Where the Packages Go – The New York Times

Scott Krauss, a tenant in an eight-unit building in Bedford-Stuyvesant that Z+G owns and manages was an early adapter.

“One thing that’s really cool is that I have accounts with UPS and FedEx,” said Mr. Krauss, 37, the director of sales at ActionIQ. “I’ll get a call that they are outside, and I’ll text them a code to get them in the front door.”

Latch has partnered with UPS to train managers, who in turn train drivers to make in-building deliveries with the system. Drivers scan packages with a hand-held device called a “DIAD.” When packages are scanned, a door code for that particular building pops up on the DIAD, which they can enter into the Latch device at the building’s front door to let themselves in. Latch started in New York and San Francisco, and this year began expanding to other cities.

“Internet of Things technology plays a pivotal role in our network and our ongoing mission to improve the customer experience,” said Bill Smith, the vice president of global product innovation for UPS. “The future could see an intersection of tech-enabled access control systems like smart access devices, parcel lockers, alternative pickup locations and other technologies that give consumers delivery options and control. UPS is working on all of this.”

Even with all of this new technology in place, Xavier C. Hernandez, a communications specialist for the United States Postal Service, stressed that there’s still a need for human interaction. “Our success in reaching in to apartment or business mailboxes has always been a collaborative effort with a building’s management team, who is responsible for providing that access,” he said.

Some buildings take things a step further, allowing doormen to actually enter a resident’s apartment with packages to avoid a pileup in the lobby.

Rebecca Blacker, a licensed real estate broker at Warburg Reality, said that all incoming packages in her Upper East Side building were logged by the doorman into BuildingLink, a property management software program. Residents have the option for packages to be placed inside their apartments.

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