The digitisation of parcel management in building reception areas has become a real necessity for many residents’ associations. A few years ago, the odd parcel would arrive; the caretaker would leave it on a shelf, let the resident know when they could, and the matter was more or less sorted. Today, the situation is very different: online shopping, daily deliveries, multiple parcels for a single flat, couriers in a hurry, residents away from home, and concierge desks that end up functioning as small logistics hubs.
The problem is that many residents’ associations still manage this process using notebooks, sticky notes, WhatsApp messages, impromptu phone calls or the concierge’s memory. And that system can still just about cope when ten parcels arrive a day. But when thirty, fifty or more arrive, mistakes start to creep in: parcels that nobody collects, residents who haven’t been notified, deliveries without proof of receipt, mixed-up parcels, uncertainty over who collected what, and concierges wasting time searching for boxes.
At Onzane, we’ve created a specific feature to solve this problem within Onzane Staff, the app designed for caretakers, property management staff and those involved in the day-to-day running of the community. The idea is simple: to ensure that the entire lifecycle of a parcel is recorded, from the moment it arrives at the concierge’s desk until it is delivered to the resident.
Why parcel management has become so complicated in housing estates
Managing parcels in a residents’ association may seem like a minor task, but in reality it touches on many aspects: communication with residents, internal organisation, space management, privacy, staff accountability and traceability. Without a clear system in place, the concierge desk ends up with boxes piling up haphazardly, and residents find themselves asking time and again whether anything has arrived for them.
Furthermore, housing estates vary greatly from one another. A block of 20 flats is not the same as a housing development with several blocks, a car park, a swimming pool, maintenance staff and a concierge service with extended opening hours. In large housing estates, parcel management can become one of the most repetitive tasks of the day.
We’ve already discussed this problem in our article on how to manage parcel deliveries in a residents’ association, but now we’re taking it a step further: it’s not just about ‘logging parcels’, but about digitising the entire process to make it faster, clearer and easier to audit.
What does digitising parcel management mean?
Digitising parcel management at the concierge desk doesn’t just mean taking a photo of a notebook. It means turning a manual process into an organised workflow within an app. Every parcel is recorded, linked to a flat or a resident, the relevant person is notified, it is stored with its location if necessary, and finally delivered with proof of delivery.
The difference is enormous. With a manual system, information is scattered. With Onzane Staff, information is centralised and available to authorised users. The concierge knows which parcels are pending, the resident receives a notification, the management team can review the history, and the residents’ association sees fewer queries.
This fits in with the idea of digitising community management: it’s not about using technology for the sake of it, but about improving real, time-consuming tasks that occur every day.
Parcel reception with Onzane Staff
The first step in the module is reception. When a delivery driver arrives, the caretaker can open Onzane Staff and register a new parcel delivery. The registration allows them to specify which flat the parcel is for and, optionally, which specific resident.
This is useful because not all parcels arrive with the same information. Sometimes the parcel is clearly addressed to ‘2nd B’. Other times it is addressed to a person living in the flat, but the flat number isn’t shown. And on other occasions, the caretaker knows the resident and can match the parcel to them directly. The app allows you to adapt to these situations without complicating the work.
Furthermore, you can specify how many items make up the parcel. This prevents one of the most common problems: a delivery arriving in three boxes, two being collected and one being left behind. If it is recorded from the outset that there are three items, the delivery process can check this more effectively.
You can also add a photo of the parcel. There’s no need to turn the concierge’s office into a photo studio, but a quick snap is a great help: it allows the box to be identified, similar parcels to be distinguished, and any doubts to be resolved if there are several deliveries for the same property.
Finally, if the concierge’s office has a storage area, the concierge can indicate where the parcel is being kept. This could be a shelf, a cage, a cupboard, a room, a rack or any location designated by the residents’ association. This greatly reduces the time wasted searching for parcels.
Automatic notifications to residents
Once the parcel has been registered, Onzane can automatically notify residents. If the parcel is addressed to a specific flat, the system notifies the residents of that flat. If a specific resident has been specified, it can notify only that person.
This saves the caretaker from having to make phone calls, send messages or wait to bump into the neighbour in the entrance hall. Communication becomes immediate and forms part of the community’s normal routine.
This is key because many parcel-related problems do not stem from receiving parcels, but from failing to notify residents properly. The parcel is at the concierge’s desk, but the resident doesn’t know. Or one person was notified whilst another wasn’t informed. Or the concierge left a note and nobody saw it. With notifications via the app, the notification is more direct and easier to manage.
Onzane already focuses heavily on this aspect of communication in other features, such as notices to residents or community communication. Parcel delivery follows the same principle: each resident should receive the information that concerns them, without relying on makeshift methods.
Smart parcel grouping
One of the most interesting features of Onzane Staff is that the app is smart when it comes to grouping parcels. If several parcels arrive for the same flat or the same resident, the system can keep track of all these deliveries and facilitate their joint delivery.
This may seem like a minor detail, but it makes a huge difference to the work of the concierge. Imagine a flat receiving four parcels in a single morning: one from an online shop, two from a marketplace and another from a different courier service. If these are managed on paper, they can easily end up scattered across different lines in a notebook or even in different storage areas. When the resident comes down to collect them, the concierge has to remember whether there was one, two or four.
With Onzane Staff, every arrival is recorded and linked to the relevant flat or resident. When a delivery begins, the app allows the concierge to identify all pending parcels for that same flat. This enables the concierge to hand over everything that belongs to the resident and minimise oversights.
This is also helpful when several people live together in the same flat. There may be parcels for different residents, but all linked to the same door. The app allows you to manage both levels: flat and resident.
Parcel delivery to residents
The second key stage in the lifecycle is delivery. When a resident approaches the concierge desk, the concierge can search for the parcel in several ways: by property, by resident, by status, by date, by location or by other details available in the records.
This search function is essential. If a concierge desk has dozens of pending parcels, simply scanning the shelves is not enough. The concierge needs to quickly identify what is due for that flat, how many parcels there are and where they are stored.
Once the parcel or group of parcels has been located, Onzane Staff allows it to be marked as delivered. In this way, the parcel is removed from the list of pending items and added to the delivery history.
Furthermore, the app can optionally request the recipient’s signature. Not all housing estates require a signature for every delivery, but in some it is very useful, particularly when handling large volumes of parcels, dealing with high-value deliveries, or where the estate wishes to retain proof of collection.
The caretaker can also add delivery notes. For example: ‘collected by an authorised family member’, ‘delivered together with two other parcels’, ‘parcel damaged in transit’ or ‘the resident checked the contents in front of the concierge’. These notes do not need to be used every time, but they are helpful when there are incidents or special circumstances.
History of parcels received and delivered
The parcel management module does not end once the parcel has been delivered. All the information is stored in a history that can be consulted later. This allows parcels to be searched for by date, flat, resident or status.
The history is useful for answering queries such as: “Did a parcel arrive for flat 4A last week?”, “Who collected this parcel?”, “How many parcels were delivered yesterday?”, “Which parcels have been pending for more than three days?” or “When was this parcel delivered?”.
In a small housing estate this may seem unnecessary, but in a large one it is an essential tool. It also helps property management if they need to review how the concierge service is operating, identify build-ups of parcels, or confirm that a parcel was received and delivered correctly.
This approach to record-keeping and traceability is very similar to the one we use in other community management modules: recording what matters, reducing reliance on memory and making it easier to look things up later.
Benefits for the caretaker
The caretaker is the one who notices the change most in their day-to-day work. With a manual system, every parcel requires noting down, notifying, remembering, searching for and delivering. With Onzane Staff, the process remains the same, but it becomes much more organised.
The main benefits for concierge staff are clear:
- Less time spent searching for parcels: the location is recorded at reception.
- Fewer manual notifications: the system automatically notifies residents.
- Fewer errors with multiple parcels: the number of items in each delivery is specified.
- Better tracking of uncollected parcels: the app shows which ones are still waiting to be collected.
- Faster delivery: search by flat, resident or date.
- More support when queries arise: delivery history, optional signature and notes.
This does not replace the concierge’s work. It improves it. The app does not make decisions for staff, but provides them with a tool to work with fewer interruptions and less mental strain.
Benefits for residents
For residents, the main benefit is being notified sooner and collecting parcels more efficiently. When a parcel arrives, they receive a notification. If there are several parcels, deliveries can be grouped together. If the parcel is stored in a specific location, the caretaker can find it more quickly.
It also reduces awkward situations. Residents don’t have to go down several times to ask if anything has arrived. They don’t have to rely on the caretaker remembering the parcel. And if they live in a large estate, they don’t have to wait whilst shelves are being searched through in a haphazard manner.
This improves the community’s user experience. Just as a good app for booking communal areas prevents conflicts over timings, effective parcel management prevents conflicts over deliveries.
Benefits for property managers and communities
Property management also gains greater control. A community with a concierge service needs to know whether the process is working, whether parcels are piling up, whether complaints are being made, or whether staff need a more efficient way of working.
With Onzane Staff, the community can turn parcel management into a measurable process. It’s not about monitoring for the sake of it, but about having real data: parcel volume, collection times, incidents, pending parcels and deliveries made.
This is particularly helpful in communities with advanced services, housing estates or buildings where the concierge is a central point of contact. It also aligns with our vision of an app for homeowners’ associations that goes beyond simply sending notifications, but actually helps to manage day-to-day operations.
Privacy and best practice
Parcel delivery also involves personal data. A parcel may contain the sender’s name, address, telephone number or other details. It is therefore important to handle this data with care and not to make delivery lists visible to everyone.
Onzane Staff allows this management to take place within a tool with access permissions, rather than relying on papers left in plain sight or informal groups. Even so, the community should follow best practice: avoid taking unnecessarily intrusive photos, do not show parcel details to other residents, specify who can view the history, and limit the information to what is strictly necessary.
This point ties in with something we’ve already explained in the article on residents’ privacy in a community app. Digitisation doesn’t mean exposing more data; done properly, it means controlling it better.
How a digitised concierge service should be organised
To make the most of the parcel module, the community should establish a simple internal procedure. There’s no need to overcomplicate it, but it is important that everyone follows the same process.
- Record every parcel received: flat, resident (optional), number of items and a photo if applicable.
- Allocate a storage location: particularly if the concierge area has several zones or shelves.
- Check pending parcels every day: to prevent them from piling up.
- Mark as delivered via the app: marking the parcel as collected at the exact moment of delivery.
- Request a signature when the residents’ association deems it necessary: due to value, type of parcel or internal policy.
- Add notes only when they provide useful information: without turning every delivery into a long essay.
- Check the history if in doubt: by date, flat or resident.
This type of process helps ensure the tool works effectively even when there are several concierges, different shifts or stand-in staff. The information no longer depends on a specific individual, but on the system.
Frequently asked questions about parcel management in concierge services
Is Onzane Staff suitable for small estates?
Yes. Although the issue is more noticeable in large estates, a small estate with a concierge service can also avoid errors, notify residents more effectively and keep a record of deliveries.
Can a parcel be registered without specifying a particular resident?
Yes. A parcel can be registered against a flat and, if necessary, linked to a specific resident. This allows the system to adapt to the actual information provided with each delivery.
Can the app group together several parcels for the same property?
Yes. Onzane Staff is designed to group deliveries linked to the same property or resident, so that the concierge can identify all pending parcels at the time of delivery.
Can the recipient sign for the parcel upon collection?
Yes. A signature is optional. The residents’ association can request one whenever it wishes to confirm proof of delivery or when the nature of the parcel makes it advisable.
Can I check the details of a parcel that has already been delivered?
Yes. The module includes a history of parcels received and delivered, with search options by date, property and resident.
Conclusion: fewer notebooks and greater control
Parcel management in concierge services has changed. Housing estates receive far more parcels than before, and the traditional method of using a notebook, reports and individual notices is no longer sufficient. Not because concierges are doing a poor job, but because the volume and complexity have increased.
Onzane Staff allows the entire process to be digitised: receipt, flat, optional resident, number of parcels, photo, storage location, notification, smart grouping, search, delivery, optional signature, notes and history.
The result is a more organised concierge service, better-informed residents and greater traceability for the housing community. And in practice, this means less time wasted, fewer complaints and much more professional day-to-day management.
