The coronavirus pandemic has uprooted a myriad of plans, jobs, and livelihoods. With the push for remote work, more independent living environments, and thorough sanitation practices, public health has become the priority. Places with greater densities of people like universities, office buildings, and apartment complexes are under intense pressure to standardize social distancing measures and keep everyone safe. For all these spaces, the benefits of smart lockers provide a key piece in the puzzle to maintain a sense of normalcy while prioritizing health and safety during Covid times.

Easy Delivery Option

Online shopping trends have risen with the pandemic, and e-commerce researchers from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development don’t predict them ever falling back to pre-Covid levels. Because of the influx of packages, mailrooms are swamped. To add to the chaos, more people choose to have groceries delivered to limit their exposure at grocery stores. Packages and groceries pile onto doorsteps and overwhelm apartments and offices. Luckily, smart lockers provide a solution for both these problems through a systemized package pickup and options for temperature-controlled lockers. 

Streamlined Pickup 

Highly organized with a full record of Smart lockers reduce hassle, First, a courier drops off a package into a specified locker. Then the recipient will receive a notification and just needs to scan a QR code at the kiosk to access their delivery. Smart locker software even makes it simple to combine multiple packages to a single recipient in the same locker. They take the pressure off mailroom staff and reduce the time that recipients spend in the mailroom. Smart lockers eliminate long pick-up lines and promote social distancing!

Temperature-Controlled

Additionally, including a temperature-controlled smart locker in your building is the perfect solution to the increase in grocery delivery services. With HeatWave and ArcticLock™ technology, the lockers will keep food chilled, frozen, or even heated to whatever temperature you set! Beyond grocery delivery, the temperature-controlled features help encourage social distancing for pickup orders at restaurants or prepping prescriptions at a pharmacy. 

grocery delivery

Convenient 24 Hour Access

Another way smart lockers promote social distancing? Users can access them at any time! With easy-to-use hardware and software systems, smart lockers don’t require staff maintenance so recipients can pick up their deliveries any time the building is open. No more trying to squeeze a trip to the mailroom between 9-5! Smart locker users fit their pickups into their schedules. With more flexibility in pickup time, delivery room crowds will be a thing of the past. At the same time, you can reduce users’ stress while following CDC social distancing guidelines. 

Outdoor Lockers

If you really want to take advantage of the 24-hour access, but don’t have a lobby or other indoor space for the smart lockers, a durable outdoor locker may be the answer! Made with heavy gauge steel with weather stripping, the outdoor lockers are completely weatherproof. They even come equipped with an awning to serve as a weather shelter. Now you’ve got fresh air combined with the aforementioned social distancing measures. Package delivery while reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses was never easier!

Touchless Technology

No lines, convenient access… what more could smart lockers do to reduce the spread of disease? Easy! Pickup is completely touchless. In an effortlessly streamlined system, users can pick up packages by scanning a QR code from a user-friendly app. Using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, this triggers a locker door to open without the recipient even having to touch the kiosk. You can just grab your package and be on your way!

With integrated software like Smiota Mailroom, users will get a notification when their delivery is ready. No need to call mailroom staff or continuously check in with the locker system. Users just wait for the notification and pick it up at their convenience.

Prioritize Cleanliness

During the pandemic, we’ve realized the importance of finding simple ways to disinfect and sanitize. Smart lockers even make that easy for us. Update your laminate lockers with an antimicrobial additive that prevents bacteria, mold, and mildew thereby extending the life of the material. Lockers even come with programmable UV-C bulbs that disinfect the inside of locker doors while not in use. Called “germicidal lamps,” ultraviolet radiation destroys the outer coating of viruses like SARS-CoV-2, rendering it inactive. These additions to your smart locker system help maximize your health and safety practices.

Beyond the Pandemic

Even as vaccinations roll out and more people feel comfortable returning to their routines, some of the lessons learned won’t go away. Creating systems and structures that prioritize public health is a necessity. All the benefits of smart lockers during Covid times extend to a more mindful future. Contact Smiota today to see how their locker solutions can support the safety and health of your community today!