As we head towards the end of 2021, more and more universities and businesses are starting to reopen. While many entities will have to navigate the myriad of unique problems caused by this pandemic, no organization is in the same precarious situation as colleges and universities. It’s hard to think of another sector with more opportunities for face-to-face interaction than the higher educational setting. Logistically speaking, universities will have a challenging road ahead of them, as there will be more shipments and parcels to process than ever before. Thankfully, there are solutions. With workflow integrations chief among them, let’s look at the top five integrations for university mailrooms.

Intelligent Lockers

SCLogic has combined forces with several intelligent locker providers to offer integrated solutions for mailroom managers. This integration eliminates the dreaded package pick-up line and tracks and accounts for every package that enters and exits the facility through the locker management system. Furthermore, intelligent lockers allow students to pick up packages even when the mailroom is closed. With 24/7 access to intelligent lockers, students can pick up packages at their convenience using a PIN or QR code for the locker storing their parcel. With automatic emails and/or text notifications, intelligent locker integrations streamline the entire package pick-up cycle.

Kiosks

Similarly, kiosk integrations can further automate the university mailroom by providing an innovative way to engage essential student services. With reduced service window hours due to the ongoing pandemic, students can take advantage of touch-screen kiosks to request services or pick up mail and packages. A quick swipe of an ID card allows kiosk users to see if they have any packages available and designate when they want to pick them up. This lets mailroom staff add the package to the pick-up area, eliminating the need for in-person interaction. With all of the services that kiosks can offer, mail center managers can rest easy knowing that their integration speeds up efficiency and reduces the number of people in the mail center at one time.

Carriers

While university mailrooms have always been fraught, the pandemic has led to increased shipping volumes and unclear forwarding addresses, thus significantly ramping up room for error. Fortunately, SCLogic’s Intra EDU integrates with UPS, FedEx, and USPS to provide insight into incoming package volumes, allowing mailroom managers to adjust work schedules to ensure that they have the help needed when the volume is through the roof.

These integrations form a last-mile solution for university campuses to help ease the stress on mailroom managers. For example, with the Delivery Partner Program with USPS, packages are sorted and scanned out within USPS to be taken to the university campus, automatically generating and sending incoming package information to the university. The Intra EDU database keeps track of packages as they are delivered, and barcodes are scanned, with email or text notifications going directly to the package recipient. When the cycle ends with package pick-up by the recipient, a full status report goes to USPS to close the accountability loop.

Mail Sorters

Intra currently integrates with mail and package sorting platforms such as OPEX and Fluence. University mailroom managers can save their team time, money, and energy by facilitating a streamlined approach to sorting and delivery with this integration. With the Intra and OPEX integration, batches of mail can be loaded into the Mail Matrix and then sorted, scanned, and placed on trucks for campus delivery. The Fluence integration allows mailrooms to combine the tasks of receiving and sorting inbound packages, thus streamlining the entire process. This also provides end-to-end tracking visibility from the receiving dock to final delivery.

Outbound Shipping

With the vast amount of mail coming to a university, their mailrooms must remain efficient. Yet, an often overlooked area in which managers can increase the efficiency of their mailroom is in outbound shipping. Intra integrates with 2Ship to provide a complete logistics solution that centralizes all carriers, services, locations, and users into a single shipping history. The integrated dashboards allow a mailroom manager to view end-to-end outbound tracking, activity, and post-shipment cost analysis reports. With 2Ship allowing employees to dispatch digital shipment requests to the mailroom, Intra tracks the logistics of the shipment from desktop pick-up to carrier pick-up, providing comprehensive accountability for each shipped package.

How is your team preparing for the school year ahead? Let us know. Email us at [email protected].