Smart Technology that Helps Universities Safely Reopen

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Smart Technology that Helps Universities Safely Reopen
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Since COVID-19 was discovered in late 2019, it has spread to 213 countries and territories around the world,1 and has infected over 9 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As cases persist around the world, governments and organizations are focused on determining how to safely go on with our normal everyday activities.  

This is certainly true at colleges and universities, with the fall semester fast approaching. Decisions have to be made quickly about the best course of action. Some are opting for another remote semester, some are attempting to physically reopen, while others are going with hybrid methods. Reopening colleges and universities during the pandemic poses a special challenge, as younger people are accounting for an increasing number of cases.2 Still, it is critical for schools to find ways to provide suitable learning environments without leading to any resurgence of infection among the students and staff. 

The abrupt transition to remote learning earlier in the year made for a rocky first attempt at educating amidst the pandemic. With a better understanding of the virus and how it spreads, as well as more time to develop and implement helpful solutions, schools are in a much better position to get back on track this semester. While social distancing rules, mask guidelines, temperature checks, and increased sanitization will continue to play a big role in keeping students safe, there has also been a rush of technological innovation to develop solutions (or repurpose resources) that can promote on-campus health and safety. Here are some new technologies and smart solutions that can help universities provide a safer environment while also adding new conveniences and cost saving opportunities.
 

Limit physical contact with Intelligent Lockers  

One of the most important ways to slow the virus’s spread is by limiting physical contact. While much of the focus has been on how to achieve this in a classroom or lecture hall setting, typical campus life also includes opportunities for interaction in places like dorm buildings, libraries, and student centers. Smart locker systems like Exela’s Intelligent Lockers provide a versatile solution for reducing face-to-face contact in a variety of ways. 

Contactless package delivery has become an enduringly popular option during the pandemic, and will likely remain so even after this is all over. Intelligent Lockers enable contactless delivery by offering a secure dropoff and pickup location where deliveries will be safe from would-be “porch pirates,” and retrievable via touchless access options like RFID chips in student and faculty IDs or QR codes sent to users’ smartphones. Similarly, they can facilitate the safe handoff of library books or distribution of required class materials. Plus, their 24-hour access adds convenience for students while potentially reducing staffing costs for campuses facing new budget constraints. 

Smart lobby and visitor management

Universities hoping to limit person-to-person contact can also benefit from automated check-in systems and virtual lobby support and various key points around campus. Libraries, administrative buildings, and student centers equipped with automated guest services technology like Exela’s Intelligent Kiosks can empower social distancing while still providing quality service and helpful information.

Smart technologies address issues and offer versatile solutions that can be used to digitize reception services at colleges and universities. Guests can check in, self-register, get directions, and print their guest badge with zero human interaction at reception.

Health scanners and apps

Technology has and is constantly evolving. With the pandemic crisis, many tech giants with the help of the government are developing applications that can track people's travel and medical history. Innovative solutions for quick and convenient temperature checks, like the use of thermal imaging cameras, can help keep school buildings safe and promote responsible distancing. Universities could also invest in contact tracing apps which would help track spread amongst students and contain potential outbreaks. 

The pandemic has enforced new rules that are likely to stick around and we must adapt ourselves to live cautiously. In a post-COVID world, the need for convenient and secure contactless services and solutions is only going to rise. If your organization faces these and similar challenges, but you are not yet discussing how to meet them, now is the time to start.

You can learn more about Exela's Intelligent Lockers that can provide a better experience for students and faculty on college campuses, check out what Exela did for George Washington University.

 


  1. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/countries-where-coronavirus-has-spread/
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/us/coronavirus-cases-young-people.html
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Niharika Sharma
Date

4 Ways Businesses Can Return to a Smarter Office

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4 Ways Businesses Can Return to a Smarter Office
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When COVID-19 hit, suddenly many of us had to adjust to an entirely new work atmosphere. Social distancing became crucial to slowing the spread, and within weeks, remote working arrangements became the norm for more half of the country. Now, even with many businesses around the country reopening, many people have mixed feelings about returning to the office. As of mid-May, 7 in 10 American workers were still working remotely all or part of the time, and just 1 in 4 say that they would return to the office if it was up to them.1

As they look to reopen, businesses may need to find innovative solutions that will reassure their workers that they are taking serious precautions to protect employee health. 

Masks and temperature checks may become more common in the workplace, at least for a while. But the increased desire to maintain social distancing, and the potential for future temporary regional lockdowns to prevent a second wave, may help fuel some bigger changes and modernizations in many offices. Here are some of the new technologies and services that can help businesses provide a safe working environment while also adding new conveniences and cost saving opportunities.

Contactless Lobbies

Protecting against a virus that can easily spread through common interactions will mean limiting as much face-to-face communication as possible. That person-to-person contact often begins with a greeting in the reception area, but that no longer needs to be the case. Exela’s Intelligent Kiosks enable guests to check in with zero human interaction. Greet guests with a pre-recorded message rather than a living, breathing, potentially contagious human, and allow them to self-register, confirm their arrival, get directions, and print their guest badge. The kiosk will even send an automated notification to the host so that they know exactly where the guest is and when they arrived.

Of course, sometimes it’s nice to be able to interact with an actual human rather than a software system, despite the threat of transferable illnesses. If a guest requires assistance with the check-in process, the Intelligent Kiosk allows them to summon a Virtual Lobby Ambassador at any time via text, audio, or video chat. A Virtual Lobby Ambassador will assist your guests with their needs or answer any questions they may have.

Mobile Facility Passes

The fact that we all carry devices capable of receiving emails and image files without physical contact can make it much easier to continue to follow social distancing guidelines, even as offices reopen. For example, a Mobile Facility Pass, stored on a visitor’s smartphone, allows both employees and guests a contactless solution for displaying security clearance. It can also be used to share useful information like maps of the building or WiFi login information, all without the need for face-to-face interaction. 

Intelligent Lockers

As we all adjust to the constraints of social distancing, contactless delivery has become a popular option for those hoping to make purchases and support businesses without risking the trip to potentially crowded shopping centers or stores. Smart lockers enable contactless delivery in a number of ways, while also providing a convenient storage option for employees.

Exela’s Intelligent Lockers can be accessed through the built-in touchscreen interface, but they can just as well be integrated with RFID, QR code, or biometric recognition technologies for a fully touchless experience. Intelligent Lockers offer flexible layouts and designs, improved access controls, anytime availability, and complete chain-of-custody tracking. They provide an excellent contactless means of exchanging, shipping, receiving, or storing goods.

Digital Mailrooms

Intelligent Lockers are great at limiting face-to-face interactions in the delivery process, but a fully integrated Digital Mailroom can take it even one step further. With Digital Mailroom, your physical mail is rerouted to a secure processing facility where it can be scanned and digitized with advanced ICR and OCR technology for completely electronic delivery. This not only helps keep your workers safe, but also centralizes your communications, and enables remote workers to access important business mail from wherever they happen to be.

Exela Smart Office solutions like these make it easier for workers to return to the office with confidence. The convenience and security these solutions provide will help keep people safe, put minds at ease, and help everyone adjust to the next normal.

COVID-19 is impacting more than just the way businesses operate their physical offices. Learn more about how the pandemic is speeding up companies’ digital transformation.

  1. https://news.gallup.com/poll/311375/reviewing-remote-work-covid.aspx

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Matt Tarpey
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A Smart Office to Outsmart Business Disruption

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A Smart Office to Outsmart Business Disruption
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As of April 2, 2020, COVID-19 has infected 956,588 people and killed 48,320[1]. Hoping to contain the spread, the World Health Organization declared a “pandemic,” leading myriad companies to institute remote work. Many companies were unprepared. Even those with existing remote infrastructure were not necessarily ready for a scenario in which literally no one is in the office.

Nevertheless, Exela remains optimistic this great remote-work experiment will succeed. That’s because solutions ensuring business continuity even with no one in the office already exist. In fact, they’re integral to Exela’s Smart Office suite of solutions, which many of our customers had already been using prior to the pandemic. Smart Office automates a variety of office processes, enhancing efficiency, productivity, and security and setting the scene for seamless remote work. Exela’s Smart Office is comprised of a selection of data-driven solutions--some front-office, some back-office, all of which are aimed at creating and supporting a more efficient, productive, and sustainable workplace. These include, among others:

  • Digital Mailroom, which transforms paper mail into digital format, securely routing it to its intended recipient(s) anywhere with an internet connection.
  • PrintShop, which prints and copies documents remotely on-demand and securely routes them to their intended recipients.
  • Intelligent Lobby, which eliminates the need for staffed reception spaces and allows office access without unnecessary, and risky, interaction.

Over the next several days and weeks to come, we will be addressing these and other Exela Smart Office solutions and how they can help your office retain business continuity in these uncertain times. As you work through the current global crisis, please be aware that the best remedy currently known for COVID-19 is prevention. Here are the CDC’s best practices for prevention. And please do not hesitate to contact us at covidresponse@exelatech.com, and let us know if we can assist you in any way.

[1]  https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

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Lauren Cahn
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Lobby Tracking and Visitor Management

Enhance the Visitor Experience.

Visitor & Lobby Management

Enrich your on-site branding and make a memorable first impression with automated check-in systems, virtual lobby support, and integrated smart office solutions.

At Exela, we design technologies to address specific everyday challenges in your workplace. Explore the versatile offerings of our suite of digital reception services and other smart office solutions for your lobby.

Streamlined reception processes.

Personalized and enhanced visitor experiences.

Improved security and visitor tracking.

Efficient itinerary and access management.

Reduce staffing and operating costs.

Intelligent Kiosk

Greet your guests with a pre-recorded video welcome message. Then allow them to easily register self check-in, get directions, and print their guest badges. Intelligent Kiosk enables one employee to manage multiple entry points.

Mobile Facility Pass

Housed on a user's smartphone, the Mobile Facility Pass offers an elegant solution for displaying security clearance, providing appropriate facility access, and sharing information such as a guest's itinerary, building maps, and WiFi login credentials.

Virtual Lobby Ambassador

Should your guests need any assistance while they are checking in for their visit, they can easily summon a Virtual Lobby Ambassador via text, audio, or video chat using the Intelligent Kiosk. A Virtual Lobby Ambassador will assist your guests with their needs or answer any questions they may have.

Intelligent Lockers

Whether deployed for employees or visitors, Intelligent Lockers offer a convenient storage option with a touchscreen interface that is capable of integrating with RFID, QR code, or biometric recognition technologies. Intelligent Lockers offer flexible layouts and designs, improved access controls, anytime availability, and complete chain-of-custody tracking.

Industry Credentials

Exela's Intelligent Lockers-Optimizing Employee Experience at Insurance Company Global Headquarters

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Visitor & Lobby Management
Features & Benefits
CHALLENGE:

When a large multi-national insurance company relocated its global headquarters to a newly-designed, ultra-modern space in downtown Chicago, it was inspired to take a new and modern approach to office security by restricting personal items on-site, including outwear, handbags, briefcases, and personal devices. As a result, the 1,700 employees located in Chicago would now need a place to store their belongings during the work-day. The idea of “standard” lockers was unappealing for a number of reasons, including aesthetics, cost effectiveness, and practicality. Instead, the company wished to implement an automated, unattended, trackable storage solution for its employees.

SOLUTION:

To satisfy this dilemma, the company chose Exela Intelligent Lockers, Exela’s automated, unattended, trackable delivery and storage solution, which enables smart, secure, end-to-end chain-of-custody without the hiring of additional staff. Each Intelligent Locker is an automated self-service storage space that locks and unlocks via electronic PIN, RFID badge, or mobile application, generating an auditable record with each click.

IMPLEMENTATION:

Since Exela Intelligent Lockers are custom-configurable based on user requirements, Exela began by working with the company to design custom-configured Exela Intelligent Lockers to meet the requirements of the company’s 1,700 Chicago employees. Employees were assigned lockers of varying sizes to meet their individual needs and asked to create their own personal access PIN through which they could access their individual lockers by keying in the PIN at touchscreen console. Exela also installed RFID readers along the perimeter of locker banks and enabled employees to connect the PIN to their own RFID badge such that employees may access their individual lockers by simply waving their badge on approach. By providing dual methods for accessing lockers, Exela streamlined the process of opening lockers and minimized delays.

RESULTS:

The company was pleased that Exela Intelligent Lockers enabled it to achieve its goal of a higher level of on-premise security by restricting personal items in its offices. At the same time, employee experience was optimized via convenient, easy-to-use, private, secure storage. Employees reported high degree of satisfaction with the process of storing and accessing personal items and confidence in the security of stored items

BENEFITS:

Personal item storage with a sleek, modern aesthetic appeal

  • No additional staffing required
  • Quick, easy, streamlined access to stored items even during busy times
  • No lost keys or misremembered combinations.
  • Tracking of open/close transactions offers analyzable data for insights and improvements
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Industry Solutions

Transforming the Lobby Experience for a Worldwide Computer Software & Hardware Company

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A worldwide leader in software, services, devices, and solutions with a large and distributed US-based campus, and satellite offices across the globe.

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Visitor & Lobby Management
Features & Benefits
CHALLENGE:

Exela had been on-site managing the mail operations for this client for nearly two decades. We had designed scalable, comprehensive mail security, routing, and delivery solutions unique to the needs of the company and demonstrated our ability to help the company solve highly complex business problems.

For example, the company’s massive pivot from a software supplier to a hardware supplier left antiquated processes of mail distribution, shipping, and receiving open for optimization. For Exela, this meant transitioning our delivery strategy from a centrally managed operation with fixed routes and schedules to an agile model making specific accommodations for business-critical groups. In facilitating this change, Exela did extensive research with business groups to ensure we understood the company’s needs, recognized its opportunities, and aligned strongly with its process to minimize business impact with the changes in the operating model.

We tackled a number of logistical issues during this transition. Engineers and technicians who were spread across a large campus needed logistics support in real-time. In addition, the new strategy had to be implemented, for both exports and imports, in a secure and scalable way in compliance with applicable law. Our efficient pivot to a spoke delivery system—one with multiple delivery points, from a hub-based one, was able to meet all of these needs.

Our new strategy was implemented in such a successful way that the client asked us to furnish a long-term roadmap of how we could expand our services on-site. In collaboration with the company, we identified other areas within the business where there was room for improvement. We then agreed on the next initiative: to improve the lobby experience (also known as “reception”), with respect to which the client had been experiencing challenges in the form of inconsistencies across the campus environment. The company brought in a Hospitality Consulting team, with whom we worked to facilitate our discovery and solution recommendation processes.

EVALUATION & RECOMMENDATIONS:

To build our recommendations for successful improvement, we interviewed each of the 175 on-site receptionists to determine those factors that helped them to provide service excellence versus those factors that acted as obstacles. What we discovered is:

  • The reception staff had no uniform dress code
  • The reception staff lacked knowledge about company culture and events
  • Inconsistent practices and operating procedures were being executed across the different 93 lobby environments
  • Reception staff registered an average of 1,841 visitors per day
  • Reception staff booked an average of 425 conference rooms per day

As a result of this exploration, we identified several opportunities for the client to improve their guests’ lobby experience. Among the first new initiatives we implemented was an apparel program that introduced high standards of dress, style guidelines, and a focus on the client brand – in order to make the reception staff easily recognizable to guests, while mirroring the client’s brand personality.

To address inconsistent guest experiences across campus buildings, we implemented a number of training and education programs for our employees, designed holistically around the culture, needs, and specific expectations of this particular client. We helped to educate employees on Customer Focus, Listening with Skill, Understanding Workplace Diversity, Communicating Across Cultures, Dealing with Angry Callers, and more.

Key to the success of our strategy was the creation of a Training and Developing Manager role. This individual was to be a leader who would create a stronger connection between our employees and our client’s brand through training programs aimed at skill, culture, and behavioral components. This included assessing developmental needs, implementing programs, measuring successes, and creating scalable training solutions for employees based on need.

Improvements yielded by these changes have been impressive. The results we achieved were not only subjectively positive, but objectively measurable through benchmarks set by company leadership. Our employees fit in better-than-ever with this client’s culture of continually challenging the status quo, and continuously improving. Specific results connected to our solutions include:

  • 94% of newly surveyed guests report excellent service
  • 100% of on-site survey commentary is now positive
  • Check-in times have decreased from 00:01:53 to 00:01:23
  • Turnover has dropped approximately 15%, from 63% to 48%

The client’s hospitality service now meets all the criteria they set for defining a successful lobby experience from the client, visitor, and employee perspectives.

To further evaluate the effectiveness of the new ‘Lobby Host Program’, we also deployed ‘mystery shoppers’. These shoppers visited the lobbies of our client sites and rated their experience regarding our ability to execute chosen standards of service, as well as provided subjective opinions on their engagement with our reception team.

Ultimately, after our discovery and implementation phases were completed, we can now report an above 87% favorability rating in terms of the solutions we have designed for this client – due almost entirely to the quality and dedication of the people we have placed with them.

MOVING FORWARD:

The transformation of this client’s Lobby Host program has been so successful that we are now in a proof-of-concept phase for our global reception implementation initiative to the company’s other 300 international locations over the next 18 months.

Through our focused work for, and strong partnership with, this client, Exela was able to turn an operation challenge into true operational strength. We continue to do so for them and others today.

Industry Solutions

Employee Storage Solution for Insurance Company

Case Study Featured Content

A large insurance company in Chicago used Intelligent Lockers to address the need for an employee storage solution.

Case Study Image for Hero Section
Logistics
Features & Benefits
CHALLENGE:

An insurance company with headquarters in Chicago does not allow employees to bring their personal belongings into their new work environment. This restriction includes all personal items, such as: coats, briefcases, handbags, etcetera. Employees needed a place to store their belonging while they worked, but old-fashioned combinations or keyed lockers were not an ideal solution.

SOLUTION:

Exela’s Intelligent Lockers provided an convenient, intuitive, and secure storage option. Employees were assigned lockers of varying size to meet their individual needs. In addition to each employee establishing a PIN for personal locker access, sensors were included in the locker banks to recognize employee badges. This allowed employees to simply wave their badge in front of a sensor to access their locker, which prevented long lines from forming when many employees needed access their personal storage at the beginning and end of the workday.

BENEFITS:
  • Personalized locker access via PIN or badge

  • Quick and easy storage access

  • No key to lose or unfamiliar numbers to memorize

  • Improved visibility and reporting related to locker usage

  • Enhanced employee experience

Industry Solutions

Intelligent Lockers and Why the “Last Mile” Matters

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Facility & Logistics
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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – The Tao Te Ching, attributed to Laozi

A package may journey a thousand miles, but customer satisfaction begins with the "Last Mile" – Terry Holash, Senior Vice President Exela, Intelligent Lockers

Package delivery is big business (if there’s any doubt, consider that UPS’s revenues totaled $72 billion in 2018). The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates e-commerce sales for the second quarter of 2019 to be at 146.2 billion.[1] NASDAQ  predicts that by 2040, 95% of purchases will be made online. As a result, the volume of packages shipped is increasing daily.

Most logistics involved in package delivery are invisible to the customer. The one aspect of package delivery that is visible to the customer is the “last mile,” as it’s known in the industry. How things go in the last mile has the power to “make” or “break” customer satisfaction.

What is the “last mile” of delivery?

The “last mile” refers to the journey of delivered goods from the carrier’s local transportation hub to the “final delivery destination.”

What is the “final delivery destination”?

The “final delivery destination” refers to where delivered goods are placed in the “physical possession of the addressee.” Ideally, that will be in the hands of the addressee. Not in a lobby. Not with a receptionist. Not on a desk. Not in a package room.

The “last 50 feet”

That last leg of a delivered package’s journey (from arrival at an address to the actual hands of the addressee) as the “last 50 feet.” As e-commerce has become increasingly ubiquitous, the sheer volume of deliveries has encroached on those “final 50.” By necessity, packages are often deemed delivered upon reaching an address, rather than an addressee. At the same time, customer experience has come to hinge increasingly on those final 50 feet.

Controlling the final 50

To regain control over the final 50, some vendors require the addressee’s signature for delivery, but that also risks alienating customers. Another way to control the final 50 is via automated, programmable lockers, or “smart lockers.” Exela’s smart lockers, Intelligent Lockers, ensure the right package gets to the right person every time. Here’s how:

  • A package is placed (by carrier, or mailroom personnel) into an Intelligent Locker (in a bank of lockers located conveniently to the addressee).
  • The Intelligent Locker is programmed to send a message to the addressee containing a pin code to open that locker (and only that locker).
  • The addressee receives a notification via text, or email that the package is waiting for pickup at a particular location.
  • The addressee keys in the pin code, and the locker pops open.

Intelligent Lockers for YOUR business

Exela’s Intelligent Lockers aren’t just for use by e-commerce vendors. Our Intelligent Locker customers include banks, hospitals, universities, and other large organizations who have used them to, among other things:

  • Reduce the number of people staffing their mailrooms
  • Reduce the amount of security required by mailrooms while also permitting 24/7 access
  • Decrease mis-deliveries
  • Decrease the number of non-credentialed employees roaming the premises to make deliveries
  • Promote privacy

Here’s how a large university learned the value of Intelligent Lockers. Here’s how a major insurance company provided its employees with convenient storage.

Exela’s Intelligent Lockers are part of its Smart Office suite of front office automation solutions.

 

[1] https://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf
Author Name
Lauren Cahn
Date
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Industry Solutions
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