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As parcel package volumes continue to rise, parcel locker solutions are essential for overworked mailrooms, writes Ray Bissett, Senior Marketing Manager at Neopost Ireland

With businesses increasingly moving to digital communications over traditional paper, you would think that the pressures placed on mail staff would be relenting. However, the decline in mail has been more than matched by the rise of a new challenge that many organisations are ill- equipped to deal with - the growth in package delivery.

The European parcel market has been growing at an annual rate of 5% to 6% in recent years. We’re also witnessing growth of the B2B parcel market, with the likes of Amazon and Alibaba mimicking their B2C operations for the B2B market. This is adding higher value business and personal packages into the parcel network.

Traditionally, the only way to deal with this growth would be to increase spending on labour and capacity. Fortunately, new digital solutions have emerged to specifically meet the needs of this new mail landscape. They allow mailrooms to manage more incoming mail with fewer resources, to improve security measures whilst increasing efficiency to meet the needs of today’s mobile workforce. Most importantly, these solutions have a proven track record of quickly delivering return on investment.

Automated Storage Lockers

Mail and parcel storage lockers are far from a new addition to mailrooms. However, traditionally their only benefit was an added layer of security whilst storing mail. They still required a member of staff to be present to sign in and sign out packages, as well as delivering them to the recipient. Now there is a new generation of automated storage lockers that facilitate a far greater quantity of incoming packages, and enable mailroom workers to focus on critical tasks.

We have seen a shift in online shopping habits, with many employees having parcels delivered to work. So efficient management of incoming parcels will become increasingly important. Parcel lockers, combined with a parcel tracking solution, can provide businesses with a complete incoming parcel management solution.

In Association with

Neopost has been selling parcel locker solutions since 2013. With successful launches in Australia, France, Japan and USA, over 3,300 locker systems have been installed worldwide. In 2018, Neopost continued to expand its reach, launching in Italy, Benelux and Denmark. Now Neopost brings Packcity, its intelligent parcel locker solution to Ireland.

Parcel lockers save users time and money and bring simplicity to the mailroom by optimising the management of incoming parcels. The system reduces storage space, prevents lost packages, eliminates the need for re-delivery, and provides end to end tracking and accountability. It also simplifies the collection process for the end recipient with convenient parcel pickup and 24/7 accessibility.

How Packcity Works

The Packcity intelligent parcel locker solution is an automated electronic locker system that enables you to securely store and distribute a large volume of inbound parcels and inform recipients of their arrival. It is comprised of modular secure electronic lockers with a touchscreen interface and software for reporting, tracking and monitoring.

Items are scanned on delivery and the recipient’s address is selected from the internal address book via the touchscreen. A box size is then selected, and the parcel is placed into one of the secure lockers. Parcel recipients are notified of their delivery via email and provided with a unique PIN code and barcode.

This means they can collect their parcel at their convenience without the need for mailroom staff to be present. The secure locker removes the risk of theft, vandalism or fraud. When collecting, the recipient visits the parcel lockers and enters the code via the touchscreen or scans the barcode. This opens the relevant box for pick-up.

Packcity lockers have the added benefit of being customisable in two ways. Aesthetically, a company’s branding or logo can be added, and functionally the size of the lockers can be adjusted based on the space needs. Packcity will particularly benefit organisations such as universities, corporates and other offices receiving more than 50 parcel deliveries per week. The University of Pittsburgh, with over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff, is just one example of where Packcity has significantly reduced both the service and delivery times.

Tracking Parcels Internally

For other items that need to be delivered to their final destination, distributing and keeping track of inbound mail can be frustrating and costly. Organisations may be spread across multiple locations or levels and have a lot of people receiving incoming packages. All of this can easily cause a package to get lost or delayed.

When parcels get held up in internal processes, or don’t reach intended recipients at all, it’s not only frustrating it also leads to wasted time and effort trying to track items down. Neopost’s latest Web Tracking System (WTS) has been designed to help businesses to improve tracking of incoming parcels. The software combines with handheld devices and allows you to easily track incoming packages from their arrival in the company to the final recipient.

WTS is easy to use and comes with a real time chain of custody, meaning parcels are easier to track. When a package arrives the user scans the tracking number and selects the recipient who the delivery is intended for. Once delivered, the recipient signs for it with an e-signature. The entire process can be tracked on the system software allowing peace of mind in knowing the whereabouts of the package in transit.

WTS would be best used by businesses with around 100 plus employees located across multiple floors or locations that receive more than 50 items a week that need to be handed over in an efficient way to relevant departments and employees.

To learn more about Packcity and Web Tracking System, contact Neopost today on 01 625 0900 or visit www.neopost.ie/packcity