The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay’s mailroom serves faculty and staff across campus, delivering packages to over 45 distinct locations. Led by Brad Berger, the team processes hundreds of packages each month.
For over two years, the mailroom operated without any package tracking system, creating accountability challenges that consumed valuable staff time and left the team vulnerable when delivery disputes arose. Received Digital changed the game for UW–Green Bay by introducing complete chain-of-custody for every package passing through the mailroom.
Challenge
Before implementing Received Digital, UW–Green Bay did not have a system in place for tracking inbound packages. This fundamental gap created significant operational challenges for Brad and his team. Recipients frequently called the mailroom before checking their mail bin areas, claiming packages hadn’t arrived. Without any records of what packages were received and where they went, staff frequently had to walk across campus to physically track down packages that were often sitting in the correct location all along.
Brad described the frustration of operating without accountability:
Many times people would call first instead of looking in their mail box area. They would say that they didn’t receive said package and we would have to spend extra time going to the area to track down the package which was in the mail bin.
The absence of tracking meant the mailroom had no way to prove they had completed deliveries. When recipients questioned whether packages had been delivered, the team had no evidence or timestamps to reference. This left mailroom staff in a vulnerable position, unable to definitively demonstrate their performance or protect themselves from unfounded claims.
Adding to the challenge, packages without clear recipient information would sometimes sit unclaimed for extended periods. In one instance, two Black & Decker fans remained in the mailroom for six months with no way to systematically track them or mark their status.
The team had an urgent need for a tool that would provide greater accountability and operational visibility.
Solution
The team had identified two key requirements for their tracking system: it needed to be easy to use and provide a detailed delivery history. The system had to integrate seamlessly into their daily workflow without adding significant time burden and also enable staff to look back weeks or months and definitively verify deliveries with clear evidence.
What convinced Brad and his team that Received Digital was the right fit for their mailroom was its simplicity. Logging packages is as easy as capturing an image of the label. In the background, Received Digital uses advanced image detection and machine learning algorithms to read everything on the label, from barcodes to recipient information. With a single click, an inbound package is fully accounted for and a record is saved in the system.
Brad’s team began using Received Digital with a proof-of-concept phase. This allowed them to fully test the application in their actual environment, working through any setup challenges or process adjustments before fully adopting the system. The team gradually ramped up their usage, capturing all incoming packages just a few days in. The solution proved its value immediately. Brad described a critical incident that demonstrated Received Digital’s impact:
We did a proof of concept with Received Digital and it proved to help us out right away. A different area was waiting on some products and said it hadn’t shown up yet. We were able to go back into Received Digital, get a time stamp and picture of said packages and sent it to them. They were able then to go back and trace the chain of events and actually found their product. It helped everyone involved. This was possible because of Received Digital.
Because Received Digital is a web-based application, it can be used on a variety of devices, from desktop computers to smartphones. Early on, Brad and his team found that using the app from their iPhones was most convenient, as it allowed them to easily carry the system with them on their delivery routes
Benefits
The most significant benefit UW–Green Bay has experienced is the ability to definitively resolve package disputes with photographic evidence and timestamps of receipt and delivery. Received Digital offers numerous methods for collecting proof of delivery. Capturing an image upon delivery is ideal for Brad’s team since operators deliver packages to faculty and staff who are often away from their offices. The operator simply selects the location they are delivering to, and Received Digital automatically displays all the items that need to be delivered to that location. Then, a single image can be taken to mark the entire batch of items as delivered. The process is simple, and the payoff is huge.
In one case, a recipient claimed a package hadn’t been delivered. Brad’s colleague Eric was able to log into Received Digital and show the delivery photo. The package had been sitting on the recipient’s desk the entire time. What could have been a lengthy investigation was immediately resolved.
The permanent audit trail now protects mailroom staff by documenting their work. As Brad explained, this transparency empowers his team to respond to questions with clear, factual details:
We received it at 9:30, we delivered it at 2:30 to your office. Here's the picture.
Searching for an item to check its status is now as simple as entering a tracking number or a recipient name. This has proven helpful when handling packages with unclear recipient information. When someone comes to claim such a package, staff can easily locate and identify it by searching its tracking number.
Brad also emphasized the value of finally having visibility into the flow of packages through his mailroom:
One thing we are going to be able to do now is see how many packages move through our Receiving dock now. This will help show trends and how things change here on campus.
Early in implementation, the system revealed a surprising discovery about the mailroom’s actual operations. Initially, the team estimated that only 20–25 people regularly received packages. However, within just three days of using Received Digital, they exceeded that number significantly. This provided operational intelligence they’d never had before, giving them accurate visibility into their package volume and recipient base for the first time.
Overall, the feedback from Brad’s team has been overwhelmingly positive:
Overall experience has been very positive. I know there is a team that I can reach out to if I have questions or concerns. We would recommend Received Digital to any university mailroom. It has been an easy process and very efficient.
Conclusion
UW–Green Bay’s adoption of Received Digital has fundamentally transformed their package management operations from an untracked, accountability-challenged process into a documented, efficient system. Brad and his team now have full accountability for every package that passes through their mailroom, all enabled by simple image capture and intelligent automation. They’ve eliminated time-consuming investigations, protected staff from unresolvable disputes, and gained valuable operational insights they never had before, positioning them to serve their campus community with greater confidence and efficiency.
