Such was the case for Spokane County’s facility. But Sergeant Gigi Parker of Spokane County Detention Services was determined to find a solution. She reached out to Smiota, and Spokane County Jail soon became the first to use Smiota’s smart lockers for managing inmates’ belongings.

The challenge: A time-consuming off-site storage process

For many years, Spokane County Jail had no secure options for storing offenders’ personal belongings at their facility. Instead, officers had to go through the cumbersome process of manually tagging and boxing items for each offender, then transporting those items to an off-site storage location. 

Each time an offender was released on bail or moved to a long-term facility, someone had to drive over to the storage site, pick up the offender’s belongings, and bring them back to the jail. 

All those trips back and forth took valuable time away from the officers, time they weren’t able to spend protecting and serving their community. 

The solution: Smart lockers for simple on-site storage

Smiota installed both indoor and outdoor locker units, bringing a total of 156 locker doors to the jail premises. Now, officers have a secure place to store belongings right on-site, so they no longer need to travel to and from a separate storage facility.  

Smiota also designed a custom software solution with two flexible workflows for property pickup. So offenders or their family members can quickly and easily pick up their belongings from the lockers on their own — no need for officer presence.  

Here’s how managing an inmate’s personal belongings works at the jail now:

Workflow 1: Short-term storage

If an offender is only in temporary custody, an officer deposits their belongings into a locker compartment using only an incident number. Upon their release, the offender simply needs to enter that incident number to collect their items — no other personal information is required. 

Workflow 2: Long-term transfers

If an offender is moving to a long-term facility, an officer can enter the contact information of the offender’s family or friends. The system automatically notifies the family member or friend that the belongings are ready for pickup. That person can then use a provided QR code or passcode to retrieve the items. 

In the event that the offender’s contact person fails to pick up the items within a reasonable time, Spokane County can choose to donate, auction, or destroy the personal property. Proceeds from auctioned items go to the Inmate Welfare Fund. 

The result: A simple, efficient system

The on-site lockers and accompanying workflows have already made a significant difference for Spokane County Jail:

• Time-saving: The lockers eliminate the need for officers to be present at pickups or transport personal items to an off-site facility. Officers have gained back a tremendous amount of time to dedicate to other duties. 
• Efficient: Smiota’s solution streamlines the deposit and pickup processes, creating a faster, more effective system.   
• Secure: With unique PIN codes, Smiota’s lockers allow the facility to store items in an easily accessible location. Automatic tracking ensures a complete chain of custody for all items, further preventing theft and loss.
• Convenient: Offenders’ family members receive automatic notifications about pickups, including instructions and access codes.

Smiota worked closely with Sergeant Parker to tailor the smart locker solution to Spokane County’s needs. “It’s a hands-off approach to handling inmate property,” Sergeant Parker said. “It offers more convenience for the facility and the friends and family of the incarcerated.” 

Because of her innovative leadership in this initiative, Spokane County recognized Sergeant Parker with a certificate of appreciation. And the success prompted Spokane County to consider a similar smart locker solution for their Mental Health Facility. 

Interested in using our smart lockers at your facility? Contact us to learn more![/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

The post Success Story: Spokane County Jail appeared first on Smiota.

When you have over 10,000 employees receiving and sending packages on a daily basis, antiquated package management strategies don’t cut it. Manually transporting, scanning, and delivering each package is time-consuming and exhausting for mailroom employees, especially if the software they’re using to manage all those packages is stuck on a desktop computer. 

That’s what happened at Company A. When they realized their package volume was only going to grow and further burden their staff, they decided to employ Smiota’s smart lockers and enterprise mailroom software to fully automate their workflow. This would guarantee a complete chain of custody (zero packages lost) for hundreds of packages daily. And with the time they saved, staff could manage and track the service of spaces such as conference rooms, printer areas, and cafes. 

The end result was a completely transformed package management process that freed up staff hours and removed the risks of the old system, resulting in super happy employees and cost savings for Company A. 

Here’s their story.

The problem: an inflexible system and overwhelmed mailroom

Processing an average of 225 incoming packages a day was a demanding and difficult process for Company A’s mailroom staff. Although they had a system for managing deliveries, it had its limitations, and they didn’t have a means of securing processed packages.

Back in 2017, this is how Company A handled package deliveries:

Because they were using a mailroom software that could only be installed on a desktop, they had to bring all the packages to a receiving area for scanning. After processing, mailroom staff moved the packages to a staging area. They would then have to deliver the packages directly to each recipient’s desk. 

With more than 12 buildings at Company A’s headquarters, each with multiple floors, it’s easy to see how the delivery process became tedious. Sometimes recipients weren’t at their desks to sign for packages, and the company’s mailroom software didn’t have the capability of sending them notifications, alerts, and reminders. This resulted in an incomplete chain of custody and a high risk of lost and delayed deliveries. 

The solution: Smiota’s package management system

As package volumes steadily increased, Company A needed a solution that would minimize the burden on staff. And, having been restricted to a desktop computer, they wanted to switch to an automated, mobile-friendly package management system. So they sought out a single vendor that could provide both mailroom software and smart lockers. 

Smiota, with its cutting-edge technology, simplified user experience, and exceptional customer support, stood out from competitors. 

After gathering input from Company A’s facility operations, IT, and mailroom teams, it was time for the onboarding process. Smiota prepared Smart Locker installations at all 11 locations at the company’s campus, managing everything from coordinating locker colors and graphics to performing security tests and integrating backend functionality. This saved the staff time and guaranteed chain of custody. Later, Company A integrated Smiota Mailroom to enable the fully integrated model with mobile mailroom software.

Here’s what Company A’s process looks like now: 

When packages arrive at the mailroom, staff use the Smiota mailroom mobile app to scan shipping labels. The wireless printer integration prints a label with the recipient’s name for each scanned package. 

This process only takes about 15 seconds per package. 

Packages are then loaded into the lockers, which triggers an app, text, or email notification to recipients that their packages are ready for pickup. Recipients can easily access the lockers and collect their items through the Smiota app or the code found in their notification message. Perishable, sensitive, or oversized packages are held at the mailroom hub — recipients know to look for them there and can sign for release via a mobile device. 

Smiota’s system has also allowed Company A to simplify its process for outbound mail. Senders deposit their outgoing packages into the lockers, which mailroom employees collect and take to the mailroom hub. There, they scan the packages and hand them off to the courier. Using this process, Company A comfortably handles between 30 and 50 outgoing packages a day.

The post Success Story: Saving Staff from Package Pressures appeared first on Smiota.

When’s the last time you were able to give your student workers an immediate raise? That’s exactly what happened at the University of Nevada Las Vegas after they installed Smiota’s package delivery system in their residence halls.

Streamlining their package management system doesn’t just save UNLV money. It saves their residence hall staff time, too, so they can focus on their primary task of enhancing the student experience.

Here’s how UNLV did it.

The problem: A constant deluge of packages

How many packages do you think each student at UNLV receives each month? One, maybe two? Try 2.5.

While that might not seem like a lot, it can add up. UNLV has about 1,800 students living on campus and gets 6,500 packages a month. That’s over 80,000 packages delivered to residence halls each year.

In May 2017, this is what the package delivery process at UNLV looked like:

Every parcel arrived at the same central mailroom – the hub of the whole system. Staff manually logged each package that came through the door. Then, they shipped the packages off to one of four service delivery desks serving nine residence halls.

At the delivery desk, staff logged the packages again and placed slips for each package in the student’s mailbox. Students could then pick their packages up from a staffed desk between 10 am and 10 pm every day (one desk was open 24/7).

This might seem like a pretty straightforward system, but it still took quite a bit of time. From initial delivery to pick-up, each package took about 3.2 minutes of staff time. With 6,500 packages arriving each month, staff were spending 240 hours a month on package delivery. In dollars and cents, UNLV was spending over $200,000 each year in operating costs on package management alone.

The solution: Smiota’s package management system

Warren Porter, Director of Operations at UNLV, knew there had to be a better solution. In fact, when school let out for the summer, he promised his student workers that there would be a better system in place when they returned in the fall.

Initially, he had a hard time finding a company that understood his unique needs. Then, he found Smiota.

Mr. Porter provided all the information we needed to provide a unique solution for his residence halls. The result was a fully customized and integrated mailroom and smart locker delivery system.

In Mr. Porter’s words, this is how the technology helps UNLV meet the expectations of its students:

“Our students enter a social contract with the university and housing, and in that contract, they expect a unique living experience that will contribute to their personal growth and academic success. Generation Z has grown up with technology in all aspects of their lives, and a part of those expectations of the university are high-speed WiFi and other technological platforms that enhance the learning and living environment. The mail lockers, digital student ID cards, and digital keys are many examples of our efforts to create a safe and positive learning and living experience that allows students to focus on interacting with fellow residents and achieving academic success. What we have done here at UNLV is create a stressless process to receive mail that students now feel is a part of their unique experience living at UNLV.”

Here’s what the package delivery process at UNLV looks like now:

Packages still arrive at the central hub at UNLV. But now, the staff is armed with Smiota Mailroom software. Instead of having to log each package manually, the staff just points and scans, which begins the automated chain of custody process and assists with sorting.

Then, employees deliver the packages to Smiota’s smart lockers, called PoDs, in each residence hall. They currently have a total of 341 lockers installed. When a student has a package waiting for them, they’re automatically alerted via text, email, or the Smiota app. They can pick up their delivery at their convenience, often within minutes of notification.

The whole process takes 13 seconds per package.

The results

Since they implemented Smiota Mailroom software and smart lockers, a few things have changed in UNLV residence halls.

First, the 24/7 package delivery desk closed, and desks are no longer double-staffed during peak package delivery and retrieval times. At the same time, staff productivity has doubled.

With the increased efficiency, Porter was able to save the school a significant amount of money. After is all said and done, UNLV will save $73,140 each year over the next five years.

And every penny of that money is going right back to the students.

The first thing Porter did was raise salaries for residence life and mailroom staff, who can now use the time they used to spend on package delivery enhancing the college experience for students. Porter is also investing in new resources for the residence halls, like SmartBoards for the study lounges, more student programming, and new furniture.

“UNLV is saving thousands yearly and has made the package experience for students and staff exceptional!” ~Warren Porter, Director of Operations at UNLV

What to learn more about Smiota’s package delivery solutions and see a live online demo? Set up a time to meet with one of our experts!

The post Success Story: University of Nevada Las Vegas appeared first on Smiota.

UNLV has chosen Smiota to manage thousands of packages received by student residence halls. Smiota, a leading provider of cloud based package management solutions is the first to offer a fully integrated Mailroom app with Smiota PoD smart lockers to efficiently receive thousands of packages daily.

[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”false” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 50px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]Smiota PoD smart lockers offer students 24×7 convenience and secure access to their packages.While the Smiota Mailroom app receives packages very quickly (less than 5 seconds per package), it also speeds up the deposit of packages into Smiota PoD smart lockers with single scan of tracking.[/cs_text][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_image type=”none” src=”http://news.smiota.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/image001-with-logo.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”false” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”hsl(195, 12%, 94%)” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 50px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]Introducing Smiota’s cloud based package management solution has significantly reduced the time taken to process hundreds of packages received daily while offering 1,800 of students living at UNLV student residence halls a convenient way to pick-up their packages. With an increase in ecommerce shipments, we required a highly efficient solution for our mailroom staff but also one that offers a great user experience for our students, said Warren Porter, Director of student housing.

Warren Porter, Director of Operations
AVS Housing Group, Inc.[/cs_text][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_image type=”none” src=”http://news.smiota.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/unlv2.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”false” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 50px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]Smiota’s package management platform is designed for efficiency and convenience especially in closed campus environments such as UNLV student residence halls. We are excited to offer a fully integrated solution that solves are real delivery problem faced at university campuses while offering an amazing package experience for students, staff and faculty. If you are interested in a demo of the integrated solution, please call 925.270.4321 or email us at marketing@smiota.com.[/cs_text][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_image type=”none” src=”http://news.smiota.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DSF0997-with-logo.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]

The post UNLV Student Residence Halls Integrates Smiota’s Package Lockers appeared first on Smiota.