University mailroom software: hundreds of parcels a day, every one signed out.
vFound Parcels is university mailroom software: it keeps the camera open while staff scan each label, and vFound AI reads the name and room, finds the student on your list and emails them a pickup code. At the counter, staff find the parcel on its shelf and record a signature.
A university mailroom takes in more parcels in the first week of term than most offices see in a month, for students who move rooms, go home for the weekend and rarely check a noticeboard.
A planned round: each stop is delivered and signed for separately.
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Updated
The mailroom problem: volume, turnover and moving students
Every September the list of residents changes, parcels arrive for students who have not collected their keys yet, and the queue at the counter grows at lunchtime. A paper log cannot tell a student what is waiting, and a spreadsheet cannot tell staff which shelf it is on.
Move-in week at the central mailroom
The first week of term is a different job from the rest of the year. Parcels arrive faster than staff can shelve them, for students who have not yet collected their keys.
Shelf occupancy shows how full each shelf is before a busy week.
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Keep the camera open
Staff scan label after label without leaving the screen. Each parcel gets a shelf as it is saved, and the student is emailed as soon as it is logged, when they have an email address on the list.
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Shelve by hall
Name shelves by hall or department. Shelf occupancy shows how full each one is, and thermal or A4 labels can be printed for them.
- 3
Take it to the hall
Group waiting parcels into a named delivery round. Each stop is one parcel, signed for on a phone at the door, and unfinished stops stay on the round.
A student goes home for winter break
On their own private page, a student can set a hold date up to a year ahead. Their waiting parcels are held until that date, and a parcel that arrives before it is held as well.
After a student sets a hold date, the parcel on their own page says the desk is holding it.
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Held parcels get no automatic reminders, stay off the due-back-to-sender list and do not raise the unclaimed-parcel alert. Staff can still send a reminder by hand, and the student can collect a held parcel at the desk if they come in early. A bulk return refuses held parcels, so one tap cannot send a student's parcels back by mistake.
How a university mailroom runs on vFound
Staff log each delivery from its label, and the student hears at once. The whole history stays searchable for the next query.
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- The barcode fills the tracking number and recognises UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, Amazon and international postal formats; vFound AI reads the recipient and room from the label.
- Each student’s email opens one private page in the browser, with every waiting parcel behind one QR code. No app and no account.
- Students can say they are at the desk, snooze reminders, set a hold date while they are away or give a separate code to a friend collecting for them.
- Perishable, fragile, oversized, signature-required and high-value parcels are marked, and perishables rise to the top.
- Automatic reminders go every few days, at most three (staff can also remind by hand), and parcels past the collection period appear on a due-back-to-sender list.
Student workers on short shifts
A hall desk changes hands every few hours. Give each student worker their own team login so every log and handover carries a name and a time, and the next worker can search by name, room, code or tracking number and see the shelf.
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Staff can log and hand over parcels but see a masked email address; owners and managers see the full people list.
A student list that stays current
Import the residents from a CSV file, with first and last name columns, email, room and ID found by name. Or connect a CSV link from your student system and vFound refreshes the list every hour. Someone already on the list with the same email is updated, not added twice.
See how busy the desk is while it is busy
The Parcels report shows parcels logged each day and how many are waiting by days at the desk. It also gives the median time from logging to notice, and from notice to collection. More detail covers carriers and the busiest shelves, so a supervisor can decide where to put another person at the counter.
Parcels logged per day and how long waiting parcels have been at the desk.
Beyond the counter
Departments and residence halls can be served on delivery rounds, with the signature taken at the door on a phone. Outgoing parcels are logged with their courier handoff. Analytics show volume by day and hour, carrier mix, collection time and the busiest shelves, so you can staff the start of term.
Rehearse the first week of term
In the 14-day trial, import a short student list, log twenty parcels across three shelves and build one delivery round. Complete the handovers, then check the report. A valid card is required.
Check your campus requirements
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| Your requirement | Fit | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Many halls and departments | Yes | Name shelves by location in one workspace, or run each building as its own venue under one sign-in. |
| Deliver to halls and departments | Yes | Delivery rounds collect a signature at each stop. They do not plan a driving route. |
| Hold parcels while students are away | Yes | The student sets the date on their private page, up to a year ahead. Held parcels get no automatic reminders; staff can still remind by hand. |
| Student workers on short shifts | Yes | Each worker can have their own team login. Staff see a masked email address; only owners and managers see the full people list. |
| Student list from a CSV or the student system | Partly | Import a CSV, or refresh from a CSV link every hour, or use SCIM or the API. There is no direct Ellucian, Workday or StarRez connector. |
| Microsoft Entra ID directory sync | Enterprise | Needs vFound Enterprise and your own authorised Entra application. It reads the directory; it never creates staff logins. |
| Text messages to students | No | vFound does not send text messages for Parcels. Notices go by email. |
| Open parcel lockers or card access | No | vFound records parcels your team handles. It does not control lockers, doors or campus cards. |
A student changes rooms after a parcel arrives
Rooms change in the first weeks. Each parcel keeps the room recorded when it was logged, and the people list shows where the student lives now. Updating a student's room never rewrites the room on a parcel that has already arrived, so staff can see both and find the student by name.
Two students, one room
Roommates are common and parcels arrive in one name. When staff open a parcel to hand it over, other parcels waiting for the same room are listed beside it, including parcels logged by typed name without a linked person. Staff tick the ones the person is collecting.
One handover records one name and one time for all of them, with a signature when the venue requires one. A pickup confirmation email goes to each linked person who is still on the list as active and has a valid email address, unless the venue has turned confirmations off. A student who cannot come can give someone else a separate one-time code from their private page; checking who turns up is still the desk's decision.
Questions from the mailroom
How much does vFound Parcels cost for a university?+
US$75/month per venue, billed yearly at US$900, with unlimited parcels, students and team members, after a 14-day free trial that requires a valid card.
Do students need an app?+
No. Their email opens a private page in the browser, with one QR code for everything waiting.
Can several halls share one mailroom workspace?+
Yes. Each parcel records its shelf, and every team member has their own login and role, so any desk can hand over what the mailroom logged.
How long are parcel records kept?+
While a parcel waits, and for 12 months after it is collected or returned. Then the record, label photo, pickup photo and signatures are deleted.
How do university mailrooms deliver parcels to halls and departments?+
Group the waiting parcels into a named delivery round, then record who received each one and take a signature at each stop on a phone. A delivered stop is marked Delivered and unfinished stops stay on the round.
What happens when a student changes rooms after a parcel arrives?+
The parcel keeps the room recorded when it was logged. The people list shows the current room, and changing it never rewrites the room on a parcel that has already arrived.
Does vFound connect to our student information system?+
Not directly. Import a CSV, refresh from a CSV link every hour, or use SCIM or the API. Microsoft Entra ID sync is an Enterprise connector. Your student system stays in charge of who is enrolled and where they live.
How do universities handle packages when students go home for winter break?+
The student sets a hold date on their private page, up to a year ahead. Held parcels get no automatic reminders, stay off the due-back list and are not returned in a bulk return. A parcel that arrives before the date is held too. Staff can still remind or hand over by hand.
Can a roommate collect my parcel?+
Yes, if you send them a separate code. From your private page you give their name and email, and vFound emails them a one-time code that expires after seven days. The desk still decides whether to hand the parcel over.
Can student workers on shift use it with their own logins?+
Yes. Add each worker as a team member. They can log and hand over parcels, and every action carries their name. They see a masked email address; only owners and managers see the full people list.
One mailroom, every parcel signed out.
Start your 14-day free trial. A valid card is required; cancel before day 14 to avoid the yearly charge.
Start your 14-day free trial