Are you chronically online? How much of your life is tied to the Internet?

Today, dozens of digital innovations are designed to make your life easier. For example, food delivery apps and e-commerce platforms bring essentials right to your doorstep.

Think of how many times in the past month you’ve ordered something like food or clothes online. Easy and convenient, right?

Yes, but only if you’re not the one managing the deliveries.

Online shopping and other trends have led to all-time highs in package deliveries. In fact, volumes have doubled globally in the past five years.

If you’re a property manager, a receptionist, or part of the mailroom staff, then the problem is too familiar. Scattered packages, waiting recipients, and a lot of hassle.

How can you efficiently and safely manage these deliveries, then?

Meet the Package Room

Package rooms are secure and convenient hubs for incoming deliveries and outgoing packages.

Compared to mailrooms, they enable self-service collection. Couriers arrive with their deliveries. They, or the staff, log the package and notify the recipient. Then, the recipient collects the parcel! Much of this process is automated with parcel management software or something like Amazon Business Key.

Package rooms are usually centralized for easy access to both couriers and recipients, but they’re equipped with security and surveillance equipment to prohibit unauthorized access.

Parcel lockers serve the same purpose, but package rooms offer more physical space and room for customization.

These are the key traits of any package room:

• Efficient: Package rooms receive, process, and turn over parcels promptly. They make the most out of storage space, minimize clutter, and save time and money on parcel management.
• Adaptable: Package rooms can preemptively adjust to peak delivery times.
• Convenient: Recipients and couriers can easily find the package room. The goal is to offer a convenient amenity that enhances satisfaction for couriers, recipients, and the package room staff.
• Secure: While accessible, package rooms don't let everyone inside. They ensure the safety of the recipient’s packages and data while preventing package theft.
• Compliant: Package rooms abide by their organization’s regulatory requirements.

Making the Package Room

Set the Foundation

The first step in package room setup is knowing your organization. Identify the property’s circumstances, using existing data and feedback. Parcel Tracker streamlines this process with our data analytics feature.

You’re looking to answer a lot of questions, but it will pay off in no time.

Property Situation

• How many parcels does the property receive? What types of parcels?
• What are the peak times and seasons?
• What are the collecting habits of the recipients? Do they collect promptly?
• Are they notified by SMS or email?
• How do couriers drop off their items?

From Parcel Tracker’s own data, we found that package volumes peaked in October, November, January and May. October, January and May all line up with the start of quarters and school semesters. Meanwhile, Black Friday and other holiday sales commence in November.

Necessary Equipment

Based on the data, is special equipment needed? Will you need—

• For restaurants: A cold storage setup for perishable goods?
• For apartments: Larger space or trolleys for furniture?
• For hospitals: Sanitation stations for hazardous materials?
• For care homes: Access ramps and handicap assistance?
• In general: Special storage for valuables or documents?

Compliance

• Are there any limitations imposed by city regulations, building codes, privacy laws, or HOA guidelines?
• For accessibility, you should keep in mind ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines.

The Game Plan

Now that you’ve established the now, wants, and needs of the property, let’s set some goals.

Location

How much space should the package room have? Is there an existing room available, or is construction needed?

A good jumping off point is determining how many packages go through your property daily or weekly.

Our data suggests that each recipient claims one package a month. Most e-commerce packages are around 12 x 9 x 4 inches in size (30.5 x 22.9 x 10.2 cm) and take about 3 days to be claimed. So, for a property supporting 300 people, there would be 30 packages waiting per day. This means that, at minimum, the package room should have between 7 and 22 square feet (0.65 to 2.04 square meters) of floor space, depending on how you stack the packages.

Make sure that the package room has a central location. It needs to be accessible to recipients and couriers but not a random person on the street.

If possible, you should identify additional rooms for overflow. These spaces don’t have to be adjacent to the package center but should still be accessible by the package room staff.

Access and Security

How can people enter the package room without compromising safety? The traditional lock-and-key method is unrealistic for a package room that supports hundreds of people, so what else can they use?

Smart locks have expanded the options greatly, so people can use passwords, PINs, keycards, keyfobs, and even biometrics. A phone app may generate a QR code for scanning. Or, access can be granted remotely by monitoring staff.

For example, USPS considers sign-in/out sheets, keycard access, and ID badge systems as viable security measures.

The lock company, Yale, has updated their product portfolio with a range of smart locks. These models can be opened with codes, key fobs, or access granted via a phone app.

If space allows, you can have one space for general package collection and another with limited access. This second space would be ideal for cold storage or holding hazardous materials, valuables, confidential items, etc.

Additionally, should the package room be open 24/7 or only during certain hours?

Self-service

The amount of self-service you allow comes with its pros and cons.

By allowing people to leave and claim packages on their own, you save on manpower. But, you may have to invest more in security and surveillance. By having dedicated package room staff, you can readily address concerns that emerge in real-time. But, recipients may encounter delays as the staff processes dozens of packages.

It all boils down to one main question: How can convenience and security be balanced?

Properties with high delivery volumes but limited manpower may benefit from complete self-service. Recipients are in charge of tracking their packages and can access them whenever they’re available. This would be a great option for laboratories or universities ordering supplies for specific departments.

The trade-off is the lack of immediate assistance. The recipients are on their own in addressing broken or missing packages, at least until the package room manager can assist them.

Other properties like student accommodations and apartment complexes can benefit from complete self-service, but the efficiency of the package room can decrease the more recipients there are. Bottlenecks emerge with so many people converging on one space, especially during peak seasons like sales, move-in, or move-out. In these cases, having staff on hand to facilitate the process can greatly alleviate the bottleneck and allow for preemptive care.

Regardless of how independent recipients will be, room managers and security should be able to physically and remotely access the package room at any time, especially if they’re granting room access.

Should you have staff handling the packages, consider what solutions you can integrate to streamline package processing. For example, parcel management software allows you to automate various tasks like logging items in and out.

With complete self-service, it’s best to allocate stations and leave instructions or infographics. Couriers, regardless of their carrier, should know where and how to leave packages. Recipients should be aware that they’ll receive delivery notifications, whether by app, email, or SMS.

Get the Ball Rolling

With the broad strokes established, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty. During this phase, you’ll scout for the hardware and software, get the costing, and present the plans to property management or the HOA.

Here’s a handy checklist of the most important things to prepare:

1. Location and space: Construction costs, electrical work, lighting, HVAC installation, special areas (sanitation, cold storage, etc.), and accessibility (e.g. ramps, railings).
2. Labor: Design by an interior decorator or architect, installation, maintenance, and staff training.
3. Storage: Shelves, lockers, and storage bins.
   • For shelves, we recommend you get adjustable units and mount them with wheels. Ikea’s IVAR shelf unit is a great start.
   • When mounting these shelves, you should give ample space for different types of packages. Small packages (envelopes and small boxes) tend to be 4” tall. Medium packages can be 6-12” tall, while large and bulky items can be at least 12-24” tall.
   • Shown below is what we can do with the IVAR shelf.
     • Use the floor for large and heavy packages. Give 24” of height clearance.
     • Use the first two shelves for medium-sized packages, giving 12” of height clearance.
     • Use the next two shelves for smaller packages, giving 10” of height clearance.
     • Use the top shelf for the smallest packages (envelopes and small boxes), up to 8” of height clearance.
4. Special equipment: Appliances like printers, surveillance equipment, Wi-fi providers, and staff communication equipment.
   • For easy sorting, Parcel Tracker recommends Brother label printers.
5. Software and licensing: Security and surveillance, parcel management, access control, and alarms.
   • You can see our recommendations for parcel management software here.
6. Regular office supplies: Paper, ink, tape, cutters, boxes, etc.
7. Signage: Designing and producing instructions for the recipients, couriers, and staff. This includes guidelines for package room use, retrieval times, staff contact information, etc.
8. Insurance
9. Compliance: Building permits and inspections.

Once this has been all prepared and approved, you can finally set up your package room. Start construction! Bring in the equipment, and install the security systems and management software.

Final Touches

As the package room gets ready for use, make sure everyone involved is on the same page.

• Make the announcements: Communicate the additions or changes to the recipients, property staff, and couriers as early as possible so they can make preparations.
• Establish regular maintenance: Schedule frequent check-ins for both hardware and software to address issues quickly.
• Gather feedback: Open up a support channel so that anyone can offer suggestions or issue tickets if something goes unaddressed. This can be a drop box or an online form.
• Analysis: Over time, you will gather plenty of data from your parcel management software, security tech, and support channels. Keep these in mind as you continue improving your operations.

Packages Are Waiting

Package rooms are a great solution to a challenge that’s here to stay. Whether you’re ordering onions from across town, flying vaccines in from abroad, or have shopaholic tenants, a secure and convenient delivery hub will always be appreciated.

As you’re scouting the options, consider Parcel Tracker’s package management solutions. Dozens of solutions, all fit for you. So, sign up now.