Ubiquia.Blog

Does your college campus have multiple receiving areas for packages, mail, and other items?

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:24:29 -0700

Does your college campus have multiple receiving areas for packages, mail, and other items? Do you often get misdirected calls and inquiries to research items that are not handled by your department?

There is a solution that can meet all of your receiving and tracking needs on campus. Many schools have multiple receiving areas: such as central receiving, mail services, student campus mail, housing services, individual dorms and many more. Often inquiries are misdirected to the wrong receiving area or department.

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with a campus postmaster who advised me that there were 3 different departments receiving packages and each had a different tracking process. When we had a chance to speak further about SQBX package tracking software it looked like the perfect solution to optimize tracking on campus as well as improve customer service levels for students, faculty, and staff. The manager I spoke with worked in the campus post office and his area only handled incoming USPS mail and packages but he said often he would receive calls from students, parents, and staff members trying to locate a FedEx or UPS package. He said he loved the idea of having SQBX so he could easily research a package that was processed by another department. He said it would save everyone time, increase efficiency, and improve service levels. SQBX package tracking software is an excellent solution for campuses with multiple receiving areas. Give us a call to discuss benefits specific to your campus needs @ 1.800.268.6296. HAPPY TRACKING!

The top reasons people choose SQBX in their University Mail Centers

nospam@example.com (Ryan Murray) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:02:19 -0700

• Swiping ID Cards. Retrieve packages by swiping the mag strip on the student ID's. This will
inform staff as to what packages are for that student and where they are located in the mail
center

• Multiple Email Notifications. Send email notifications automatically against a calender of
events. Send first email 1 hour after receiving package, send second email notification 1 day
after the first, send the third email notification 1 day after the second and so on..... fully
customizable schedule

• Cross Platform Compliant. SQBX has the ability to be used by MAC, PC and Linux which
gives your university the flexibility to use it any environment

• Student Portal. A secure student portal can be placed on the University website where a
student can go and look up only their own packages and see the status of those packages

• Pick Up Requests. The various SQBX users across campus can create a pick up request at
their desktop that will be sent to mail services to inform them that a package is ready for pick
up. This can be used for inter- office mail or for tracking out bound shipments as well.

• Student & Staff receiving. Receive packages for both student and staff and report against
either classification.

• FERPA Compliant. SQBX is the only system on the market that is FERPA compliant which
means that your data is secure under The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

ROI for Higher Education

nospam@example.com (Fred Werner) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:31:52 -0700

An in-depth analysis of the many costs associated with the reception and distribution of packages and shipped items on the campus of any college, university or trade school provides a reasonably accurate number in terms of hard costs. The benefits of improved service to the institution's internal customers, faculty and staff and it's student population are more difficult to quantify. Fortunately, the hard costs can usually cover the implementation and ongoing costs of a good or excellent package tracking solution.

Hard costs will include the time involved to receive and accurately distribute the items as well as the time required for reporting, research and any time necessary to find lost items and report on them. A cloud based system or at least a network based system provides better access to the data for searches with the cloud solution offering 24/7 anywhere access that can be secured more easily than network access. The point here is accounting for the institution's IT costs to research, implement and maintain a package tracking system as a cost of the solution.

Other costs should include any seasonal labor to cover the peak levels at the beginning of school terms and the winter holiday rush. Supply costs can be significant when totaled. A small university discovered in their analysis that the paper slips placed in the student mail boxes only cost $.005 each but every minute of labor added $.10 to each one even at a low labor cost of $6.00 per hour for student assistance. A speedy one minute of writing and placing in the correct mailbox (usually exceeded by a minute) cost at least $42.00 per day for the 400 packages. This did not include receiving, delivery or student pick up. Writing the student's name and the date on their items added another $40.00+ per month.

Another institution uncovered the costs of inefficient storage and notification when the proposed cost to add more storage and additional lockers topped $46,000. An efficient system of automatic student package notification, and continued, scheduled notification in combination with a better system of labeling and storage eliminated the need for additional space and the new lockers.

To summarize; total all of the costs of the current situation with special attention to associated and future costs and when comparing the proposed package tracking solution; include implementation costs such as your IT's involvement and any continued IT requirements for an accurate ROI.

For examples and or assistance; please contact us at www.SQBXCLOUD.com or 1-602-406-1706 X115.

School is back in Session Immediate Package Tracking Software Needed?

nospam@example.com (Corinne Eno) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:53:33 -0700

If your college mail room is like most other campuses there are high volumes of packages and items to be received at the beginning of each new term/'semester. Students living on campus wait for packages to arrive and often attempt to pick up their items in the mail room. This is a busy time of year when chaos can erupt, phone lines ringing of the hook from students and other staff members looking for an item and its current whereabouts. Are you organized enough to keep up with all the different smiling faces that walk into the mail center expecting a package? Schools with a manual tracking process can have a hard time keeping up with the increased demands that the beginning of the semester brings. There are books coming in and students moving into the dorms waiting for items, as well as faculty and staff needing their materials for upcoming classes. The mail center needs to be prepared to take care of its students, faculty, and staff members.

One way to always be prepared for shifts in mail and package volumes is to critique your current process and look at improvements. SQBX package tracking software can be installed right away and will have all your important data like student information updated automatically. Colleges will now have the capability to track and deliver packages, send students automatic email and text notifications indicating that their package is ready to be picked up, and SQBX provides easy online access. Automating your mail room functions makes seasonal volume shifts extremely easy to accommodate with the same level of staffing.

A Day in the Life of a University Package

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:59:58 -0700

What happens to a package once it is dropped off on campus by major carriers, like USPS, UPS, and FedEx?

There are many similarities in the receipt and delivery of packages on college and university campuses across the country. However, each campus is slightly different and employs its own methods of tracking and delivery. Here is an example of what happens to a “typical” package at a “typical” educational institution.

The carrier (UPS, USPS, Fedex, etc) drops off the package at the receiving area. The package is then logged on a piece of paper with recipient information and tracking number and any other pertinent information the mail center requires for delivery.Then the package is sorted for delivery based on its destination and grouped with other packages heading along the same campus route. The package is on its way to its intended final recipient. This recipient could be a faculty member, department head, administrative staff member, or a student.

Once the package arrives at its destination many institutions have the intended recipient sign for the package on the paper tracking log. This helps to record the movement of the package and track its whereabouts in case a discrepancy arises in the future. This basic form of tracking creates a paper trail in the mail room for every package that is received. A paper trail that many colleges and universities are now choosing to eliminate by implementing an automated package tracking system such as SQBX. SQBX package tracking software retains all the important receipt and delivery details of each and every package that travel through the campus mail and receiving areas: eliminating paper, human error, and increasing communication. Happy Tracking!

Green Package Tracking On Campus

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:26:23 -0700

College campuses and university life always brings to mind reams of paper. Students taking notes and instructors passing out packets of materials at the beginning of the semester. The last decade with advances in readily available portable technology and increasing green awareness there has been a shift to reduce paper consumption in the education industry.

Surprisingly, there are still many university and college campuses who use paper every day in their mail room. Paper that is used to track packages in a manual log or hand write pick up notification cards which are then placed in student and faculty mail slots. The opportunity exists to further green conservation efforts and minimize paper used on campus. Many schools are still using too much paper for mail, package tracking, and receiving processes on their campuses across the country. Technology such as SQBX package tracking software is an easy, affordable solution that will eliminate paper in university mail rooms. Is your campus doing its part to implement green initiatives that not only improve operations but reduce unnecessary paper waste? If not, perhaps now would be a good time to evaluate where on campus improvements can be made to support green conservation. Improvements that could include package tracking software. Happy Tracking!

Package Tracking for College Campuses with Student Housing

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:05:55 -0700

Residential life has a big impact on the student experience on campus at colleges and universities nationwide. Having a student population that resides on campus in dormitories increases the need for a streamlined mail and receiving centers in order to effectively service this important customer on campus. Student mail and package receipt needs to be handled in a manner that provides excellent service to the residential community.

Campuses that offer student housing often have mail center policies that pertain just to this particular group. Often there is the need to notify students that a package awaits them in the central campus mail center or at a satellite student pickup area. One way that colleges and universities can improve communication with their most important populous, students, is to automate their receiving process with a package tracking system like SQBX. SQBX can automatically send student email and text reminders to retrieve their package at their designated pick up location. This increases communication and can aid a more efficient mail retrieval operation. One of the advantages of a package tracking software such as SQBX is that the University can provide students access to their packages online so they will know their status immediately after they have been dropped off at campus by common carriers like USPS, FedEX, and UPS. Tracking benefits everyone on campus, from mail center and receiving staff to campus personnel, faculty and students. Happy Tracking!

University Mail Center Qualities

nospam@example.com (Corinne Eno) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:32:36 -0700

A campus mail center provides quality and cost effective mail services to the University. The main objectives are to satisfy customer needs and provide the highest level of service to the campus community. On many college campuses the mail center processes all incoming and outgoing mail for students who reside on campus, faculty, and university departments. The mail center coordinates a variety of bulk mail projects for the University.

SQBX package tracking software is always updating to provide quality and cost effective mail services, to the many University’s we work with. The main goal of our software is to ensure your campus that its' packages are being handled efficiently by the mail center. From the time a package arrives at the campus mail room until it is received by the end recipient all movement is tracked. SQBX provides visibility university wide for the mail center to coordinate with its' customers, students, faculty, and staff.

Check out a demonstration of SQBX software today and see why it is the best quality package tracking software available today for your university mail center and will continue to be.

Improving Efficiency Via Process Tracking

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:02:55 -0700

Process tracking can enable your organization to improve its efficiency, increase communication, and identify areas of process improvement. Many organizations are looking for a solution to help them track and time stamp the stages of their process from start to finish. Process tracking affords management the opportunity to evaluate each stage of the process and identify improvement areas. SQBX package tracking software is not just for tracking packages, we have a variety of clients who have used this flexible system to design and track stages of their internal processes and workflows.

Process tracking through SQBX provides immediate access to any status defined in your operations, for example: repair stages, manufacturing cycles, specimen stages, etc. SQBX can also maintain chain of custody for assembly kits or individual parts so that each component of an assembly can be tracked individually or as a group. Another great tool for managers is tracking workstation and personnel efficiency by time stamping the movement through stages, work areas, and employees. Once a stage is complete and your process transitions to the next step you can schedule automatic notification emails to your managers or customers, etc. Improve your internal processes, increase internal communications, and take your operations to the next level by implementing process tracking. Happy Tracking!!!

Intuitive Package Tracking Software

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 12:44:51 -0700

SQBX package tracking software offers intuitive design and client customization features that will improve your receiving and delivery operations. SQBX allows users the ability to customize fields and map terminology to their internal processes. Not only can you can create your own custom fields, you can also easily customize reports, craft and print custom labels, as well as create your own statuses (ex: xray, sent for inspection, storage, vault, holding, etc). You can also create delivery to areas, for example instead of having package showing as “delivered” you can have it show “delivered to __” and select your department ex: engineering, human resources, front desk, etc. This will enable tracking by department which is an increasingly common metric in many organizations. Set your own field names relevant to the terminology your organization uses. Another customer favorite are the available Widgets, ranging from received on date, delivered on, damage report, received by carrier, package statistics, etc. SQBX package tracking software offers users all the tools they need to improve their operations and the flexibility they need to always be relevant to the needs of your business. Keep tracking and as always Happy Tracking!

Seasonal Package Tracking

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:35:29 -0700

With the holiday season in full swing many mail and receiving centers see a spike in their package volumes. One of the benefits of having package tracking software is being able to estimate seasonal shifts that impact your mailroom. SQBX has a host of reporting tools that enable management to predict package volumes based on previous years data. This makes staffing your mail and receiving areas a cinch compared to a guessing game. Many of the organizations I work with indicate their business flows shift throughout the year and they enjoy having a tool that not only increases efficiency in their receiving operations but assists them with planning and staffing at optimal levels. Our goal is to provide a superior tracking system, that is intuitive and easy to customize to your processes.

Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season!! Happy Tracking!

Internal Package Tracking Defined

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:10:43 -0700

Almost everyone is familiar with package tracking in the traditional sense. We have all logged on to a UPS or FedEx site and looked to see where our package from Amazon is on its journey to us. We just type in the tracking number and poof the details of our package and its route are displayed. In our work life you may have been expecting an important product or package and performed a similar tracking function on a carrier website to see when to expect your items.

So what do we mean by internal tracking? Essentially, internal package tracking is a way to increase visibility of the movement of packages and items inside an organization. Much like the service UPS or FedEx provides to their customers internal package tracking software provides chain of custody tracking to customers within the organization.

So now you might ask, how does that work? When packages are dropped off by carriers at your facility receiving and mail personnel will scan the tracking number from the package with a device similar to those used by FedEx and UPS. The receiving agent will select the recipient and prepare the package for delivery or pickup. This will begin the internal custody chain showing where that package is until it is delivered and signed for by the end recipient. Internal tracking in a nutshell is a process by which all packages that are delivered to your facility are accounted for and tracked until they have reached their destination within your organization. Happy Tracking!

Triplicate still exists: Reducing Redundancy via Package Tracking Software

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:27:23 -0700

Corporate America continues to tout social responsibility in their communities and their commitment to green initiatives. There are a few exemplary organizations that stand out as truly following their stated tenets and initiatives in their commitment to sustainability. Strides are being made but there is still great room for improvement. Despite the fact that green conservation efforts are growing, there is still tremendous redundancy and unnecessary waste in many organizations.

Organizations continue to try and improve by implementing policies and initiatives to reduce waste. The real question is are we doing enough? I was shocked when I found how many companies are still printing, copying, and filing in triplicate. The sheer volume of paper used in a manual package receiving process in large organizations that receive PO and non-PO packages is tremendous. Would you believe that many companies print 3-4 sheets of paper for every single purchase order related package? So an organization that receives 250 packages a day is wasting a minimum of 750 pieces of paper every day over 200,000 pieces per year.

Triplicate still exists! Hard to believe with the technology that is available and because many organizations flaunt their “green” commitment. Automate your package tracking and receiving processes, reduce the redundancy of forms in triplicate, printing, and storing of paper records, help your organization and your planet. Happy Tracking!!

Tracking PO and Non PO items with SQBX

nospam@example.com (Ryan Murray) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 09:19:46 -0700

SQBX is a very powerful tool to help your organization track both PO and non PO items within a single system. What if you did not have to enter info from one system and into another system to complete the job? How many man hours would be saved? Are you still using a paper log to track those PO items? There are many costs associated with using paper logs. The costs of paper, toner, ink, filing cabinets, storage space, time for researching, legibility errors all must be included into the overall cost of using a paper logging or tracking system. SQBX cloud based package tracking system can communicate directly with your ERP system exchanging data to streamline the process for receiving those PO related items. In addition to the PO integration we can also use the same system to receive and deliver your no PO related items and capture the proof of delivery via electronic signature. Call us today to schedule a demonstration to see the power of SQBX web based package tracking system first hand.

FedEx and UPS Rate Increases for 2013

nospam@example.com (Kristin Ruth) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:37:19 -0700

The new year is fast approaching and two major players in the shipping industry have announced increases in their shipping rates and surcharges. FedEx new rates will go into effect on January 7th, 2013. You can get more details on the FedEx website @ http://www.fedex.com/us/2013rates/rate-changes.html. UPS customers will also being seeing a rate increase for package surcharges amongst other fees starting on December 31st, 2012 details at http://www.rates.ups.com/surcharges.html.