Special Delivery

Tech for Multifamily Mail

By Geneva Ives on Oct 9, 2015 in Technology

The holidays are coming… and with them comes a huge increase in resident packages! Are you ready?

If that thought made you shudder a little bit, you’re not alone. Apartment communities and high-rise buildings see a dramatic influx of deliveries during the months of November and December. The question of how to deal with them in a way that will make both residents and staff happy is on every property manager’s mind right about now.

First, we’ll take a look at some shipping stats so you can see exactly what communities just like yours are up against. Then we’ll identify challenges that every property faces. Finally, we’ll show you how simple technology solutions can help you handle shipments more efficiently. Because even Santa could use a hand during this time of year!

The Stats

Did you know that the typical apartment community can receive as many as 100 packages in a week—and that number can DOUBLE during the holidays?

Last year, the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) took a closer look at package delivery by the numbers. Take a look at their wonderful infographic below to see stats at a glance. We can only imagine that the numbers will be even bigger this year!

The Challenges

“When you receive 200 or 300 packages a week, it puts tremendous pressure on the staff to manage the influx of deliveries. And with 90 percent of retail sales still taking place in brick and mortar buildings, we’re only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of e-commerce,” said Rick Haughey, NMHC Vice President of Industry Technology Initiatives.

The challenges that most community managers face regarding parcel deliveries really come down to three things: storage, manpower and resident notifications.

• Package storage: Where will you store packages after they are delivered to you and before they are delivered to (or picked up by) your residents?
• Package handling: Which team members are responsible for packages after they arrive at your property? Who makes sure packages get to the correct recipients?
• Package notifications: How will residents know when a delivery is waiting for them? What, if anything, will you do if a delivery is time sensitive? What happens when a renter is out of town for an extended period?

The Solution

You could easily be looking at a 200% increase in package deliveries between now and next January. Make things easier on yourself, your staff and your residents by predicting your needs and proactively addressing them. Leveraging technology designed to deal with package deliveries is one way to simplify things for all parties involved (and tackle at least two of the challenges listed above).

“Moving forward, we’ll see more use of technology and automation that not only manages the volume [of packages] but gives the residents flexibility,” asserted Haughey.

Solutions like Yardi Concierge™ allow you to provide the highest level of customer service and convenience to your residents, while streamlining communication and workflow for staff. Fully integrated with Yardi Voyager® and RentCafe®, Concierge allows your team to manage parcel delivery or drop-off requests on behalf of residents, as well as view all package-related tasks on one convenient dashboard and notify recipients of delivery or pickup by email. Signature capture and LCD marquee notifications are also supported. Concierge additionally enables your residents to authorize guests, set notification preferences, reserve amenities, and more.

In addition to using technology to make your job easier, you’ll want to prepare and secure your package holding area, train newer team members on your package policy, and let residents know how you will notify them of deliveries. You can even do a little social media marketing to show prospects how your resident services—including concierge functions like package delivery—really set your community apart and make it a great place to call home for the holidays!

What does your property do to make sure the holiday shipping season runs smoothly? Share your tips with us!