Despite an increase in incoming parcel volumes, many under-pressure administration areas in healthcare organizations only have manual methods for receiving and processing inbound packages in place. These methods can be time-consuming and are heavily reliant on error-prone records to record deliveries. This is an issue at the moment, with healthcare facilities around the country, such as hospitals and clinical labs, being busier than ever before.
The process of tracking down packages as they make their way from reception to the recipient can be time consuming. With healthcare services already being stretched, it is vital that healthcare workers do not waste their time and energy having to track down and locate parcels.
Additionally, the antiquated manual methods for administering incoming mail that are currently in place in the majority of healthcare facilities run the risk of delaying the delivery of the parcel to the recipient, or risk the parcel being lost.
For the administrative staff, this can be disheartening. It is highly likely that the staff have already attempted to deliver the package on multiple occasions, wasting valuable time that could have been used more productively elsewhere. This shows that the issues associated with having manual methods for receiving and processing incoming mail in healthcare facilities effects the entirety of organization. As such, healthcare organizations must introduce a solution in order to resolve these issues.
What is WTS, and how does it help to solve these issues?
Quadient’s WTS (Web Tracking System) is an automated software solution designed to track incoming mail and parcels from the point at which they enter the facility, to the point where the item is delivered to the intended recipient.
WTS is ideal for those healthcare organizations that receive a large number of deliveries and want to gain operational efficiency, as well as for those that would like full visibility of the items that are being delivered. It works by using a handheld device to scan the barcode of incoming parcels. This automatically registers the details into the database and a recipient is then selected from the organizations internal address book. Recipients are then automatically notified via the WTS system that their package has arrived. At each stage of the delivery chain, the barcode is scanned providing end to end visibility at each stage of the chain of custody. Finally, once the item has been delivered to the recipient, they sign on the device to acknowledge that they have received their parcel, with a notification being sent back to the system alongside proof of delivery.
Perhaps the most important issue that WTS will help healthcare facilities to address is that it will stop members of staff at the facilities from wasting valuable time. With WTS in place, staff will spend less time having to locate parcels that have been delivered. They will be able to track their parcel from the time it enters the building to the moment it’s in the hands of the intended recipient.
Adding to this, by speeding up internal deliveries, as well as reducing the risk of parcels being lost or misplaced, WTS helps to remove the anxiety associated with tracking mail and packages. Staff benefit from real-time status tracking as the parcel makes its way to the recipient, allaying any fears of the package being lost as they are able to track its progress.
Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in Denmark recently installed Quadient’s WTS, their logistics team turned to WTS for end-to-end visibility into their receipt and delivery activity. By implementing WTS, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital can now establish proof of delivery at the time of receipt; locate parcels much more quickly and easily; and save time in reporting thanks to the WTS dashboard that provides statistics on deliveries.
Using WTS significantly increases reliability via automation, decreases costs with improved productivity, and improves the management of internal mail delivery processes. It provides healthcare facilities with a simple and easy to use solution for an issue that was taking up lots of resources and time, in a period where both resources and time are precious.
Find out more about WTS here.
