IRVINE, Calif., July 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parcel Pending , a leader in the package management industry, is expanding its partnership with Cortland Partners , the Atlanta-based, vertically-integrated, multifamily investment and management firm, after a round of initial installs demonstrated high resident satisfaction and renewal intent at their communities. Parcel Pending’s electronic, self-service parcel lockers are now available at 14 Cortland Partners communities and will roll out to an additional 13 by the end of the year.
Cortland Partners first tapped Parcel Pending in late 2016 to do a pilot install of its lockers at one of their Austin-based communities, The Aspect. The community was struggling to manage a major influx of resident packages due to the online shopping boom.
“On average, our communities were receiving between 20 to 30 packages per day, and our staff was spending about five to six minutes managing each one. That adds up quickly,” said Brian Ericson, Cortland’s Vice President of Marketing Insights. “Our property management teams were spending too much time on package management, which pulled them away from their primary responsibilities of managing the property and serving residents. We soon recognized that we needed to find a smart and savvy solution… and fast.”
Following the initial install of Parcel Pending lockers at The Aspect, Cortland Partners surveyed their residents at the two-month and one-year marks to gauge satisfaction and return-on-investment. The survey results were overwhelmingly positive.
“When you pair the positive resident feedback from the pilot install with the fact that resident packages are growing at an impressive rate of 30 to 40 percent annually, it really was a no-brainer for us to expand the use of Parcel Pending lockers at more of our communities,” said Ericson.
After the positive resident experience, Cortland Partners expanded the use of Parcel Pending lockers to nine additional communities across five cities in 2017 and the early part of 2018. To continue to analyze resident feedback, Cortland Partners issued a resident survey two-months post-installation at three properties: Viridian, located in Decatur, GA; Seven, located in Atlanta, and Preserve at Rolling Oaks, located in Austin. The response to their new Parcel Pending lockers continued to be extremely positive:
- Overall, 76 percent of residents strongly preferred having lockers compared to traditional office pickup, and 40 percent of residents said that they were more likely to renew their leases due to the added amenity of the parcel lockers.
- 80 percent of Viridian residents rated the parcel lockers as “very good” or “excellent,” which is more than double the satisfaction of office pick-up.
- Lockers were even more popular among renters who believe they will still be renting in three years – 89 percent of this group preferred lockers.
- 88 percent of Seven residents, 81 percent of Viridian residents and 80 percent of Preserve at Rolling Oaks residents preferred having the lockers.
- 69 percent of Seven residents and 64 percent of Preserve at Rolling Oaks residents rated the parcel lockers as “excellent.”
“At Cortland Partners, we pride ourselves on our resident-centric service, so it made sense for us to partner with a customer-centric company like Parcel Pending. We’re confident that they offer the most technologically advanced products and best customer service in the industry, and we look forward to expanding our relationship with them,” continued Ericson.
Cortland Partners will expand its use of Parcel Pending lockers to 13 additional communities by the end of the year.
Parcel Pending was founded by Lori A. Torres in 2013 to provide effective package management solutions to property managers, residents and couriers alike. With over 25 years of real estate experience, Torres truly understood the diverse needs of property owners, property managers, couriers and residents. As a result, she was able to conceptualize and develop completely customizable indoor, outdoor and refrigerated digital smart lockers providing seamless package management solutions for multifamily communities, commercial office buildings, retailers and universities throughout the North America.
Today, Parcel Pending is an industry leader in the package management industry. Parcel Pending enables multifamily communities and property managers to increase responsiveness to residents, provide better service, gain competitive advantage and concurrently reduce operating costs.
To learn more about Parcel Pending’s multifamily locker solutions , please visit www.parcelpending.com .
About Parcel Pending Parcel Pending is a leading provider of package management solutions to simplify and secure parcel deliveries. Parcel Pending combines 100% Always-On Customer Service, electronic lockers and mobile applications to improve the customer experience, while reducing operating costs. Parcel Pending markets to multi-family communities, commercial office buildings, retailers and universities throughout North America. More information is available by calling 855-316-4756 or at www.parcelpending.com .
About Cortland Partners Cortland Partners is a global, multifamily real estate investment firm that leverages proprietary design and build supply chains with in-house construction, property, and facilities management services to unlock value in high-growth U.S. markets. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Cortland owns and manages a portfolio of 48,000 apartment homes across the U.S. with regional offices in Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Houston, and Orlando. Cortland also houses a global materials sourcing office in Shanghai, China and an international development office in London. Cortland Partners is a National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) Top 50 Owner and Manager, is ranked among Atlanta’s “Top 25 Large Workplaces” by the AJC (2018), and places is fifth in JTurner’s Online Reputation rankings among US multifamily managers. For more information, please visit www.cortlandpartners.com .
