Small businesses nowadays face the difficulty of making a name for themselves for multiple reasons. The most dominant being not having enough funds to create big propaganda, renting prestigious offices in major cities, or hiring the right services. And so, the struggle for small businesses, home-based businesses, or startups is real. You’re investing every penny you have into building your business and improving your product or service.
How does a virtual office fit in the middle of this dilemma? A stable business address is something every business needs, no matter the size. This reflects stability for your company and gives you a stronger image in the business world. So how do small businesses with low funds or startups get around this? By getting a virtual office, also known as, a virtual street address.
What is a Virtual Office?
Before diving into the benefits of a virtual office, let’s dig deeper into what it really means. A virtual office is a street address with a mailbox that you can use for your business. The biggest purpose of this innovative idea is to give small businesses a reputable location to use as theirs.
You can send your business mail to this address, use it on your website and marketing platforms, or even register your business with it. It’s no wonder this idea is trending, huh?
A virtual office can offer multiple services to a business like a virtual receptionist, a voice mail service, mail forwarding service, or more. However, since most businesses need this service for the address, you can do without the extras. Many providers will charge up to $100 for the whole package when you can simply sign up for a virtual street address for as low as $14.95.
Why does my small business need one?
- A commercial address for your business.
The obvious reason for using this service is to get that address you’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford. You can choose from over 30 locations nationwide as your mailing address, it can be a street address or a PO Box, whichever you prefer. And the best part is this location doesn’t even need to be near you! You can live in a remote area or small town and have your business set up in New York or California.
- Better business mail handling.
With a virtual street address, you also get a virtual mailbox. A virtual mailbox is online access to all your postal mail and packages delivered to that address. All you need is an internet connection to view and control all your mail.
By logging into your mailbox through your laptop or smartphone, you’d be able to open & scan, archive, forward, shred, or recycle any mail piece. Employees won’t need to waste their time sorting through mail, shredding important documents, or forwarding packages! All this and more can be done in just a few minutes with a virtual mailbox.
This also means customers’ mail will be addressed quicker and nothing makes a customer happier than better and faster service.
- Mail forwarding service.
Mail forwarding can be an inconvenience sometimes, with needing to find a good mail carrier, spending too much on postage, and reassuring your package is forwarded correctly. This doesn’t only consume your valuable time, it’s stressful too. Lucky for you, with your virtual office, you get a special mail forwarding service.
Mail forwarding is now more simplified, you can forward mail to any desired address, nationwide or internationally. Unlike the USPS, you’re no longer restricted to forwarding mail to only your mailing address. PostScan Mail digs deep and pulls out the best shipping rates offered and premium carriers. And before shipping, your packages are consolidated for even lower shipping fees.
This service is a definite bonus if you’re on the road a lot promoting your business; just have your mail follow you wherever you go! It’s also great for remote employees, home-based businesses, or shipping and packaging businesses.
- Free physical mail storage.
If you’ve ever felt frustrated with all the clutter in your small office, then you’ll definitely love this! Offering physical storage space, you won’t have any more messy desks nor will you ever need a mailroom.
Your mail is securely stored for free for up to 30 days from its arrival. So whether you’re not home or want to forward it to another address, you can get that done with a few clicks on your phone.
- A new business outlook.
With a prestigious business location and improved customer interactions, it’s no surprise the word will get around about your blooming business. A virtual office is a chance to take your business to the next level, maybe even a global scale.
Where do I sign up?
It’s easy! Pick out a location and your preferred plan then fill out a USPS Form 1583, get it notarized, and finally, present it with two forms of valid ID and you’re good to go!