Having just recently graduated from college (Go Tigers!), it’s a bit of a weird feeling for me not heading back to class this fall. But that doesn’t mean school isn’t on my mind – I’m just seeing school from a different perspective.
Now, stepping into the data collection/automation industry, I see plenty of opportunities on campus where mobile technology could improve one aspect or another for both the university and the students. Two of those opportunities are package tracking and mobile point of sale. Here’s how:
Package Tracking
While students receive books, clothes, and care-packages from mom, faculty and staff receive important documents & time-sensitive information. Regardless of what’s in the brown box, someone’s expecting their package – on time.
However, that’s not always the case. Roughly 375 packages & envelopes are likely to go undelivered at a mid-sized university each year. This could cost the university an average of $50 per lost package, but some packages and envelopes contain confidential and important documents. Getting these documents to the right people is top priority.
A mobile computer paired with a printer and software could deliver a package tracking solution to prevent this from happening. The mobile computer can scan labels and enter package information directly into the system as they arrive from the carrier. When the package is ready to go from the delivery room to the recipient on campus, you’ll know exactly where it is and where it’s going – and so will the recipient with real-time notifications.
Never again will you hear “Where is my package?”
Mobile Point of Sale
The campus bookstore is usually the go-to place for apparel. However, at some campuses like RIT, students and other businesses are able to set up shop in the Student Alumni Union (SAU) to sell to the students as they walk to and from class.
Most of these pop-up-shops are for baked goods, hand-woven gloves and hats, or a Greek organization trying to raise money for a cause. But when students are on a tight budget, money spent at these booths means less money spent in the bookstore.
Bring the bookstore apparel to the students with Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS). By using a mobile computer (or iPhone 5, with the help of an enterprise sled), the bookstore can set up a mobile shop and accept credit cards or even student debit from their student IDs. So while the other booths are cash-only, your mobile shop is the only one swiping cards.
And knowing the mobile shop has limited space and limited inventory, wouldn’t it be nice to know if you have that popular shirt in size XXL? Not a problem. With mPOS, the mobile shop can check inventory back at the store without leaving the customer – driving in more revenue with more knowledgeable employees and happier customers.
While the students are getting the latest technology in the palm of their hands, it’s time for university services to do the same. Apart from the mail room and bookstore, where else might mobile technology fit in for a college campus? Sporting events? Library? Let us know on Twitter, @LTronCorp.
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