A mailroom is one of the essential amenities that universities offer. It’s a pillar of the complete campus experience and an important hub that allows students and staff to handle necessary aspects of school life. Whether staying in touch with family or friends, shopping for essentials, and shipping or receiving packages and documents, the campus mailroom sees a constant stream of activity. 

However, while traditional campus mailrooms remain valuable stewards of communication and connection, improving them surely wouldn’t hurt. 

Campus Mail Services: The Real Situation  

Location

A typical campus mailroom is managed much like a post office. The difference is, of course, that a campus mailroom is most often located in an admin building somewhere on campus. The key problem with this setup is that often these out-of-the-way locations often aren’t easily accessible, and students and staff frequently aren’t even aware the mailrooms exist.

Imagine a university with multiple campuses in a city. A student in the business department has to take a bus or walk a long way, in hail, snow, or the blazing sun, to the mailroom to send a single letter or pick up a package. Not an ideal situation. 

Hours

Like any school office, mailrooms of course have set hours. But what about the students whose schedules don’t allow them to do mail errands during the day? What if a student needs to send or pick up a package late at night? What if the matter is urgent or the student is anxious to pick up a delivery or send an item right away?

A student’s packed schedule can often be unfriendly when it comes to trying to accomplish normal business hours errands. 

Crowds

Not unlike a post office, a campus mailroom is going to have busy times, and busy students can’t always spare the time to line up to send a letter or package. If you consider typical seasonal and holiday crowds, things get hectic quickly in many campus mailrooms.

All of these factors combined point toward the need for a new approach to improve campus mail services. And a university shipping kiosk is the modern and convenient solution.  

What is a University Shipping Kiosk? 

A campus shipping kiosk is a modern, sleek machine that allows students, faculty, and staff to send letters or packages independently. It’s a compact tool—much smaller than a vending machine or an ATM—and comes with a touchscreen, a scale, and a thermal printer. 

The self-service shipping kiosk is integrated with a wide array of courier options. It accepts domestic and international shipping and can ship up to 65 pound (60kg) parcels. The kiosk also accepts credit card or QR code payments, making it convenient for on-the-go shipping tasks. 

How Does a University Shipping Kiosk Work? 

The kiosk can be configured for use by students only or by staff/faculty only. It’s easy to operate. Here are the basic steps: 

1. The student taps the screen of the kiosk to launch for use.

2. They put their mail or parcel on the glass surface to weigh it.

3. They input shipping details on the screen and pick a courier.

4. They make their payment using credit, debit card, or QR code.

5. The kiosk prints the shipping label.

6. The student then attaches this label to their letter or parcel.

7. They then bring their parcel to an assigned box or a mailroom staff. 

The mailroom staff will handle the rest of the shipping process, such as contacting the courier for pickup. 

How Universities Benefit From Self-Service Shipping Kiosks 

Self-service shipping kiosks for universities offer many fantastic benefits. 

Convenience: Students are busy. They don’t have time (or energy!) to locate a mailroom on the other side of the campus or outside the school grounds so that they can send a letter. A well-situated shipping solution contributes to the overall positive campus experience.  

A university shipping kiosk can be installed inside the mail room office or along a nearby hallway. It can also be placed in any building on campus, not just in or near the mail center. 

For example, a shipping kiosk can be strategically placed in a dormitory lobby, in the library, or near the administrative offices, making it a valuable shipping solution for any university. 

Availability: Mail services follow university office hours, usually 9 to 5. A university self-service shipping kiosk, on the other hand, can easily accommodate students or staff who want to ship mail outside business hours. And in a school setting, the availability of services beyond certain hours allows students to better forus on their studies or extracurricular activities. 

Efficiency and Affordability: Self-service kiosks make sending mail and packages easy, and students on a budget can choose a carrier they can afford. They can pay by credit or debit card. If a school has special payment service or membership cards, the kiosk can also be configured to accept those. 

The best part? Self-service kiosks reduce shipping errors. Shipping errors can be a headache and a half, especially for students. Errors mean missing packages, returned letters, or additional charges. Who has time to deal with those if you have projects and homework? 

The kiosk’s address auto-fill system ensures that the package will go to the correct address. The integrated thermal printer likewise creates shipping labels that are smudge-proof.

Get Your Own University Shipping Kiosk 

Ready to install your own university shipping kiosk? Before you take the plunge, briefly consider the following: 

1. Conduct a thorough assessment of your needs and how a shipping kiosk will best serve you. Would a shipping kiosk be needed near administrative offices? Should each dormitory building have one? Or should the kiosk be installed only in the campus mail center?

2. Be sure that the kiosk’s location has a power source and a way to connect to the internet.

3. Provide a box or designated area where students, staff, or faculty can deposit their letters or parcels near the kiosk. Be sure that the box is secure.

4. Find a reliable self-service shipping kiosk provider. Anytime Postage is the industry leader in secure and convenient remote postal mail management, and a trusted kiosk provider. We’re the experts when it comes to the postal mail business, and currently Anytime Postage kiosks serve the outbound shipping needs of campuses and coworking spaces nationwide.

To learn more about Anytime Postage and how your campus can benefit from this simple and modern self-service kiosk, here are some additional details.