Luxer One

Package Acceptance Made Easy

By Erica Rascón on Apr 5, 2017 in Technology

Throughout multifamily housing, managers struggle with resident package logistics. The problem spikes in student housing communities. Student properties receive 10-15 percent more packages than conventional multi-family properties.

A Growing Problem

The convenience of (often free) delivery appeals to busy students. Additionally, companies like Amazon target the student population with incentives. Amazon Prime offers six months of free service and 50 percent off of students’ subscription rate for the remainder of their student status.

As a result, student housing staff gets swamped with packages. Leasing office staff juggle a myriad of responsibilities. Pausing potential sales or residents interactions to handle package delivery is not a viable option. Maneuvering guests around recently delivered armoires and mattresses is even less of an option.

“We’ve seen communities spend up to 4 hours a day simply dealing with packages,” says Melody Akhtari, Director of Marketing & Communications at Luxer One. “Package delivery causes not only a problem of constant interruptions and wasted time, but it also causes space management issues.”

Simple Solutions

Luxer One provides storage solutions to address the growing needs of student housing managers.

Luxer One’s storage solutions are designed to accept every package automatically and store them securely, without the need for management staff to intervene. This type of automation eliminates interruptions from parcel carriers and gives back time and energy to dedicate to the art of community management.

Luxer Lockers are installed on the premises. The courier delivers the package to the locker and scans it. Residents get a mobile notification with a one-time-use access to retrieve their package on their own schedule. Leasing office staff can continue their workflows and other resident interactions without interruption.

Locker sizes vary, permitting the storage of a range of packages.

“Almost half of all packages delivered go into our small lockers. About a third go to the medium lockers,” says Akhtari. “This is good news because it allows student housing communities to design the majority of their locker systems with a higher number of smaller lockers, making the most efficient use of their space.”

Between 15-20 percent of packages are defined as extra-large or oversized. Luxer One systems are often designed with at least one Oversized & Overflow Locker. The specially-made locker is crafted to accept the largest size parcel carriers are willing to ship.

“It’s big enough for you to stand in,” explains Akhtari. “We see Casper mattress boxes, furniture from Target, and countless other bulky items get accepted in the oversized items all the time. These are the kinds of packages that you really don’t want getting sent to the management office, because just a few of them will take up an enormous amount of floor space.”

Pick-Up Logistics

Luxer Rooms offer an alternative that is equally hands-free for leasing office staff. Rather than delivering to specific lockers, the courier delivers packages directly to a package room that gives them access via the Luxer Room touch screen.

The resident receives a notification that they have a package waiting, along with a one-time access code to enter the Luxer Room. The resident uses the code and their signature to gain access to the room. Luxer One touch screen system captures a picture of the package recipient—and the transaction is done! The leasing office staff is free to conduct business without interruption.

The company’s package locker and room solutions come with video surveillance cameras that Luxer One monitors and maintains, as well as activity logs to ensure security and accountability. Luxer One CEO, Arik Levy, says the company’s mission is to solve 100 percent of the package problem for apartment communities.

“We believe a complete package management solution requires dedication to security, ease-of-use, and 24/7 support for everyone who interacts with the system – residents, carriers, and property staff,” says Levy.

Both Luxer Lockers and Luxer Room systems can accommodate perishable items when used in conjunction with a refrigerator.

“We’ve put refrigerators in a package room that’s secured by the Luxer One touch screen. When carriers see they have a Blue Apron box or flower deliveries, they can select the ‘perishable’ option in the system and put the item in the fridge,” says Akhtari.

Practical Installation and Application

Installation for new construction is a breeze. A retrofit requires more creativity but is still quite simple.

“All of our installs are quick, about a half day,” says Akhtari. “The only thing the team needs to have ready is power and internet. We take care of the rest. No construction crew is needed.”

The Luxer One team collaborates with site management to find the perfect location for the Luxer One system, which has no minimum or maximum unit specifications.

“We try to keep the location as close to the mailboxes as possible so USPS can deliver easily. Sometimes we find this magic location where we can build a really beautiful and unique layout,” she laughs. “The lockers don’t need to all be on the same wall. We can do disconnected systems, for example, three towers in one place and three on the other. We can be flexible in communities.”

To accommodate the high move-in and move-out rate with student housing, the automated package management system’s integrations are designed to handle automatic syncing with any property management software, such as Yardi Voyager for Student Housing.

The San Francisco-based company equips its system with fail-proof components that expect the unexpected. Packages with misspelled names and other incongruities are stored under a “house account.”

“Our goal is create a simplified and friendly experience for everyone involved in the delivery process,” says Akhtari. “Couriers get a 100 percent package acceptance promise. No second or third delivery attempts. Leasing office staff can get back to the art of community management without the hassle of sorting packages or trying to figure out where to store them. And residents get the peace of mind of knowing they can pick up their packages whenever they want. Simple.”