Taylor Corley, Campus Carrier editor-in-chief
The Berry College post office, located in Krannert, underwent renovations over the summer in order to create a more efficient package retrieval system for students. Renovations included demolishing the wall of student mailboxes, which was no longer in use, in order to make room for the installation of self-service lockers from which students will be able to retrieve their packages and have access to 24/7.
According to Tammi Freeman, manager of mail services, plans for the renovation have been in the works since 2017. With the introduction of the new process this year, Freeman hopes to reduce the amount of face-to-face contact and time spent waiting in line to receive a package while increasing utilization of the mail services.
“Two school years ago, I studied how much mail was coming in,” Freeman said. “Of approximately two thousand students, on any given day, very few students got mail. A slow day might have been 30 or 40 students getting mail, a busy day might have been, maybe, 75 students getting mail.”
Freeman conducted research and observed the mail services at other universities, including Kennesaw State, UNC Charlotte and Vanderbilt.
“It seemed like a good fit for Berry. We don’t have a lot of storage space. Our package volume keeps increasing and this year, with our very large enrollment and COVID as a factor, it’s a way to reduce wait time and it also eliminates face-to-face contact.”
The transition to the self-service parcel lockers began in 2019 when the mailroom eliminated the use of physical mailboxes and switched to virtual mailboxes as an alternative. Students were then able to retrieve their mail from the “Package Pick-up and Shipping” window after swiping their Berry I.D. This paved the way for the introduction of the parcel lockers, because similarly to the virtual mailboxes, students will receive an email from Mail Services when a package is available for pickup.
“We already send emails to students to notify them when they have a package, so now the email will either direct the student to pick up a package as they’ve been doing or it will direct them to [a kiosk], and Krannert One or Krannert Two will actually be the name of them,” Freeman said.
Unlike in previous years, students will now have access to the kiosks at any point in time, allowing them to pick up packages after 5 p.m., when the post office normally closes. According to Freeman, the post office is planning to install 166 parcel lockers ranging in size, and packages will be distributed to available lockers as they arrive. After a locker is emptied, a new package can fill the space.
“The first packages to come in in the mornings will be assigned to a locker and we think it will be a very quick turn around,” Freeman said. “As the students pick up their packages and the lockers empty, we can continually put packages in the lockers as they come in during the day.”
The email from Mail Services notifying students of the arrival of a package will contain a code that allows them to open a designated locker. The process is projected to increase efficiency for students retrieving a package from both the lockers and the “Package Pick-up and Shipping” window.
“If your package goes into a locker, your email will tell you which kiosk to go to and you will get either a code you can scan with your phone or a numeric code,” Freeman said. “You enter the code at the kiosk, the door opens and you pull out your package. You’re gone in seconds, and any package that goes in a locker will eliminate one person having to stand in line.”
According to Freeman, once a student picks up their package, Mail Services will be notified almost immediately so they can refill the locker, and packages that are not picked up in a timely manner will be removed for students to pick up from the window.
“If it comes in on Friday, probably by the end of the business day Monday we will move it out of the locker,” Freeman said. “The whole point is that we want a very quick turn around.”
Choosing a company to purchase the lockers from was also an important decision. According to Freeman, she had requirements for both the software used to track and check-in packages as well as the locker company.
“I wanted a company that had a history of working in the college and university environment,” Freeman said. “I also wanted local technicians if we had a problem.”
The locker delivery date was pushed back to Aug. 31 due to complications with ordering parts for the lockers. Although the post office wanted to have the project underway by the time the semester began, the installment date was delayed. According to Freeman, students will still be able to begin utilizing the parcel lockers shortly after installation.
“We’re probably looking at a mid-September installment date,” Freeman said.
Another change that will be available to students on Aug. 23, as soon as classes begin, is access to the cashier’s office from the post office’s front counter. The post office added a separate line for students to access the cashier’s office next to the line where students wait to pick up a package.
“With more payments being made online for traditional tuition, room and board, this move to a central location inside the Krannert Center will give students and the campus community better access to the cashier’s office when needed,” Director of Budget and Student Financial Services, Kimberly Melton, said.
The cashier’s office will also have new hours of operation. They will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.
“The new cashier’s office will still provide all of the same services it has in the past,” Melton said. “Our hope is that students and the campus community find it more easily accessible being located in Krannert Center.”
Changes in both departments come in an attempt to make the services they provide more efficient and accessible to students.
“Both departments are always looking for ways to better serve students and the campus community,” Melton said.
According to Freeman, she hopes to see these advancements lead to growth in the future.
“We’re not confined to the two locker banks we’re putting in,” Freeman said. “If we can find the funding and the space there’s definitely more opportunity to incorporate more around campus as the need arises.”