriers tend to dump parcels for residents in a single room after scanning just one package from the group they are delivering. This means that most are unaware their package has been delivered. Packages accumulate in a room accessible to many people. This can result in confusion, damage to some packages, and theft.
Parcel lockers provide residents with the parcel security and access they desire without involving a concierge desk or taking from their responsibilities. Packages are delivered to a secure locker. Services such as ParcelPort Solutions integrate with your condo management software to automatically access resident information and contact them in a preferred manner be it e-mail or text message for pick up at their convenience.
Many purchases end up being returned. Unlike parcel rooms and a concierge desk, parcel lockers offer a secure package return solution. The best parcel locker solutions offer a system for leaving return items in a locker and requesting pick up by the designated service.
Like them or not, package deliveries are not going to disappear. Each community needs to develop a workable solution consistent with their infrastructure and how they choose to operate.
