How to Improve Mailroom Management in Universities

University mailrooms handle far more than letters and envelopes. Teams manage a steady flow of student parcels, department supplies, and time-sensitive deliveries. Once a parcel is accepted at the mailroom, responsibility shifts to the university.

Items may need to be stored securely, routed to the correct department, handed off to internal couriers, or held for student collection. Without a clear, consistent system in place, visibility quickly breaks down.

Over time, this leads to staff spending time searching for parcels, repeated enquiries from students and departments, and difficulty preparing for peak delivery periods such as term start, move-in week, or holidays.

This guide walks through how to set up Parcel Tracker for university environments. By the end of this tutorial, your team will be able to scan parcels using their phones, automatically notify recipients, and securely check parcels out using a unique QR code or e-signature.

1. Create a Parcel Tracker Account

Go to parceltracker.com and select Sign Up for Free to create your account. Once logged in, open Settings from the lower left-hand corner to add your university logo and address.

Next, navigate to Settings → Features and enable Additional Parcel Details. This feature allows you to:

• Add parcel tags
• Assign storage locations
• Capture a clear photo of the parcel at intake

In university environments, mailrooms often process a large volume of parcels every day. Parcels can easily go missing once they are stored, moved, or handed off internally without a clear record. Enabling this feature provides better visibility at intake and helps teams keep parcels organised from the moment they arrive.

If your university has internal couriers that deliver parcels to different departments or buildings, you should also enable Batch Parcel Collection. This allows couriers to mark multiple parcels as delivered once they’ve been handed off to the correct recipients or locations.

2. Upload Your Recipient List

Before scanning any parcels, upload your recipient list. For universities, this typically includes students living on campus as well as staff or departments that receive deliveries.

Parcel Tracker uses this list to automatically match parcels to recipients via OCR. It also ensures notifications are sent as soon as a parcel is logged. Without a recipient list, parcels may need to be logged manually, leading to delays, mismatches, or parcels being placed on hold.

A university recipient list should include:

• First name
• Last name
• Email address
• Location (department, building name, room number or room name)

To upload your CSV file:

• From the dashboard, select Recipients
• Choose Import List and select the file from your device
• Confirm you have permission to upload the data and select Continue
• Map each column to the correct field and select Continue
• Review the data and select Continue

Parcel Tracker will flag any errors or duplicate recipients and highlight changes if an updated list is uploaded later.

3. Set Up Scanning Devices for Mailroom Staff

Next, designate the devices your team will use to scan parcels. Parcel Tracker works on both Apple and Android phones or tablets.

For best performance, we recommend:

• iPhone SE or newer
• Android devices with at least 6GB RAM and a 2.8 GHz processor

Universities may choose to use dedicated scanning devices in the mailroom or allow staff to install Parcel Tracker on their personal phones. If staff are using personal devices, they should be added as Mailroom Users.

To add users, go to Mailroom Users → Invite User, enter their email address, and assign roles based on responsibilities.

4. Configure Parcel Tags

Tags help staff quickly understand how a parcel should be handled. It’s best to keep tags simple and intuitive so intake remains fast, even during peak periods.

You may use:

• General tags: Fragile, Damaged, Perishable
• Content or delivery type tags: Documents, Lab Equipment, IT Equipment
• Routing tags: Department Delivery, Residence Hall Delivery
• Workflow or compliance tags: Signature Required, Transferred Internally

Tags are especially useful when delivery volumes are high and parcels are moving between multiple teams or buildings. To add a new tag, simply click Add Tag. Enter a name and choose a color.

5. Configure Notifications and Branding

Once parcels are scanned and stored, Parcel Tracker can automatically notify recipients. This reduces enquiries to the mailroom and encourages timely collection.

Parcel Tracker supports four notification types:

• Delivery: Sent when a parcel is scanned into the system
• Collection: Confirmation that a parcel has been picked up
• Reminder: Sent automatically if a parcel remains uncollected
• Sign-up: Sent when a new recipient is added

Delivery and Collection notifications are enabled by default. To customise notifications:

• Open the Notifications tab
• Select the + icon to enable a notification template
• Choose Actions → Edit to customise the message

From the preview screen, you can adjust messaging and choose whether to display courier name, delivery time, or parcel notes. Select Submit once complete.

6. Set Up Storage Locations for Your Mailroom

To prevent parcels from being misplaced, Parcel Tracker allows you to assign a storage location to each parcel at scan-in.

For university mailrooms, we recommend creating locations that reflect your physical layout, such as:

• Shelf A – Row 1
• Shelf A – Row 2
• Shelf B – Row 1
• Shelf B – Row 2
• Locker X
• Locker Y
• Locker Z

Assigning storage locations ensures staff always know where parcels are stored and reduces time spent searching during busy collection windows.

7. Download Parcel Tracker for Mobile

Download Parcel Tracker – Mailroom from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. Once installed, sign in using your account credentials.

You’re now ready to begin scanning parcels.

8. Parcel Sign-In

When a parcel arrives:

• Select Scan Parcels
• Hold the camera over the label
• Press and hold to capture the recipient name and barcode
• Take a wider photo of the parcel
• Assign tags and a storage location
• Select Submit to continue scanning

When finished, select Next, then Check-in to sync parcels to the system.

All scanned parcels appear in the Parcels tab on the web dashboard, where staff can view details by recipient or department.

9. Parcel Sign-Out and Internal Delivery

Once a parcel is checked in, the recipient receives a notification email containing a unique QR code.

To check out a parcel:

• Open the Out panel and select Recipient Check-out
• Scan the recipient’s QR code
• Scan the parcel labels
• Select Next, then choose Check out or Recipient e-signature

If a student forgets their QR code, parcels can also be signed out from the dashboard:

• Open the Parcels tab
• Select the recipient
• Choose Check out parcel
• Capture the recipient’s e-signature

If your university uses internal couriers:

• Select Batch Check Out
• Scan all parcel labels being transferred
• Select Check Out
• Capture an e-signature to confirm delivery

Tip: Use Reporting to Prepare for Peak Periods

Parcel Tracker’s reporting tools help universities understand delivery patterns over time.

Useful metrics include:

• Peak delivery days and times
• Average pickup time
• Volume spikes during move-in or holidays

These insights help teams plan overflow storage, adjust notification timing, and refine workflows during busy periods.

Welcome to Parcel Tracker

Setting up Parcel Tracker correctly gives universities a structured, reliable way to handle incoming deliveries.

With clear intake processes, organised storage, and visibility across internal handovers, mailroom teams can manage higher volumes with less stress while delivering a more consistent experience for students and staff. Sign up for free.