Campus mailrooms are a big part of an enjoyable college experience. Okay, at first that may sound like a bit of an exaggeration, but think about it. Letters and packages are part and parcel (pun intended) of university life. 

Students shop online, receive letters from their families, and have a constant stream of supplies delivered to their dorms. Campus staff and faculty also often need to ship important documents and packages.

The dependable mailroom is the campus amenity that allows students, staff, and faculty to handle mail errands smoothly, and it’s a pillar of campus life. However, from a school administration’s perspective, managing a mailroom (or several mailrooms) can be costly. 

Campus Mailroom Costs 

Rent and Facilities 

A standard mailroom operation often comes with overhead for the space itself, whether it’s just a small office or a corner of a building. And don’t forget the costs of maintaining a space, such as electricity, heating, and cleaning.

Labor Hours

Services and spaces on campuses require staff, which means paying for salary, benefits, and everything in between. 

Equipment 

Mailrooms require computers, software subscriptions, printers, and other vital equipment to run smoothly. While most may be one-time purchases, upkeep and maintenance can be costly considerations. In the past, these expenses were simply part of running a successful university mailroom.

But did you know there is a way to serve more students, earn revenue without hiring staff, and reduce mailroom costs while you’re at it? By installing a self-service shipping kiosk such as Anytime Postage, you can cut costs without cutting corners.

What is Anytime Postage? 

Anytime Postage (ATP) is a modern shipping solution that allows customers to manage shipping tasks independently. It’s a self-service kiosk for sending mail and packages to domestic and international destinations. 

The kiosk is compact and can be placed on any flat surface. It measures roughly 28” x 15” x 12” (70cm x 37cm x 30cm), making it the perfect size for a counter or a corner table. 

It has a touchscreen display where the customer can input shipping information, as well as a scale that accurately and seamlessly calculates shipping rates. 

Features

Multiple Carrier Integration: All Anytime Postage kiosks can be configured to offer shipping from multiple carriers such as USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, and more. This feature allows universities to provide outbound shipping services that fit students’ budgets and needs. 

Automatic Address Validation: The Anytime Postage self-service kiosk automatically finds and verifies addresses. This feature ensures accurate shipping information and nearly eliminates errors. 

Accurate Pricing Calculator: Using the integrated weighing scale, customers can add the weight and dimensions of their letters or parcels. This information allows the customer to pay the accurate, real-time carrier price for their shipment. 

Clear Thermal Printing: Each Anytime Postage kiosk is equipped with a thermal printer which provides customers with clear, smudge-free shipping labels. 

Multiple Payment Options: Payments can be processed via credit or debit card. The kiosk can also accept QR code payments.

How Anytime Postage Helps Universities Reduce Mailroom Costs

1. No New Staff Needed

Similar to an ATM or vending machine, a shipping kiosk allows students or university staff to ship mail or parcels on their own. This offers you the chance to provide modern mail amenities and expand services, all without needing to hire new employees. 

2. Faster Fulfillment

Anyone on campus can send a letter independently and won’t have to wait for the mailroom staff or line up during busy times. Faster service fulfillment easily translates to optimized operations, which contributes to lower labor costs and potential for revenue generation.

3. Minimal Maintenance

A self-service shipping kiosk is plug-and-play. It’s extremely easy to operate and requires simple cleaning. Wipe with a dry cloth once in a while. Done. 

Compare that to maintaining multiple pieces of equipment or an actual room or office to clean up, and you’ll realize that your university can gain considerable savings from an Anytime Postage self-service kiosk. 

4. Compact Size

A self-service shipping kiosk creatively combines shipping software and hardware, a thermal printer, and a weighing scale. It’s an-all-in-one self-sustaining kiosk that does the job of three and requires no staff assistance. 

You don’t need to rent a whole room or build a special structure for an Anytime Postage kiosk. Place it on a counter or a table, and it’s all set to handle campus shipping needs. 

5. Operational Ease and Accuracy

Beyond the money saved by installing Anytime Postage, a self-service kiosk helps cut costs by making mailroom operations more efficient. For example, the address auto-fill feature and thermal printer ensure that each shipping label is accurate and printed correctly. And reducing errors increases productivity, which in turn saves money. 

More Affordable Campus Staff Shipping 

Anytime Postage helps universities cut costs not just in their student-facing mailroom operations, but also for staff, faculty, and administration. A university can install a shipping kiosk specifically for staff use, providing everyone with an accessible and convenient method for shipping postal mail.

A kiosk helps save staff and faculty precious time and money, and allows them to stay on campus instead of heading to a local shipping store.

How Much is an Anytime Postage Kiosk?

To better understand how installing an Anytime Postage self-service shipping kiosk reduces mailroom costs, let's examine costs of installation.

There are two methods to purchase Anytime Postage. 

1. Buy Outright

A $2,499 one-time fee with an additional $19.99 monthly software subscription. This software subscription ensures smooth kiosk operation. 

2. Affordable Leasing 

The monthly software subscription is also required with the lease option.

Volume discounts are also available. For ten to 99 kiosks, a 10% discount is automatically applied, and if you need a hundred or more kiosks, we offer a 25% discount on the lease or purchase price.

Conclusion

Whether your current mailroom is operating smoothly or you’re looking to improve its performance, a modern solution that offers savings makes good sense. An Anytime Postage kiosk not only improves a campus mailroom’s operations, but it also aids in cutting costs. A perfect win-win.

Anytime Postage offers a simple yet convenient shipping solution for anyone who uses mailroom services, and provides cost savings for administration that provides the services.

It only takes a few minutes to learn more about this budget-friendly campus mail management solution on anytimepostage.com.