Virtual Mailbox services are quickly becoming a popular digitization solution for personal, business, and even corporate use.
Keep reading to learn more about these services and how they can benefit you!
Why Get a Virtual Mailbox
- Virtual mailbox services are also great for people constantly travelling, working from home, or living in remote areas. It allows those people to have a virtual address where their physical mail is delivered electronically. Mail is scanned and sent directly to their email inbox or uploaded into an online storage account.
- It is a perfect solution for business owners looking for a virtual address where they can receive mail, packages and messages. These services will enable them to have a centralized location for business communications.
- A virtual mailbox is also beneficial for companies that need a secure and reliable place to receive mail. Virtual mail services can help you with your personal or business needs, enabling you to receive important documents and information without worrying about them being lost in transit or stolen.
- If you need any type of mail forwarding service, then virtual mailboxes are the perfect solution for you.
How a Virtual Mailbox Works
When you sign up for a virtual mailbox service, you'll be given a unique physical address where all your mail is sent.
Your mail is then scanned and uploaded to your online account.
You can view, download, and manage your important and discarded mail from anywhere with an internet connection. Plus, many virtual mailbox services offer additional features like package forwarding and check-to-deposit.
A virtual mailbox does not require any special equipment or software, but they do need you to have Internet access.
This online system allows you can check your mail from anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night.
Features of a Virtual Mailbox Service
Here are some of the most important features that most virtual mailbox providers offer:
- Manage your postal mail from a computer or mobile device. A virtual mailbox allows you to receive and forward your mail to any location in the world. Many mailbox providers also offer additional services such as scanning, shredding, and emailing documents for you.
- View, open, and download your mail as PDFs or images to easily manage your mail from anywhere. A virtual mailbox will also give you access to your mail 24/7, so you don’t have to worry about missing any important mail.
- Schedule and receive packages for delivery at your address so that you can monitor the status of your packages from anywhere. If a package is delivered to your home while you’re not there, most provider offices will hold onto it for you until they can deliver it again or even let you pick it up at the post office.
- Store documents and images of important correspondence that you want to keep safe. If you need to access the documents on a regular basis, most providers will offer a secure online portal where you can view or download your files at any time.
- No worries about physical mail piling up at home or the office.
- Easily store and search for contact information and shipping addresses. You can use this information to send mail or packages to family, friends, and other people. In addition, you can search for businesses and services in your area that can help you with shipping or receiving packages.
Benefits of Having a Virtual Mailbox Service
- Increased efficiency
You will no longer have to spend hours at the local post office. Instead, you can use that time for more productive activities like managing your business and serving your customers
- Improved Document Management
A virtual mailbox can be used as a central location to store important documents. This is especially useful for businesses with offices and employees in different locations, giving them access to necessary documents.
You can also send and receive business mail from your virtual mailbox anytime, making it easy to stay on top of all your correspondence.
- Accessibility
Having a virtual mailbox allows you to access your mail from anywhere in the world that has an internet connection. This will allow you to easily manage your mail and keep up with important documents while travelling abroad. It can also be an excellent way for you to stay in touch with your clients and customers, even if they are located in other countries.
- Improved Time Management
Because you can schedule your mail to be picked up at a specific time and date, you will no longer have to worry about missing a delivery or waiting in line at the postal office. Virtual mailboxes also offer other time-saving benefits, such as the ability to forward mail automatically and get notified when new mail arrives.
- Integration options
With a virtual mailbox, you can integrate all of your favorite online communication tools. You can use the integration to send and receive emails, texts, and more right from within the same inbox—saving you time and effort in having to move between different apps.
This makes it easier for employees to send messages, collaborate on projects, and stay connected with their customers.
Virtual mail service can also offer additional features you won’t find in a traditional mailbox. For example, some services provide tools that make it easier to manage your inbox, including auto-filters and a calendar feature that lets you set reminders for important dates and events.
- Improved customer service
Most providers have a customer service team that is available around the clock to help with any problems that arise with your virtual mailbox.
This makes it easier for you to manage your email communications and send and receive messages without worrying about technical glitches or issues with your mailbox.
- Improved Security
You can rest assured that your mail is secure when it is stored in a virtual mailbox address. Because most virtual mailbox service providers offer advanced encryption technology that is heavily guarded and located in their highly secured facilities, you can ensure that no unauthorized persons have access to any of your documents.
- Environmental Friendly
With reduced paper and plastic products used to deliver your email, you can also use a virtual mailbox to reduce your carbon footprint. You can also save money on postage because you won’t have to pay for the delivery of your mail. Your discarded mail is shredded and recycled in a production mail facility.
Things To Consider When Choosing A Virtual Mailbox Provider
When it comes to choosing a virtual mailbox provider, there are a few things you should consider. You want to know that the company that you choose will be able to meet your needs and provide you with the services that you need for your business.
- The first thing you should consider is how much space you’ll need. You'll want to ensure that the provider has enough space for all of your messages, that their storage system is reliable, and also how much mail they can handle per month. Some companies only offer 100 mailboxes per month, while others offer over 1000.
- Secondly, you should consider your budget. The average price for a virtual mailbox is around $35 per month, but some companies offer discounts if you pay annually.
- When choosing a virtual mailbox account provider, the third thing to look at is customer support options. If something goes wrong with your account, they must have good customer support to help fix any issues quickly and efficiently without downtime or interruptions in service.
- Lastly, you should check on how often your email gets backed up and whether or not they have an off-site backup system in place.
How Much Does a Virtual Mailbox Cost?
Most virtual mailbox plans provide you with a physical mailing address and mail service. You can use this real street address to accept mail and packages from companies, or you can have your own mail sent there. Virtual mailboxes are available in many different sizes, but the most significant difference between them is the price.
The average cost of a virtual mailbox is $30-$45 per month, which includes unlimited incoming mail, free outgoing mail, and an annual fee for the use of the physical address.
You do not need to pay any money upfront when you sign up for a virtual mailbox; however, some services require an initial deposit before they will let you send out any mail on their behalf. Some services require that you send in a copy of your ID along with any documents related to your business name before they will let anyone else receive anything addressed to that name without having first paid for their service.
**How to set up a virtual mailbox **
- Contact a virtual mailbox provider who can assist you with a virtual address and other services like shipping, check deposit and process agent services. Some providers also offer assistance with incorporation and annual filing.
- Set up an account. Most platforms will require you to provide personal information, including your name, address, phone number(s), etc., along with a 1583 form to legally accept mail on your behalf.
- Confirm everything is working correctly by sending a letter or package. Once everything is set up and ready for use, you can give out your new address either as a mailing address or use it as a virtual business address.
- Enter contact information such as phone number, email and business details so that customers and other people with concerns can easily reach out to you.
- *Start using your new account! *You should be able to use the information above to sign up for an account with any of these services and set up your own phone numbers in minutes.
- Set up your voicemail greeting and forwarding settings. This is important to help you manage your calls, as well as keep people from having to leave a message if they call when you’re not available.
You can also set up the auto-reply feature for your email address so that people know when you are unavailable.
Takeaway
In addition to the features and ease of use, a virtual mailbox can provide peace of mind knowing that your mail is being handled securely and professionally.
If you have questions or concerns about setting up a virtual mailbox, don't hesitate to contact us. We would be more than happy to assist you.