If you work in any of the UK’s major cities, you’ll already be more than aware of how industrious we can be as a nation. The masses of us moving to and from meetings on a daily basis is indicative of just how developed our economy really is. For others, it has become increasingly claustrophobic – not surprising, given that we’re the world’s second most productive country in relation to the space we have at our disposal (Japan are first).


As an island nation, space in the UK is at a premium and that statement has never seemed truer for blue chip businesses operating in large economic hubs like London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow. In fact, a recent study by global traffic analytics firm Inrix, found the UK to be Europe’s third most congested country, behind Russia and Turkey, with London named the 7th most congested city out of more than 1,000 analysed. That backlog alone costs London £6.2billion a year in idle time, highlighting the need for a better way of doing business.


Naturally, these bottlenecks of productivity are occurring in our most built up environments, where there’s little room for manoeuvre and wholesale changes to traffic flows. Congestion charges and cycle lanes are a good way to keep the average consumer vehicle out of cities, but there’s much more businesses can do to reduce the logistics-led strains on our inner-city road networks, and it is technology that will help us to deliver those improvements.


Uber and many others are already trialling and investing in the technology that will ultimately make the road network, and the vehicles that use it, more connected. But for now, there are key things businesses can focus on and as always, facilities management has a major part to play. It’s fair to say that, with the accumulated influence FM has developed in the last 30 years, many of the traditional areas where technology can add value, such as maintenance and security, have seen their gains maximised.


One Well that remains untapped is the mailroom. By all accounts, outsourcing mailroom provision isn’t an entirely new concept, but the


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technological advancements being made in this arena in recent years are having a sizeable impact on the bottom lines of companies residing in the big cities. More importantly though, through technology, they’re taking delivery service providers out of the city in peak periods and freeing up the more important flow of people.


Never before has it been easier for FMs to have such extensive visibility over vast quantities of off-site mail. Automation and improved software means that we are now able to sort, deliver and distribute mail not only in greater quantity but, also greater accuracy than ever before. So, while the obvious benefits of outsourcing your mailroom service was previously about reducing the use of expensive floorplates, it is now about visibility and data.


Tracking technology is a fantastic example and it can apply to a wide range of needs within a business. Only the most hermitic of FMs would have failed to spot the flood of ASOS and Amazon parcels that have blighted ill-equipped mailrooms in recent years, while those operating in financial services have increasingly specific needs around the safe delivery of sensitive or time-critical documents. The commonality is that businesses need to be able to monitor and follow what is coming in and out of their business and, increasingly, in as close to real time as possible.


Whereas previously that would have been particularly complex, due to the multiple delivery operators at play, visibility can now be achieved through one single platform that enables you to tap into any delivery operator’s unique tracking software. Not only have these efficiencies been achieved thanks to the ongoing development of APIs and collaboration within the Post & Parcel industry, but labelling technology has also developed to suit. Take, for instance, an out of town distribution hub where the mailrooms of more than 200 businesses might be in operation at once. Advancements in labelling technology mean those sites can now prepare any package for a final mile operator, such as DHL or Royal Mail, to integrate directly into their tracking systems, before the operator has even touched the package.


What’s more, this kind of visibility is enabling FMs to have a greater understanding of their postal operations. On top of being able to comprehensively track outbound mail, software platforms are providing the tools with which to develop a complete analytical view of mailroom demand across the business. For those looking to generate value, these platforms can inform strategy and contribute to long-term sustainability initiatives and cost efficiencies. Businesses can eliminate delivery hassle and enjoy one company-wide, pre- sorted delivery arriving through the door having been weighed, security screened and image captured through the night by offsite technology.


The net result is an online map of all your activity where you can dial into the important details, whether that’s tracking the progress of an outbound marketing initiative or identifying an important inbound document before it reaches your site.


In the past, the idea of moving the mailroom offsite was often met with concern about it being too far removed from the business. Thankfully the rising cost of corporate property has encouraged a shift in attitude, opening the door to new approaches. And, with more innovation on the way, technology is now bringing the mailroom back to businesses. Automation continues to be king and, while it currently has the biggest impact in the mailroom itself, it will soon come to play its part in the end-to-end process. Picture a time when your mail is handled, sorted, transported and potentially delivered to your desk via robotics and autonomous vehicles – unless you prefer the personal touch, of course.


Until then, it’s likely that the UK will remain at the top of the board when it comes to congestion in our cities. More collaboration between the government and businesses to increase through-the-night delivery will go some way to reducing the squeeze but, in the meantime, consolidating deliveries through technology is an action we can all take now.


www.thedeliverygroup.co.uk TOMORROW’S FM | 19


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