Parcels at the gate with a collection code
The guard logs each parcel for a flat with the courier, a photo and the shelf. The flat is told at once with a four-digit collection code, and the parcel is handed over only to someone who gives that code.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- A courier leaves a parcel at the gate and nobody tells you for two days.
- Someone collects your parcel saying they live in your flat, and the guard has no way to check.
- Parcels pile up behind the security cabin with no record of who brought them or who took them.
- A delivery arrives when nobody is home, and the courier takes it back.
How it works
- A courier arrives. The guard presses + Parcel, picks the flat, and fills in the courier, what it is and where it is kept, such as Rack 2.
- The guard adds a photo, the number of packages, the sender or the tracking number if useful, and presses Log parcel.
- The flat is told at once: the courier, the gate, the shelf and a four-digit collection code. The code also shows on the resident's Parcels page.
- A resident, or anyone they send with the code, comes to the gate. The guard finds the parcel, presses Hand over, picks or types who collects it and types the code.
- With the right code the parcel moves to Collected, and the flat is told who collected it. A parcel nobody collects is sent back with Return to courier.
- When a resident answers Leave at gate to a delivery at the gate, the parcel is logged by itself and the flat gets its code.
Everything it does
Logging a parcel
- For: the flat, picked from the list or typed as A-1204; the flat's primary contact is the recipient
- Courier, What (for example Small box), Kept at (shelf, rack or room)
- Photo, Packages (1 to start with), Sender, Tracking number and a Note
- A parcel number from the society's sequence, the gate, the time and the guard who received it
- Courier names come from the society's list of delivery and courier names, or are typed
The collection code
- Four digits, made for every parcel of a flat
- Sent to the flat in the message about the parcel and shown on the resident's Parcels page and app
- The guard cannot hand the parcel over without the right code; spaces in the code do not matter
- In the back office, reception sees the code on the parcel and types it in Code Given before Collected
- Anyone with the code can collect: residents, family, or the flat's daily help
Handing over
- Statuses: At the Gate, Collected and Returned
- The guard picks who collects it from the flat's people and daily help, or types a name
- Collected records who, when and the guard who handed it over
- Once collected or returned, the details are locked; notes can still be added
Finding parcels
- Guard page filters: At the gate, Handed over and Returned; How far back: last 7 days, last 30 days or all
- Search by flat, courier, tracking number, rack or parcel number
- Visitors > Gate > Parcels and Lost Items > Parcels opens on those still At the Gate; the flat form has Parcels at gate
- The resident's Parcels page: parcels waiting with the code, and those collected in the last 30 days, with who collected them
Who uses it
GuardLogs parcels, hands them over against the code, returns unclaimed ones to the courier.
ResidentGets the code, collects or sends someone with it, sees what is waiting.
Society officeSees every parcel at the gate and hands one over from the back office with the code.
Where you use it
- Web: the guard page at /guard, Parcels, and + Parcel on the Gate page
- The Guard app: Parcels (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Web: the resident portal, Parcels; the Resident app, Arrivals and parcels (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Web: Visitors > Gate > Parcels and Lost Items > Parcels in the back office
- Not a parcel locker: there is no link to smart lockers
What you control
Settings
- The collection code: always on for a flat's parcels; there is no switch
- Each resident's Parcels alert switch: on to start with
- Delivery and Cab Names: the courier names the guard picks from
Notifications
- Flat: Parcel at the Gate / Collected: to the flat's residents who keep Parcels alerts on. Sent when a parcel is logged (with the collection code) and when it is collected. By app push, the first of WhatsApp, SMS or email, and in-app
- Each person can switch off a channel, such as email, for themselves; in-app notices always arrive
Questions
Can my maid collect a parcel for me?
Yes. Give her the collection code. The guard can pick her name from your flat's daily help, types the code, and you are told who collected it.What if I lose the code?
Open Parcels on the resident portal or in the app: the code shows next to each parcel waiting.Can the office hand over a parcel without the code?
Not without typing it. Reception sees the code on the parcel in the back office and types it in Code Given before clicking Collected.What happens to parcels nobody collects?
They stay under At the gate with the date they came. The guard presses Return to courier, and the parcel stays on record as Returned.Does a pre-approved delivery left at the gate get a code?
The guard's card says Leave at gate. Once the guard logs it as a parcel for your flat, you get the code like any other parcel.Related features
GUESTS AND PRE-APPROVALPre-approved cabs, deliveries and service visitsA resident tells the gate in advance to let in a cab, a delivery or a service visit. It holds once, for a time window, or always for a company. The guard lets them straight in, and a frequent guest can be allowed always in one tap.VISITORS AT THE GATEWalk-in visitors approved by the flatThe guard registers a visitor without a pass for a flat. Every resident of that flat who approves visitors is asked on their phone. The first answer wins, with five answers to choose from. If nobody answers, the guard or the office decides and the flat is told who did.FLATS AND RESIDENTSAlerts feed for the flat, with switches per personEverything the flat is told, from the gate and from the society office, is kept on one Alerts page. Each person in the flat chooses which kinds they want to hear about, and the feed keeps the rest for them to read later.GATE, GUARDS AND KIOSKGuard app and guard web pageOne screen shows the guard who is expected, waiting for a flat's answer, inside or pre-approved, and which children wait for a parent. It runs in any browser at /guard and as the SmartMy Society Guard app.FLATS AND RESIDENTSResident app and resident web portalResidents answer the gate, invite guests, follow daily help and parcels and read alerts in the SmartMy Society Resident app or in a browser. Both show the same flat and do the same things.
See it set up for your own society.
Tell us how many towers, flats and gates you have. We will show you and your committee the resident app, the guard app and the office screens, set up that way.