You’ve signed up for a registered agent service but realize that you’ll need a separate mailbox service for your business on top of using a registered agent service. Wouldn't it be great if you could manage your mail and registered agent in one place instead of having to look for two different services?
Guess what? You can!
By combining a virtual mailbox with your registered agent service TOGETHER for your business, you can manage all your personal, business, and legal mail in one place. Here are multiple reasons why having the two under one single service provider is a smart choice.
What is a Registered Agent
A registered agent is a person or company that is registered in the same state in which a business entity is established and is designated to receive service of process notices, correspondence from the Secretary of State, and other official government notifications (ie. tax forms and notice of lawsuits) on behalf of an LLC or corporation.
What is the Difference Between Registered Agent Services and a Virtual Mailbox
Registered agents are responsible for receiving and forwarding service of process and other legal documents. They are required to forward any government, federal, state, or local mail for the business that the agent represents.
Most registered agent services offer limited mail forwarding options. The types of mail that are handled by a registered agent include legal process or documents (ie. lawsuits), certified mail, and government mail from the Secretary of State.
If you want to receive and manage mail sources other than those from government agencies and courts, such as your customer check payments or vendor invoices, a registered agent service alone cannot provide that. Registered agent services will not scan normal business mail, forward packages, or deposit check payments. For that, you will need a separate mailbox provider to manage non-legal related mail or mail processing services.
What is a Virtual Mailbox
A virtual mailbox service offers a permanent commercial business address for receiving personal or business mail. Once the mail is received, the unopened envelopes are scanned so you can view your mail online at your convenience. Then, you decide whether to have the mail opened and scanned, forwarded, or destroyed. With a virtual mailbox, you can read and manage your postal mail from anywhere in the world and on any device.
Advantages of Combining Your Virtual Mailbox and Registered Agent Service
VirtualPostMail (VPM) is a virtual mailbox service that also provides registered agent services. By using VPM, you can have VPM act as your agent for service of process and receive legal documents for your business. Combine your registered agent service with a virtual mailbox for a comprehensive business mail solution with the following benefits.
1. Free Registered Agent Services
VPM can act as your registered agent service to receive legal documents for your business. VPM’s registered agent service is included at no charge. Save over $100 a year compared to using a dedicated registered agent service. VPM’s registered agent service is available in every state with a VPM location.
You can use VPM as a registered agent for multiple businesses without paying extra.
For example, John pays for a Plus Plan which gives five free recipients. John can pay for one Plus Plan and get free registered agent services for up to five businesses without paying extra. With other registered agent services, John would need to pay a separate fee for each business. That adds up! By using VirtualPostMail, John will save huge with multiple companies within the same state.
2. Privacy
Many small business owners use their home address for business correspondence. This ends up destroying their personal privacy because a registered agent’s name and address are public information and searchable online. This means that if you are your business’ registered agent and you list your home address as the registered agent’s office, your personal contact information will be listed on public documents and process servers will deliver notifications to your house. VPM’s registered agent service protects your privacy by being the one whose address is shown on the Secretary of State’s website and other publicly available records.
3. Security
You can rest assured that all your legal, as well as personal documentation, is under the highest security with VPM. Unlike other mail providers, mail is delivered from a courier to VPM’s operations center, eliminating any middleman in the process that may increase the risk of loss, damage, or theft. Each mail piece is then tagged and stored securely in each of VPM’s mail locations. Every touch point is audited and recorded, and all trashed mail is shredded to protect your sensitive information. On top of that, VPM is a registered Commercial Mail Receiving Agent (CMRA) authorized by the United States Postal Service to process and handle mail on your behalf. All sensitive information sent to and from VPM’s servers is encrypted with bank-level SSL encryption. That’s some serious mail security! Plus, your mail is protected with around-the-clock surveillance monitoring with security alarms and camera systems and is accessible to limited staff members.
4. Package Forwarding
VPM provides you with fast and affordable package forwarding options to anywhere in the world. Each package received will have its shipping label scanned for online viewing. Manage your packages online just like your mail. It's that easy.
5. Mail Forwarding
By using VPM, you won't need to worry about missing any important personal, business, and legal documents again. You will have the ability to forward mail, important documents, checks, and invoices from customers and vendors to yourself no matter where you are. You will get email notifications when you receive new mail, and then you can decide whether to have the mail opened and scanned, forwarded, or destroyed.
Mail forwarding and mail forwarding service are defined as two separate things. What is mail forwarding? Mail forwarding is the act of forwarding mail sent from an old address to a new address. This is done by the post office at no charge. What is a mail forwarding service? A mail forwarding service is a company or corporation that acts as a private address that forwards your received mail to you, wherever your business is located. With VPM’s mail forwarding feature, you can send mail anywhere. Choose the items that you wish to forward and where, and VPM will handle the rest. Your mail will be sent to you anywhere in the world without a hassle.
6. Save Time
Streamline workflow and automate administrative tasks when it comes to snail mail and package delivery. VPM scans each mail envelope that comes in and posts it to your virtual mailbox. In addition, you can have all your business mail and documents digitized. Save time not having to scan documents yourself. Skip the hassle of opening and sorting mail. You can quickly and easily search through PDF scans using OCR technology and store digital mail documents for future reference or for tax purposes. No need to sift through years of paper just to find what you need.
7. Same Day Access to Served Documents
Unlike traditional registered agent services, you won't need to wait for served documents to be mailed to you. All legal documents served are scanned and made available online the same day they are received. These real-time notifications can save precious time by giving you more time to consult with legal counsel and respond in a time-sensitive manner. VPM provides real-time notices of incoming litigation papers by scanning the received documents and emailing them to you. The physical paper documents would then be inducted into your virtual mailbox so you can have them forwarded if you wish. In this way, legal documents are delivered to you in a faster and more secure manner.
8. Business Address
A business address, which is required for an LLC or corporation, is useful for startups that do not have a physical presence. VPM’s locations provide a commercial business address that is private and secure. Many startups use their home address for business correspondence, sacrificing this privacy. Why would you want an address with your registered agent service? There are two main reasons: to show that the business is run out of that state and to have a permanent business address to receive all postal mail. VPM provides you with the ideal solution, which is a permanent commercial business address to receive postal mail.
Conclusion
By combining a virtual mailbox with your registered agent service, you will get the benefits of saving money with VPM’s free registered agent services, protecting your personal privacy, and having a commercial street address to use for business communication. And you only have to deal with one single service provider to handle your business mail and corporate compliance needs.
