Kiosk solves Loyola University mail problem

During peak mail seasons, with textbook arrivals and holiday cards and gifts, Loyola University Maryland students could spend a half hour or more waiting to retrieve packages, according to a press release.

At the same time, checking of student mailboxes had declined on Loyola's campus, as information technology changed. Many times mailboxes weren't checked through the year, causing additional work for university staff having to empty them at the end of the semester. One Loyola student, didn't discover a Valentine's Day card in her campus mailbox until April, the release said.

To address the issue, Loyola called on Tokyo-based Ricoh Americas Corp. to install a self-service mail kiosk, the Ricoh University Kiosk, on campus. The change resulted in more storage space and freed up 10,000 square feet for the university, the release said.

As a package arrives, students are notified via email. They pay a visit to the mail center kiosk and swipe their student ID, which automatically alerts mail staff to the characteristics and location of the student's package.  

Instead of a traditional mail system, the Ricoh solution sorts mail into rolling racks. Small scanners worn on their finger allow employees to sort mail according to bar codes.  The bar codes send an automatic email alert to students who receive mail and also track wait time during pickup. Wait time has been reduced from 30 minutes to under a minute, according to the release.

Topics: Custom Kiosks , Education / Schools Kiosk , Post Office Kiosk , Self-Checkout Kiosk