Vanderbilt Eliminated Package Loss & Cut Turnaround Time by 50%
Vanderbilt University, founded in 1873, is a private research school in Nashville, Tennessee. It has more than 13,000 students and 22,000 faculty and staff. Vanderbilt, the second-largest private employer in the state, needed to be more agile. This was important to support campus life and administrative tasks. However, with the increasingly large number of students, faculty, and staff, the university's mail center faced challenges. Especially, with the increase of packages during peak times.
Vanderbilt saw a chance to improve its mail services as they saw many departments initiating digital transformations to improve processes. The university wanted to have a system that was more efficient, accountable, and scalable for the whole campus.
The Challenge
However, with the increasingly large number of students, faculty, and staff, the university's mail center faced challenges. Especially, with the increase of packages during peak times.
The growing student population only intensified the strain on this outdated process. Paper logs and the lack of real-time visibility or digital tracking led to frequent delays, errors, and inefficiencies. Shipments without clear accountability often went missing, forcing the mail center to cover the cost of valuable replacement items. With no
centralized digital records, miscommunications and unresolved issues
became common, driving up both frustration and operating costs.
Pain Points
High Mail Volume, Manual Processing
Lost or Misplaced Shipments
No Accountability or Audit Trail
Choosing FacilityOS
In 2007, the operational team at Vanderbilt, led by Postmaster Mickey Anglea, set out to transform the university’s mail operations. They envisioned a modern mailroom management system that could fully track packages, automate processes, and deliver real-time data to improve efficiency and enhance the campus experience.
Vanderbilt had specific requirements including a package tracking system with a receiving kiosk, automatic recipient list updates, mailbox assignment, and email and text-based notifications. To find the right solution, they conducted an exhaustive RFP process, evaluating four leading mail and package tracking vendors.
"Three of the companies pretty much said no to almost all our requirements, but FacilityOS said yes. The one thing they have over the rest of these companies is they write their own software, and this is a huge advantage for us and them.”
Mickey Anglea
Postmaster, Vanderbilt University
Ultimately, Vanderbilt selected FacilityOS’s asset and logistics management solution, LogisticsOS, confident it could meet their unique needs and support their vision for a smarter, more accountable mail center.
LogisticsOS provided Vanderbilt University with real-time tracking of assets and packages, automated workflows, and clear delivery updates, improving satisfaction for both students and staff.
The enterprise package tracking system at Vanderbilt included seven workstations and five handheld devices. Packages were scanned as they arrived from carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL, and matched against the carrier-provided lists. Each package was then linked to its intended recipient on campus, triggering a notification email and generating a label.
To address limited storage space, a forwarding system was set up for students no longer on campus, reducing the number of packages held at the mail center. For staff, packages were delivered by campus courier, with recipients signing directly on the courier’s handheld device for proof of delivery.
Integrated Features Included
- Smart Lockers: Enabling secure, self-service pickup and reducing bottlenecks.
- Virtual Mailboxes: Streamlining student mail management.
- Auto Imports: Providing seamless integration of new student/staff data.
- Carrier & SSO Integrations: Eliminating manual steps and providing authentication continuity.
Scalable & Future-Proof
As Vanderbilt grew, LogisticsOS scaled alongside them. It supported expansion without increasing operational overhead. Cloud-based management and integration-ready infrastructure ensured the system remained agile and adaptable.
Key Benefits
With FacilityOS's LogisticsOS module, Vanderbilt has:
- Zero Lost Packages Since Implementation
- 50% Faster Turnaround Time
- 100% Accountability Across Campus
- Better Student Experience
- Freed Up Staff and Reduced Calls
The Benefits
Vanderbilt's choice to use FacilityOS's LogisticsOS fundamentally changed its mail center operations. The university became a leader in higher-ed logistics by cutting manual tasks, boosting visibility, and establishing a campus-wide accountability standard. Key benefits include:
- Zero Lost Packages Since Implementation: Real-time tracking and digital records have stopped misplacements. There have been no lost packages in over 17 years.
- 50% Faster Turnaround Time: Automated workflows cut processing and delivery delays by half.
- 100% Accountability Across Campus: Every package and delivery is logged digitally. This boosts coordination and user satisfaction.
- Better Student Experience: Students receive packages more quickly and easily with automated alerts and smart lockers.
- Freed Up Staff and Reduced Calls: Optimized workflows freed up two full-time employees and one driver, while significantly decreasing Mail Services phone call volume with automated alerts and smart lockers.
Vanderbilt partnered with FacilityOS to develop a logistics ecosystem that prepared them for the future, fueled growth, and streamlined campus operations. What began as a mail center upgrade over 20 years ago has evolved into a cornerstone of Vanderbilt’s ongoing digital transformation, enabling the university to scale and grow as it has. FacilityOS continues to deliver reliability, visibility, and scalability, ensuring a seamless experience for both students and staff.
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