Running a business comes with plenty of things to keep track of. Between invoices, bank statements, customer payments, contracts, and government correspondence, there's often a steady stream of mail that needs someone's attention.
Even if you're not physically sorting through a pile of envelopes every day, managing business mail can involve more work than you might expect. Someone has to decide what gets scanned, what needs to be forwarded, which documents require follow-up, and what can be securely discarded.
As your business grows, those small tasks can start to add up. If you're running a remote business or managing operations from different locations, keeping track of physical mail can become even more complicated.
A virtual mailbox can help take some of that work off your plate. With the right automation features, you can set instructions for incoming mail, receive notifications when something arrives, connect mail activity to other business tools, and establish a consistent process for handling physical documents.
Here's how to build a more automated mail workflow with VirtualPostMail (VPM).
Choose how your incoming mail is handled
Not every piece of business mail needs the same treatment. You might want your monthly bank statements opened and scanned automatically, for example, while other correspondence should remain unopened until you request it.
Instead of manually submitting instructions for every envelope, you can use VPM's mail automation features to establish rules for recurring mail and reduce repetitive requests.
Use smart address tags for recurring mail
VPM's Smart Address Tags let you specify how certain incoming mail should be handled by adding a designated letter to the mailbox number you give to a sender.
Each tag communicates a different instruction:
- N: Automatically open and scan.
- X: Never scan.
- Z: Open a bundle and process the individual pieces separately.
- ZN: Open, separate, and scan the contents.
For example, say your business receives a credit card statement every month. Rather than submitting a scan request each time, you can update your mailing address with the sender to include your VPM mailbox number and the appropriate Smart Address Tag. When the statement arrives, the tag tells VPM how to process it.
The same approach can help with other types of recurring correspondence, depending on your needs and the instructions you assign.
Smart Address Tags are especially useful when you know in advance how certain mail should be handled. Once you've established the appropriate instructions, you can spend less time repeating the same requests and more time focusing on the documents themselves.
Skip manual scan requests
If you want most of your incoming mail digitized, VPM's account-wide auto-scan setting can simplify things even further.
Instead of requesting a scan for each individual piece, you can configure your account to have incoming mail automatically opened and scanned. This can be helpful for businesses that regularly receive invoices, statements, business correspondence, and other documents they need to review online. Having your mail opened and scanned saves you time and money, and allows you to view and read your mail online. At VirtualPostMail, requests are typically processed within 6 business hours. This option is ideal if you need quick access to your mail. It also costs up to 60% less than forwarding. As a bonus, you get a digital copy of your mail that you can keep, download and archive forever.
VPM scans mail envelopes in full color at 200 PPI and pages at 200–300 DPI, with 200 DPI as the standard setting. Optical character recognition (OCR) is also available for downloadable PDFs, allowing you to search scanned documents for text.
Incoming mail is generally available the same day or within one business day of physical receipt, while scan requests are typically completed within six business hours.
With auto-scan enabled, you can spend less time submitting individual requests and more time focusing on the documents and tasks that need your attention.
Get notified when new mail arrives
When new correspondence hits your mailbox, VPM notifies you right away via instant email alerts of when mail arrives in your inbox. Rather than repeatedly logging into your virtual mailbox to check for updates, you can receive a notification when new mail is available and decide what needs to happen next.
Think about the different situations where that notification could come in handy:
- A bank statement arrives, and someone needs to review it before the end of the month.
- A physical check arrives and needs to be prepared for deposit.
- An important document arrives while you're traveling or working from another location.
- A team member needs to know that new correspondence is available.
For a small business owner, a timely notification can help keep important tasks from slipping through the cracks. For a team, it can make it easier to coordinate responsibilities without requiring everyone to check the mailbox throughout the day.
Instead of making mail management another task on your daily checklist, you can let notifications bring new mail to your attention when there's something to review.
Connect mail to the tools you already use
Knowing when new mail arrives is helpful, but making sure it gets to the right person is just as important.
If your business already uses tools to manage projects, track expenses, communicate with your team, or keep up with customers, Zapier can help you connect those tools with your VPM account.
Zapier lets different apps work together automatically. For example, when something happens in one app, it can prompt another app to send a notification, create a task, or share information.
That means mail doesn't have to be something you manage separately from the rest of your work. You can connect mail-related tasks to the tools your team already uses, helping everyone stay organized and keep things moving.
Here are a few ways that might look in practice:
The best setup depends on the apps your business uses and what you want to accomplish. You can build a workflow around your team's needs instead of trying to handle every mail-related task the same way.
VPM connects with more than 5,000 apps through Zapier, and direct API access is available upon request. This gives you more ways to connect mail management with the tools you already rely on.
By taking repetitive steps off your team's plate, automation makes daily workflows easier to manage and helps ensure important tasks don't get overlooked.
Take the hassle out of check deposits
Some business mail needs a little more attention than a quick scan. Checks, for example, have to be handled properly before they can be deposited.
When a check arrives, there are several steps to take: opening the mail, reviewing the check, preparing it for deposit, and getting it to the bank. If your business receives checks regularly, keeping up with all those steps can take time.
VPM's check deposit service helps simplify the process, so you don't have to manage every step yourself. Here's how it generally works:
Scan and verify → Endorse → Prepare deposit slip → Send to bank
First, the check is scanned so you can review the details. From there, it's verified and endorsed, the deposit slip is prepared, and the check is sent to the bank for deposit.
This can be especially useful for businesses that receive customer payments by mail on a regular basis.
For example, imagine your business receives several checks each week. Rather than having someone available to collect and process each payment in person, you can use VPM's check deposit service to help keep things moving as checks arrive.
That way, incoming checks can be handled through a reliable process without adding more tasks to your team's plate.
Decide what happens to mail after it's processed
By now, you've seen how to handle incoming mail, get notified when something arrives, and connect mail-related tasks to the tools your business already uses.
There's one last piece to consider: what should happen to the physical mail once it's been scanned or processed?
You might need some documents sent to you, want to hold onto others for a while, or prefer to get rid of mail you no longer need. Having a plan for each of these situations helps you manage mail from start to finish.
VPM offers several ways to handle physical mail after processing, so you can choose what works best for your business.
Forward mail and packages when you need them
A scan isn't always enough. You might need the original document, a physical item, or a package delivered to another location.
VPM can forward your physical mail and packages wherever you need them sent. You can also combine eligible items into a single shipment instead of having each piece sent separately.
If you work remotely or receive mail from multiple sources, this makes it easier to get the physical items you need without arranging a separate shipment for every envelope.
Hold onto mail for later
Not everything needs to be forwarded right away. Sometimes, you just need a little time to decide what to do with it.
VPM provides a 60-day physical storage period, giving you time to review your mail and figure out what comes next. You might be waiting for additional documents, coordinating with someone on your team, or planning to send several items together.
This also gives you a chance to review your stored mail regularly rather than letting it pile up without a plan.
Dispose of mail when you’re done with it
What about mail you no longer need?
Instead of paying to have it forwarded or stored, you can use VPM's secure shredding and disposal options to get rid of physical mail. The right choice depends on the type of document and whether you need to keep it for your records.
For financial, legal, or other important business documents, check your recordkeeping requirements before requesting disposal.
The idea is simple: decide what should happen to each piece of mail, whether that means forwarding it, keeping it for a while, or getting rid of it.
See what an automated mail workflow looks like
Each automation feature can be useful on its own, but things get even more helpful when you combine them.
Let's say your business receives a monthly bank statement at your VPM mailing address. Here's how you could manage it with a few features working together.
1. The mail arrives.
Your bank sends the monthly statement to your VPM address. The mailbox number you provide includes the appropriate Smart Address Tag.
2. VPM handles the mail.
The Smart Address Tag tells VPM how to process the statement, such as opening and scanning it automatically.
3. You get notified.
An instant email alert lets you know your mail is available. There's no need to keep logging in to check whether something new has arrived.
4. The statement gets where it needs to go.
Depending on your Zapier setup and the available integration options, the mail-related event could notify the right team member, create a reminder to review the statement, or trigger another supported action in a connected app.
5. You decide what happens to the original.
After reviewing the statement, you can choose whether to store, forward, or dispose of the physical document based on your needs and recordkeeping requirements.
Each step takes care of a different part of the process, helping you manage recurring mail without having to remember every task yourself.
You can use the same approach for invoices, business correspondence, and other regularly received documents. Once you know how a particular type of mail should be handled, you can set up a routine that requires less manual work.
Get started with VPM's mail automation features
You don't have to automate everything at once. Start with the mail-related tasks you repeat most often and look for ways to make them easier.
For example, if you regularly receive bank statements or invoices, Smart Address Tags and automatic scanning can help you handle them consistently. If you want to know when new mail arrives, instant email alerts can keep you informed. And if you want mail-related events to connect with other business tools, Zapier may help you link those steps together.
As you compare VPM plans, consider which features would be most useful for your business:
- Smart Address Tags: Set instructions for handling specific types of incoming mail.
- Automatic scanning: Have incoming mail opened and scanned without requesting each scan individually.
- Instant email alerts: Find out when new mail arrives without constantly checking your mailbox.
- Zapier integration: Connect supported mail-related events with other business apps.
- Check deposits: Simplify the process of handling physical payments received by mail. Storage, forwarding, and shredding: Decide what happens to physical mail after it's processed.
Start with the tasks that take up the most time, then add more automation as your needs change. Even a few small changes can make a difference when you're dealing with the same tasks week after week.
The best setup is one that fits your business today and can grow with you as your mail needs change.
Make business mail easier to manage
Managing business mail doesn't have to mean handling every envelope and follow-up task yourself.
With VPM, you can automate parts of the mail process, get notified when new items arrive, and connect supported mail-related events with the tools you already use. You can also simplify check deposits and decide what happens to physical mail once it's been processed.
With a few consistent processes in place, it's easier to keep track of incoming mail and spend less time managing the same tasks over and over.
