How a Virtual Mailbox Can Help Photography Businesses Manage Their Mail Efficiently

Virtual mailboxes are important services for individuals and businesses that don’t want to receive mail at their home addresses. Some people choose this option to protect their privacy and avoid sharing their home addresses online.

Virtual mailboxes have another advantage which is increasing efficiency. For busy professionals such as photographers, virtual mailbox services help cut back on time spent on administration and increase the amount of time spent on your creative work.

Here are a few of the ways that investing in a virtual mailbox can make your business more productive.
Avoid Headaches About Potential Deliveries

One of the most annoying things is when you’re expecting an important delivery for your business, but it will not deliver to your address. Many businesses opt for P.O. boxes for their mail delivery services, but packages and other mail often can’t be delivered to a P.O. box. Those living in very rural areas may not be able to receive packages from certain delivery services even to their home address.

A virtual mailbox is different from a P.O. box because you can receive any type of delivery to that address. You can choose from different digital mailbox locations from iPostal1, for instance. No matter which location you choose, the virtual mailbox service guarantees that you can receive deliveries. 

Using a virtual mailbox takes away the headache that comes from calculating if a provider delivers to your address or not. You also don’t have to wait for couriers to come to your address or be worried about package thieves if you’re not at home. The virtual mailbox service will always be on hand to accept packages on your behalf.

This is a particular benefit for photography businesses because photographers often have to leave their offices to do work. You don’t want to lose a potential shooting day because you’re waiting for a package, so let someone else take care of it for you.

Avoid Unnecessary Trips to the Post Office

When you’re a photographer, you want to spend as much time behind the camera, working on projects for your clients, leveling up your skills, or trying out your passions such as urban exploring. Heading to the post office just to find out all you received is junk mail is probably not your idea of a good day. 

A virtual mailbox helps you consolidate your trips to the post office and avoid unnecessary errands. Besides receiving your mail, a virtual mailbox service also scans and sends you the contents of what you receive to your email. 

Then, you can decide if the mail is worth your attention or not from the comfort of your laptop or smartphone. You can request that the mail service hold onto important pieces of mail and visit once enough piles up or ask them to get rid of junk mail. You also will be alerted if important mail such as tax documents arrives so you can pick them up immediately.

For photographers, this is particularly important when it comes to package management. You already have to spend a lot of time at the post office if you are sending out prints. By using a virtual mailbox, you minimize other administrative trips to the post office. 

Cut Down on Administrative Time

According to surveys, small business owners spend up to a third of their week on administrative tasks. Instead of working on photoshoots, editing photos, or networking for new clients, you’re probably managing invoices, balancing the books, and shredding mail. 

Virtual mailbox services can reduce that administration time by managing your physical mail administration on your behalf. Besides reducing the time you spend physically going to the post office or waiting for delivery, they can implement mail system management for you. 

Instead of getting rid of junk mail yourself, a virtual mailbox can shred unnecessary mail on your behalf. You don’t have to worry about the privacy of your business because they will shred personal information and ensure that it can’t be misused. 

Having someone else manage your mail allows you to prioritize what is important and get through your administrative tasks faster. Then, you can focus more on the creative aspects of your business.

Respond to Important Mail Immediately

While most important communications are now shared digitally, sometimes important news comes through the mail. This could be an invitation to a networking event or important bulletins for photographers in your area. Small business owners have to do a lot of administration, and many vital tax documents are sent via physical mail.

Having a virtual mailbox ensures that important mail gets to you quickly. Most virtual mailboxes are located in major cities where mail delivery is the fastest in the United States. You’re less likely to experience mail or package delays.

Virtual mailbox services will alert you immediately for every piece of mail that you have. If you know that you are waiting for something important, you can notify them in advance. By monitoring your real-time notifications, you can know as soon as this mail is available to you, then get it forwarded to your home address or go pick it up physically.

Knowing when important mail has arrived allows you to respond quickly. By filing tax documents and responding to important letters immediately, you make your administrative process more efficient. 

You are also able to take efficient action if you are notified of something that signals a tough period for your business, such as a lawsuit or a tax audit. While nobody wants to think about this happening to their business, it is a possibility for all small business owners and you want to respond rapidly if it occurs.

Virtual Mailboxes Give You More Time for Photography

For photographers and small business owners, virtual mailbox services are key in making their business run more efficiently. Virtual mailbox providers take the guesswork out of receiving packages, allow for remote mailbox monitoring, and help you get rid of mail or respond to urgent messages with a short turnaround time.

Greater efficiency in turn means more time to do what you love. Instead of drowning in junk mail, you will have more time for the reason you started your business in the first place—taking photos.