Thousands of students, faculty, staff and alumni visit the Student Union at Oklahoma State University each day and take advantage of a large number of available retail services. For Mitch Kilcrease, who is assistant vice president and director of the Student Union, something was missing: a printing and parcel shop.
“I felt there was potential on campus to grow a print-service model from a retail base,” Kilcrease says. “A lot of people were already going off-campus to FedEx Office and using its services.”
FedEx Office then opened a location within the Student Union in the summer of 2017 to fill a critical void left by a previous vendor that abruptly shut its doors.
In addition to full traditional printing services, FedEx Office also provides promotional printing for signs, banners and posters as well as packaging and shipping services. The Student Union location is open Monday through Friday, but items can also be ordered anytime online at a special contracted rate.
Operational efficiency
Kilcrease says one of the most impactful benefits of opening FedEx Office in the Student Union was the ability to use the full range of print solutions it offered for the staff and students. Kilcrease says the Student Union’s marketing team had been operating a print shop which was no longer necessary with FedEx Office now open on campus. That translated to not only cost savings, but also allowed the marketing team to be more efficient to provide better customer service.
“Funding models are going down significantly. We’re not going to get any new dollars from state entities. It’s really how do we leverage our existing relationships? How do we build new relationships? How do we drive revenues from a different perspective that we historically have not? How do we offload cost?” Kilcrease says. “We have been able to shift a whole department away from making prints and copies and get them focused on looking at information to help us make data-driven decisions.”
Kilcrease adds that another operational efficiency is that when Oklahoma State staff travels—for example, to a conference—they can use any FedEx Office operation for printing and shipping needs.
“I can send something to where I’m going to a conference and pick it up, and have items printed at a local FedEx Office, saving costs,” Kilcrease says. “There is an array of services that we can maximize.”
Brand recognition
FedEx offers brand recognition and quality, which is essential according to Kilcrease.
“Brand recognition is important because it draws people into the union,” Kilcrease says. “FedEx Office fits that portfolio of brand offerings. So from that perspective, it’s a known entity to our students, faculty and staff about what is available so that they know they’re getting a quality product.”
Tangentially, Kilcrease adds the admissions department is located in the student union, which is not a coincidence.
“Every incoming student who thinks about attending Oklahoma State begins their tour at the Student Union,” Kilcrease says. “They come into the building with their mom and dad, who look and say, ‘They have a FedEx here. That’s great. I can send my son or daughter a package, or they can use the printing services.’ ”
For more information, visit fedex.com/oncampus
