With today’s competitive landscape, universities need more than quality education and a good location to attract students. Colleges have been focusing on scoring high in world university rankings as a sign that they’re the place to be.

As colleges meet these standards, they should not overlook the importance of student satisfaction, which plays a significant role in both global and local university rankings. For instance, surveys like the National Student Survey (NSS) in the UK heavily influence university league tables.

So, how can you enhance student satisfaction?

Look at the small, everyday experiences. Make your campus experience a homely one. If your students today love to be on campus, then tomorrow’s students will too.

While the focus automatically tends to great facilities like the library, admissions, and student housing, mailroom services are criminally underrated.

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What Mailroom Services Offer

The Joy of a New Package

At the baseline, mailrooms facilitate the delivery and collection of packages. They also offer students a special experience.

Think of the anticipation when opening presents on Christmas day or the surprise of opening a mystery box. This “Christmas effect” happens every time you open a package.

Every time students visit the mailroom, they get to experience this effect. They’re relieved when supplies for a school project arrive. They feel their family’s warmth from care packages and specially baked goods. They’re excited about a book or a video game they got on sale.

All of these wonderful emotions, in part thanks to the mailroom and the university.

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The Touchpoint and Chance Encounters

Everyone passes through the mailroom: students, faculty, other staff members, and even the mailroom personnel! The mailroom is a social space. Don’t forget that.

Every interaction in the mailroom, from waiting in line to claiming your packages is a touchpoint. Imagine waiting in line for your parcel alongside your friends, getting to know your thesis buddies while getting documents printed, or meeting a future business partner while shipping a package.

Chance encounters, but life-changing ones.

This is the staff’s chance to get to know the students too. As they exchange small talk, the students can find a source of support in the staff. The staff can offer preventative care, accommodating requests and inquiries.

These relationships are key as the students go through their college journeys. Who you meet in university is just as important as what you learn.

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Offering More Than Deliveries

The mailroom offers more than the essential service of handling packages. As a service center, campus mailrooms can offer a broad range of conveniences.

Many mailrooms allow students to print and photocopy documents. Some sell office and shipping supplies. Others have self-service stations for mail prep and handle outgoing shipping.

Time and energy are in short supply for any student. So, letting them accomplish as many tasks as possible in one place is a massive win.

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How to Improve Your Mailroom Services

Now that we’ve established what the mailroom does for students, let’s look into improving the services.

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Elevate the Mailroom (Literally)

Students walk more than 11,000 steps a day. Since mailrooms were typically in the basement, students had to go out of their way to reach it. A detour like this draws on precious time.

Students already have a lot to do. If they have to work on an out-of-the-way errand like package collection, they’ll just postpone or forget it altogether. This delay can slow the mailroom down even further.

To avoid this problem, many universities today are moving their campus mailrooms. They don’t have to be detours if they’re well-integrated into the layout of the campus (and employ streamlined communication).

Move your mailroom to a more central location. Take account of data like foot traffic and points of interest (e.g. loading bays, driveways, wheelchair access, etc.).

In just one stop, students can do their errands, socialize, find a chance encounter, and head towards their next class, meal, or social gathering. Reduce the hassle of moving around, and the enjoyment will be enhanced.

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Next, Go Digital

Students will need help if your mailroom services rely on analog systems. To succeed (or survive), you must acknowledge where the students are now. Integrate today’s tech into your setup.

Digitalizing documentation can severely reduce the red tape. Automated notifications can lead to better transparency between the mailroom and the students. Students can then immediately take care of their pending packages.

Having your data on a digital database also means easy access and analysis. This is critical when preparing for peak seasons such as move-in, move-out, and sales (like Black Friday or Cyber Monday).

St Mary’s University in Twickenham adapted its mailroom and saw great results. Read more about their experience here.

Modern solutions, such as mailroom management software, do away with the inefficiencies and errors in your mailroom services, which means better services and more satisfied students.

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Keep Your Students In Mind

Enhancing the everyday lives of your students should be the ultimate goal of your mailroom services. Let them simmer in the Christmas effect and form relationships while getting their errands done—without any hassle.

Improve the quality of your service, bring up student satisfaction, and be at the top of students’ minds as the place to be.

The impact of these services should not be overlooked. Sign up for Parcel Tracker so you can get started enriching campus life.