Why your workplace needs a digital mailroom

When you shop online, do you prefer to have your packages delivered to your home or your work? A recent Wakefield Research study of 1,000 office workers learned that 69% have had a personal package delivered to their office. As e-commerce continues to thrive, and more packages are delivered to work, there has been an unexpected pressure put on front desk staff, office managers, and mailroom employees who have the time-consuming job of accepting and processing a steady stream of deliveries.

And then there’s the issue of unsightly clutter. For companies who don't have a designated mailroom, packages are often stored in plain sight in the reception area. While your employees might be used to the mountain of packages, your visitors aren't. In fact, visitors may even think less of your business. The same Wakefield study found that 75% of respondents have negatively judged a company based on their first impression of its lobby.

It’s fair to say that a messy reception isn’t going to impress anyone. That’s why a digital mailroom is essential for any modern workplace. In this post, we'll cover the drawbacks of relying on manual package management and explain why mailroom software is a must-have—improving the workplace experience for employees and visitors alike.

There’s a growing need for a streamlined, digital system

A Shopify report predicts global online shopping will increase by 40%, from $3.5 trillion in 2019 to $4.9 trillion in 2021. The reasons why people are opting to have packages delivered to work are varied. According to the Wakefield study, they include people not being home during delivery windows (63%), security concerns—such as fear of their packages getting stolen from their doorstep (50%), and privacy reasons (37%). As online shopping continues to grow in popularity, personal deliveries to your workplace are sure to increase as well.

If your front desk staff manages packages manually they’re probably spending too much time each day handling deliveries. For every package that’s delivered, they may need to write down tracking numbers, find a place to store them, and notify the recipient with an email or phone call. There is also a chance the recipient waits days to come collect their package. Or worse, they never receive a notification in the first place. The need for mailroom management software is becoming less of a 'nice to have' and more of a necessity.  

What’s a digital mailroom?

A digital mailroom is a streamlined system for processing deliveries to your organization faster and more efficiently. Delivery management software allows reception or mailroom staff to quickly scan packages, automatically creating a digital delivery log of every item delivered—and picked up.

Employees are sent an automatic notification, which not only alerts them to a new delivery, they are also fun to receive. Employees in workplaces with digital delivery management tend to pick up their packages faster (usually within 24 hours) greatly reducing reception clutter. Employees who don’t collect their packages are sent automatic reminder messages until they do.

Delivery management software also requires employees to sign for their packages, so you know each item has been picked up by its rightful owner. Lastly, reception staff have access to analytics and reporting to see how many packages have been delivered and how quickly they’ve been collected. This data helps your staff spot trends to improve your delivery operations.

Manual delivery management takes too much time

Manual delivery management is time-consuming for reception staff, the office manager, and mailroom employees. This labor-intensive process takes about 10 minutes of work per package, from initial intake to the recipient signing for their delivery. If your workplace receives 10 packages a week, that adds up to over an hour and a half spent managing deliveries weekly.

In contrast, with delivery management software it only takes 31 seconds per package, from scanning the package to the notification being sent. This greatly improves the workplace experience for reception staff who have more time to spend on other projects.

Keep track of your high-priority deliveries

In addition to managing your employees’ personal packages, there are times when it’s essential to have a better system for tracking your company’s high-priority deliveries. For example, if your IT manager is eagerly awaiting a shipment of expensive computer equipment or other hardware, it’s important to have secure delivery software in place with a digital paper trail that is easy to track.

To prepare for your holiday package arrivals, read our latest ebook, “Why you can't afford to ignore delivery management.”