Between personal deliveries and work packages, online orders and everyday mail, managing a multi-residential building can feel like running a small post office. And despite best efforts, it’s common for property teams to become overwhelmed.
Dave Dexter, VP of Multifamily Sales, Luxer One.
“Package management is taking up more time and resources than ever before,” says Dave Dexter, Vice President of Multifamily Sales with Luxer One. “If not handled effectively, it can become a burden for the property team and result in a less-than-satisfactory experience for residents.”
Handling today’s influx of deliveries diverts time and resources away from other building priorities. For this reason, many property teams are turning to package management technologies to handle the heavy lifting.
Controlling the flood
Many factors have contributed to an uptick in package deliveries at condos and apartments. Online shopping, for one, has surged in popularity, largely driven by years of pandemic lockdowns and limited shopping opportunities. Combined with the work-from-home revolution and the steady uptick of “on-demand” delivery services, it’s no wonder that multi-residential properties are seeing packages pile up.
“Over the last couple of years, people got used to the ease and convenience of having packages delivered straight to their residence; and once you get used to something, it goes from being a ‘nice to have’ to an expectation,” notes Dexter.
Providing ease and convenience is part of the property management job. Even so, it can be difficult for property management teams to keep pace with residents’ needs when their time and energies are being spent accepting deliveries.
“Imagine you’re an office manager or leasing agent and a delivery person comes into the office with 20 packages,” says Dexter. “All of a sudden, you have to stop what you’re doing, log the packages into your system to ensure accountability, notify the residents that they have a package, and then put it in a safe and secure location until arrangements can be made to get it in the right hands.”
“That’s not the best use of their time,” he adds. “Property management teams have other priorities that are higher than playing post office.”
There are also security and liability issues to consider. Lack of adequate property management processes and oversight could result in damaged or lost packages, opening the property to liability issues.
After all, says Dexter, “If an expensive or sensitive parcel goes missing after it’s delivered to the front lobby, guess who the resident is going to blame?”
Taking back control
Like many property management challenges, the solution to package management lies in innovative tech. And already, property stakeholders are leveraging automated equipment, mobile apps, and advanced security to regain control of their package rooms.
For Luxer One, exploring “smart” package management solutions is nothing new. Over the past 15 years, it has been working with multi-residential stakeholders to install its controlled access package room solutions for buildings across North America.
“The idea is to make the process much quicker, more automated, and more secure for both buildings and residents,” explains Dexter. “When a delivery person comes in, they go right to the locker, use their code to enter the package into the system, drop it in a secured locker, and go about their day. They get to move quickly, and property management staff doesn’t have to do anything.”
The Luxer Lens smart camera technology can also fast-track package deliveries. This proprietary software gives Luxer One’s cameras the ability to scan a package label and automatically enter it into the system.
“Typically, when a carrier goes to deliver a package, they have to open a list, scroll through names and find the person on the label,” notes Dexter. “With Luxer Lens, they can show the package to our camera and have it read, verified, and logged by the system. After that, the right-sized locker is opened, they drop it off, and they’re off to the next delivery.”
The process is equally convenient for residents. Once a parcel has been dropped into the Luxer One locker, the corresponding resident receives a notice on their mobile device with a QR code they can use to unlock the assigned locker and retrieve their package at any hour of the day.
Overall, Dexter adds, “It is one of the easiest systems for the carriers, the property, and the residents to use.”
Yet beyond streamlining the package delivery process, the Luxer One system is designed to bring speed, accuracy, and accountability to the package auditing process. Each locker system has a camera recording at all hours of the day, and property managers can access the system to see a full audit trail showing when each package was delivered, which locker was used, and who picked it up.
“So not only do you have the physical security of a 12 gauge steel locker door, but you also have 24/7 footage and a digital audit trail,” adds Dexter.
Signed, sealed, delivered
Package management is a growing priority, but it’s one of many that property teams must balance throughout their day. Here is where PropTech solutions like Luxer One can reduce the workload while enhancing delivery oversight, accountability, and security.
“The more you can take advantage of automation and smart technology in a multifamily building, the more you can save costs, work more effectively, and free up precious time for your staff,” says Dexter.
Learn more about Luxer One’s controlled access locker solutions at www.luxerone.com.
