The folks who make up the Student housing industry tend to be full of fun and energy so it is always fun to go to an ACUHO-I show to promote our package tracking system. As always I am glad that I did. I also go to these shows to see what the student housing industry as a whole is up to and look for new trends.
This year there the familiar players were all in attendance. Naturally, there were many furniture and laundry vendors, but there were also more private student housing companies than previously, giving schools more ways to grow student capacity. These private student housing companies like American Campus Communities and EDR focus on adding amenities and services to the student housing experience as a core strength. The focus on high touch service for college students is, perhaps, not new. After all, we’ve been in the student housing industry with our service focused package logging software for years.
But what is new is the increased focus on service from so many different angles. From Bed Bath and Beyond to ZipCars, it seems that everyone is striving for a luxury, almost hotel like, student experience. An almost extreme example of this is Campus Bellhops which will even move the student in and out of their residence halls for them. Personally, I am a bit worried about the cold shower like shock that the students will get when, after graduation they see how much luxury is left in their first paycheck after paying their rent, but that may just be the cynic in me.
In addition, there seems to be a huge increase in the number of cloud based software companies in attendance. These companies range from student housing databases to package logging software. In addition to the increase in the types of new cloud based companies is the increase in the number of each type. Several software types have increased by 25% or more per year. I saw companies that used big data to map out exactly where a University should put its next Residence hall and others that used Facebook to let students choose their own roommates. All in all the two largest trends are High tech and High touch.
Luckily for our clients, our cloud-based package tracking system falls into both of these categories. We strive to stay on top of the latest technologies, incorporating them into our package logging software whenever they make sense. That’s why we’ve added Facebook package notifications and introduced out Android app. We also aim to provide first class service, not only to our higher education clients, but to their students as well. With four different package notification methods, students can choose the type that they stay connected with the most, ensuring that they get their package notifications ASAP.
Have you incorporated these trends into your campus? Share the ways you’re putting them into action and be sure to extend them to your mailroom with package logging software.
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