De Montfort University delivers speedier and greener service

The post room at the university handles as many as 36,000 packages per year. Tracking the arrival and distribution of these packages was predominantly paper-based, which presented an opportunity to further environmental progress by reducing paper waste. At the same time, the University wanted a way to improve the efficiency of the post room staff. 

The solution proposed by Pitney Bowes was Sendsuite Tracking, a tracking system that facilitates the accurate distribution of incoming mail across different campus buildings and offices. The software tracks mail items in real time, so that post room staff can easily respond to queries and report the progress of deliveries.

At De Montfort, items are scanned into the system upon arrival at the university’s post room; giving proof of the date and time they were received. Parcel tracking is then transferred to handheld barcode scanners that are used to complete deliveries across the campus. The software automatically generates the delivery route, allowing the staff to record successful, attempted and refused deliveries along the way. Data is transferred to the SendSuite tracking system so that it is available when status enquiries are made. “The ability to access such crucial information allows us to effectively meet our KPIs,” explains Nigel.

In addition, the software can:

• Produce reports relating to route activity, productivity, mail received and delivered, in order to analyse performance
• Take pictures of any unaddressed mail items to be sent to the addressee for verification before the item is delivered
• Provide a secure process for handling and identifying the destination of unaddressed “mystery mail”

The improvements have helped De Montfort in its aim to reduce environmental impact and cut carbon emissions. As Nigel explains, “Everything used to be done by hand and on paper, now it is all automated. Not only is it quicker, but it is better for the environment because we save paper and everything can be tracked digitally.”

The university uses two electric vans to transport the post to more than 20 buildings across the campus. The trajectory of these parcels can then be tracked by staff in the post room, who can also generate graphs and reports that highlight peak delivery times. “We used to spend large parts of our days observing the comings and goings of the vans, but now we need only consult the software,” says Nigel.

Nigel states, “I can view all the parcels recorded from my desk. If someone asks about a piece of mail, within two seconds, I can see who signed for it and at what time. It has sped up the process of finding items that people have enquired about by around 90 percent compared to the old paper-based system. We now have zero lost items on both recorded delivery packages and parcels that arrive at the university.”

Staff have also commented on the improvements. “My staff love the equipment. Even those that typically shy away from technology have embraced the new system,” says Nigel.

De Montfort also had positive experiences with Pitney Bowes aftercare. Pitney Bowes worked alongside the university’s Information Technology and Media Service (ITMS) department during the installation for as smooth a transition as possible. Nigel summarizes, “Over the past several years, we’ve built a great relationship with Pitney Bowes. The equipment is robust and reliable. They are always available when we need any support, and they go out of their way to help.”