Working remotely is becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason. People are waking up to the reality that the need to be in a physical space for work is becoming antiquated. It has never been easier to network with clients and colleagues remotely as it is at the moment.
Did you know that as of 2022, 26% of U.S. employees work remotely? What was seen as a necessary change during the pandemic has since become good business sense.
There are a couple of changes to navigate with this new approach to work life, though. One of which is how to receive your business post while working remotely. If you’re curious to learn how, read on to find out more!
Remote Working and Business Mail
If you’re setting up a business from home, you’re going to need a professional-sounding business address for your mail. Clients and potential business partners aren’t going to take you seriously if it’s the same as your home address. Imagine how you would feel in their place, sending mail to a business only to find the address is to a residential flat.
The world of business is a fickle one, and this is exactly the type of thing that can affect your credibility. Thankfully, there are a few different solutions to overcome this particular bump in the road. Some popular services exist that can solve this problem for your virtual office easily and without hassle.
It’s up to you to choose the option that best suits your needs. Depending on the type of mail you’re expecting and the carrier being used, there are a few things to consider before making your choice.
What Is a Physical Address?
A physical mailing address coincides with a real street address. These can be used to receive your mail without having to worry about any of the restrictions a conventional PO box comes with. PO boxes only allow for mail sent from USPS, meaning anything sent from different courier services won’t be accepted.
Physical addresses can be used for both your personal and business needs. The address allows for the professional appearance necessary for growing your business without the need to rent or own the property yourself. This also affords the user considerable privacy, meaning anyone who sends you mail can do so without ever needing to know where you live.
You can also use your physical address to set up an LLC or corporation, which isn’t possible from a home address. This address is publicly available and listed for people seeking to contact you or send you mail. All of this contributes to a feeling of reliability and legitimacy which a residential address lacks.
Remote Business Post Address Services
One of the most popular solutions for freelance remote workers and businesses is the use of remote physical address services. Services such as these allow you to create an office address with postal mail, ready to receive everything sent to the address you choose with them. Photos of everything sent to them will then be taken and forwarded to you.
While checking over the images of your mail, you can then ask for specific envelopes to be opened to view their contents, or forwarded to another address to be opened by you in person. Be sure to select a reliable service that doesn’t outsource to third-party mail centers, such as physicaladdress.com. Your mail is important and contains a lot of sensitive material, so using trustworthy services is of the utmost importance.
Checking reviews of all the services you’re considering is a great place to start. If the reviews are looking good, check over their customer service section. You can tell a lot about a company by the effort it puts into dealing with its customer’s problems and questions.
Avoid Third-Party Mail Delivery Centers
Opting for a physical address solution for your mail that uses third-party mail centers is a recipe for disaster. Forwarding mail to third-party processing centers is a standard practice within the remote physical address industry. This means that mail is slow to arrive at the very least, sometimes getting lost altogether.
A fast response time and turnaround for all documents is crucial for the success of any growing business. Accept nothing less than same-day forwarding requests, or you’re risking the waste of precious time. In business terms, time is money and clients are especially sensitive to requests taking longer than they expect.
Many physical address services partner with smaller mail centers to cut costs. This means your mail is likely to get forwarded to a central processing facility without your knowledge.
If this were to happen and your mail was to become lost, you’re out of luck in terms of customer service. If possible, only deal with self-contained services and a single company, allowing you to contact the handlers directly to voice concerns and receive the help you need.
Do Your Research
Remote physical address services are a fantastic solution to the problem of needing a professional-sounding address while working remotely. While they’re an easy solution to a troublesome problem, it’s important to make sure you entrust your mail to the right service. With the sudden increase of people working remotely, unscrupulous services have surfaced to take advantage of the unwary.
A little research into each company goes a long way, and can save you from potential headaches involving your business post in the future.
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