So, you put it off.. and the mail piles up. The day that you finally decide to go through the mail, it's a project. Oh. My. Goodness. You suddenly remember that there's something important in the mail that you are waiting for, and you have to dig through a ton of papers.
I can't be the only one with a box filled with mail that I STILL haven't sorted through. I can't decide whether or not they're even necessary to keep. It's a job alone, and especially in the case of setting up your own business, there's no time for that.
Virtual offices are an amazing solution to not only the time consumption of sorting mail, but they also will give you the business presence you need and protect your privacy.
Virtual offices come in many forms – some store your mail, and offer phone answering services. Others offer time at the space: drop in days, conference room hours. And some even offer remote mail management, like the offices that SphereMail partners with.
With offices that provide remote mail management, once new mail has arrived, you're notified via email. You can access what has been sent online or on your mobile phone. It tells you who sent it, what type of mail it is, and you can process requests online. If you choose this type of service, you won't even need to go to the office! How awesome is that?
Do you want it shredded? Scanned? Forwarded to another address? Also, you get notifications when mail is received AND when your request has been processed. It's such a great organizational tool that you don't have to spend those hours weeding out what you need and what you don't anymore.
Not only do virtual offices save you a huge chunk of time, but many people are concerned about the privacy and safety issues that may come about when using a home address. You definitely don't want customers or competitors to know where you live. It's safer to use a virtual office and maintain a professional image by doing so. There's trust and credibility made with a business address for your customers. Also, what if they want to meet with you? Are you going to meet at a local cafe? With some virtual offices, your membership may come with day passes to meet with clients as well as conference room hours.
As a startup, virtual offices are certainly the way to go if you don't want to pay for a desk or office space. It provides you with the professional image you need, saves you time, gives you a place to meet clients, and is a diligent organizational tool to help with your continued success!
By Dani Carrillo and Tom Montgomery