When a multifamily resident receives a fourth phone call from the same phone number in the same day, it typically means one of two things.

1. The dealer service center has been desperately trying to reach them to inform them that their vehicle’s extended warranty is about to expire.
2. The leasing office is trying to notify them of their package arrival.

Due to limited package storage space – either in lockers, package rooms or the back room of the leasing office – package pick-up is an urgent matter for multifamily office teams. More packages arrive each day at apartment communities, overflowing lockers and storage facilities and making a mess of common areas. Unfortunately, residents feel that urgency first-hand in the form of daily calls, texts, emails and resident portal reminders to pick up their packages.

While most residents do retrieve their deliveries at their earliest convenience, (key word being convenience) they expect to not be stressed out and pressured into leaving work early to get home during leasing office hours to pick up a package. Today’s renters want to have the opportunity and luxury of receiving their deliveries when it’s convenient for them, not when package volume begins to overflow in the leasing office.

Forward-thinking operators understand their on-site teams shouldn’t be continuously contacting residents with package notifications just to make on-site package management feasible. To avoid being regarded with dealer service center disdain, property management companies are switching to an off-site package management solution. By removing packages from the community, operators eliminate on-site package congestion as well as the need for on-site teams to spend valuable time contacting residents to pick up their deliveries. 

In lieu of the buildup of notifications from the property team via every possible channel, off-site package solutions issue a mobile alert that enables residents to schedule delivery directly to their door at the time of their choosing. The simple, resident-friendly system also allows recipients to hold packages and reschedule deliveries, if needed.

The constraints and limitations of traditional package management models simply fail to accommodate the needs and expectations of today’s renter. A premium is currently placed on flexibility and convenience. Multifamily residents expect the ability to control their living experience through their mobile device, whether it’s monthly rent payments, amenity reservations, smart home controls or package delivery.

Putting that control in residents’ hands improves resident relations and allows operators to deliver for their residents when it comes to packages.