In 2011, the former Shipping & Receiving Department was renamed “Distribution Services” to reflect the revised responsibilities of the Department. The Receiving function was decentralized to allow campus departments more control over the receipt process. The responsibilities were changed to better serve the campus community by focusing on expedited distribution of incoming parcels and mail.

The change appears to be a success. The bottleneck at receiving has been eliminated. Parcels and mail are sorted and delivered to the departments faster and more accurately than ever. In our recent Customer Satisfaction Survey, most departments reported they are satisfied with the additional control and responsibilities that they have assumed to make sure that they receive the products in a timely manner.

Incoming parcels arrive throughout the day. Distribution Services verifies the delivery location, inspects parcels for damage and counts the number of packages before signing paperwork from the carrier. Parcels are then delivered to the department, often within a half hour of receipt from the carrier.

Upon delivery to the department, at least one signature from an authorized employee of the end-user department is requested. The signatures confirm that the department has accepted the packages and they have been counted and inspected for damage.

TrackPad is an electronic, handheld device, used for collecting signatures. If a shipment requires one signature, pertinent information, such as the number of boxes, appears on the TrackPad device. The employee’s signature confirms that this information is correct. Sometimes a second signature is required and delivery details will not appear on the TrackPad device. In this case, Distribution Services will generate a bar code label for signature. The department employee signs to verify the information on the label.

In this model, the department accepts full responsibility for the shipment and the verification of package contents, once a signature is provided. It is very important that all employees who are responsible for receiving shipments on behalf of a department, are aware of this responsibility. Please inspect and count boxes before providing a signature for any deliveries. In the event of a discrepancy in the content of the shipment, the department should notify the supplier immediately.