Delivering at the final hurdle

By Rob Turner, Managing Director of Kinetic Solutions Limited

Julian Owen

Days are getting shorter, hats and gloves are out and the retail world is executing year-long sales and marketing plans; it’s Christmas time…

E-commerce has revolutionised the way we shop, providing a global marketplace at our finger tips. However, a final hurdle still remains; delivery. How does this impact your institution and your students?

The Christmas onslaught of parcel deliveries can overwhelm accommodation teams and receptions, shifting focus from student experience to executing a full-time campus post-room. Getting parcels from the university to the student; this is the final hurdle. After-all this is not a new problem. Students have received packages since universities began, relying on storage until the student remembers to ask at reception. Unfortunately, the final hurdle can make or break the shopping experience, and most importantly can impact your institution’s reputation.

Jumping the final hurdle quicker and easier than ever before

Option A: build or repurpose existing buildings; providing the capacity to store more, freeing up the hazardous corridors full of student packages. Perfect for unused buildings on campus, if you have one.

Option B: leverage technology and systems to speed up the collection process; providing your students with instant notification along with friendly reminders, in addition to operational data and reporting.

If jumping the hurdle isn’t viable for your institution just yet, the following top-tips for managing parcels may avoid unhappy students:

1. Set expectations early

Use clear and clean communication. How long are packages stored for? When are collection points open?

2. Agree on internal process

When you are receiving hundreds of parcels a day, confusion could be the difference between jumping or falling at the final hurdle.

3. Use technology

If you don’t have a purpose-built system, use other communication channels to remind students when and where to collect from.

Kinetic Solutions are the UK’s leading software provider for student accommodation. To find out more, contact us at www.kineticsolutions.co.uk or info@kinetic-solutions.co.uk and on 01908 067000.