Top 7 Mail Scanning and Forwarding Services to Create an Efficient Mailroom in 2021

Are you overwhelmed by the volume of emails received by your company? Do you have paper mails littered around your office with no clear idea of how to sift through them? You are not alone. According to the U.S postal mail service, 17.7 million mail pieces are processed every hour. The traditional system of sorting mails will require you to sort through each document received by your company manually. But, thanks to advancements in technology, this is no longer necessary. Signing up for mail scanning services can be the solution you need to manage mails and stay on top of business activities.

Digital mail services can help your company save valuable time and money that would have been spent opening, sorting, and processing thousands of post mails. Of course, some of these mail items are not important and are destined for the shredding machine. However, is it worth the risk of losing customers and money by inadvertently missing an important mail? In this rundown, you will learn about mail scanning services are the best options in 2021.

What Are Mail Scanning Services?

Mail scanning services automatically scan, sort, and process mails for you in a digitized system that improves your company's operational efficiency. You can also share documents, filter junk mail, archive your mail, forward packages, and more with the click of a button.

Are you thinking about going to your company's mailbox to pick up mails and sift through them for what you need? It is not necessary to do that anymore. With a mail scanning service, you can access your mail from anywhere in the world because the process is completely digitized.

Here is a basic overview of how it works;

When you sign up to mail scanning and forwarding services, you get to select a virtual mailbox address to receive mails and packages. This guarantees that mails will get to you no matter your location. Even if a tenant is on vacation, they can rest assured that their mail is accessible, and they will stay up to date on relevant information.

After you receive notification that a mail has come in, you grant your service provider open and scan access. This enables them to scan and send you a digital copy. Additionally, you can filter the junk mails, shred them, and have only the necessary mails forwarded to you at your location through a digital mail forwarding service. Among its many advantages, the digital mail service is a quick way to sort your mail into folders to keep inbound mails in order. And it is not just mail; some of the services also help keep track of packages received.

7 Best Mail Scanning Services in 2021

In recent years, mail scanning services have become more popular among companies looking to increase operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. According to HelpScout, after having a positive experience with a company, 77% of customers would recommend it to a friend.

In this guide, we will be introducing you to the best mail scanning services that can help you take back control of your mailroom. Here is a list below!

1. PackageX Mailroom

2. PostScan Mail

3. iPostal1

4. Sasquatch Mail

5. Earth Class Mail

6. Virtual Post Mail

7. Anytime Mailbox

1. PackageX Mailroom

Download: Android | iOS

Pricing: Starting at $142 for up to 4,800 mail and package deliveries. Pricing can also be tailored to organizational needs.

PackageX Mailroom is a digital mailroom service that allows you to automate, organize, and manage your mailroom. You get an end-to-end service when you use PackageX Mailroom mobile application. You can scan, forward, and track incoming and outgoing mails and packages. These features reduce the need to find more solutions.

Furthermore, Mailroom's API can be integrated into your existing mailroom setups without acquiring extra hardware. All you need is your phone and the app, making it cost-effective for any organization. A digital signature feature and photo IDs make it possible for recipients to sign for packages electronically, therefore facilitating contactless mailrooms and delivery systems. This eliminates the need to touch shared surfaces and keeps you and recipients safe. PackageX Mailroom has been adopted and trusted by leading enterprise organizations like WeWork, UPS, Xerox, and more.

Key Features

● PackageX's sophisticated OCR system can read letters without the need for folders and barcodes that identify which letter is for a particular recipient. Plus, it has a 95% accuracy in capturing characters which help to create eligible and high-quality documents.

● You can scan multiple mails faster with the Mailroom by PackageX. Its intelligent algorithm keeps you from scanning the same item more than once.

● You can group your mail in folders for easy retrieval, access, and organization.

● You can keep your mailroom secure with fully contactless pickup options.

2. PostScan Mail

Download: Android | iOS

Pricing : Starting at $15 per month for 30 mail items and one recipient.

The PostScan Mail service is an excellent solution for remote workers, frequent travelers, and business owners who want to track their mail deliveries entirely online from any location. They have worked with companies such as UPS, Amazon, and FedEx. To use PostScan Mail, once you receive a notification through your virtual mailbox address, you have an option to grant them open and scan access. You can then choose to download, archive, or print your scanned copy.

Using this service, you can have a specific mail address to group junk mails. This makes it easier for you to filter junk mail from relevant ones for trashing. PostScan Mail service assists in recycling paper mails you do not have any need for, helping maintain a sustainable environment. Besides the option of scanning, forwarding, and storing mails, PostScan Mail has various physical locations you can choose from to walk in and pick a mail or package. This is irrespective of your location.

For example, imagine you live in San Francisco and received a mail or package while in New York. You can request that your mail is forwarded to the nearest PostScan Mail physical location in New York, and you can pick it up yourself.

Key Features

● Mobile apps are available for managing your mail scanning and forwarding from your phone.

● PostScan Mail offers local pickup options from any of their physical locations.

● You can request bulk package forwarding and recycling.

3. iPostal1

Download: Android | iOS

Pricing : Starting at $9.99 per month

The iPostal1 application allows you to open and scan email content for viewing or storing in the cloud. You can collect your mail and packages at their digital mailbox locations, and they can forward, scan, recycle, shred, or let you pick them up.

There are over 2000 real street addresses available for you to use as your mailing address through iPostal1. In addition, they offer mail forwarding services to international destinations such as Canada, China, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Three different plans are available to customers at present - Virtual Business Address, Virtual Mailing Address, and Virtual Office. This mail scanning service allows you to view your mail from anywhere in the world, redirect it, and add additional address locations easily.

Key features

● You can choose from over 2,000 real street addresses for business or personal use.

● If your bank accepts mail-in deposits, they can deposit your checks directly into your account.

● You can request a scan and get a PDF version of your mail in hours.

4. Sasquatch Mail

Download: None. There is a web portal available.

Pricing: Starting at $9.99

Sasquatch Mail is an excellent choice for those looking for a barebones option that only provides mail scanning. Their mail scanning service pricing is affordable for anyone at a $2 flat rate per scanned envelope.

Additionally, you can get mail forwarding options, but it's limited to only four addresses. Their virtual mailbox is only available in Idaho, Wyoming, Idaho, and Florida.

Key features

● Physical mails can be stored for 30 days free of charge

● No limit on incoming mail or recipients

● Affordable rates and you can shred or recycle at no charge

5. Earth Class Mail

Download: iOS only

Pricing: Starting at $19 per month for one recipient.

By converting your postal mail into high-resolution PDFs, Earth Class Mail makes it so you can search through it as you do with email. Small, medium and large businesses alike need an alternative to a traditional post box to benefit from their plans. Furthermore, they have options that serve individuals, remote workers, and frequent travelers.

Earth Class Mail allows you to scan your mail in real-time and decide if you want to print, shred, or recycle them. Also, there is a cloud storage option available for your scanned mail.

Key features

● Check deposits in your mail can be automated to be scanned, reviewed, and digitally approved for deposit.

● High-quality scans that are readable and searchable

● The app can be synced with accounting software to automate records and payments.

6. Virtual Post Mail

Download: Web Portal

Pricing: Starting at $20 per month

Virtual Post Mail (VPM) provides a paperless office solution for business owners and property managers. Furthermore, it gives you the ability to create a permanent street address that you can use as your online postal mailbox. You can use the street address to receive any package regardless of its size or delivery method.

Key features

● You can deposit any checks received without going to the bank with Virtual Post Mail.

● You can forward mails to international locations easily.

● They assist in recycling documents.

7. Anytime Mailbox

Download: Android | iOS

Pricing: Starting at $5.99 per month depending on the location.

Anytime Mailbox is one of the cheapest digital mail services available. It provides mail scans, recycles, shreds, and forwards mail for businesses. Anytime Mailbox has 1,215 locations across the United States that you can go to for pick up if you need to.

Through their Android, iOS, and Web applications, you can access your mail from any internet-enabled phone. There is an extra option to get alerts through text at no additional cost. However, their pricing is dependent on your location.

What Are The Benefits Of Mail Scanning Services?

Business operations can be made more efficient through the digitization of mail management processes. Below, we have outlined a list of the benefits of mail scanning services:

1. It Keeps You Organized

As companies are adopting more digitization in their systems, this is one tool that can help make mailroom management easier. Mailroom managers are familiar with the chaos created in the absence of control when an overwhelming amount of mail and packages arrive in the mailroom. Furthermore, property managers can use this to reduce mail theft and find packages easily for residential tenants.

2. It is Accessible

Mail scanning has many benefits; one of the most obvious ones is that you can access it from any location. No matter where you are in the world, mail scanning services ensure that you can get your mail conveniently. Imagine that you are trying to find a mail sent in 2020; you can digitally search for a file and find it in minutes.

3. It Saves You Time

The average four-drawer file cabinet holds 10,000 to 12,000 documents, occupies 9 square feet of floor space, and costs $1,500 a year. On average, 30%-40% of an employee's time is spent searching for information in mail and filing cabinets at the office.

The hours spent manually sifting through an ever-increasing pile of mail can be redirected to other business activities. Furthermore, as companies adopt hybrid work systems, employees can all be in the loop when working in and out of the office.

4. It Helps to Improve the Tenant Experience and Customer Satisfaction

Having the right amenities and features will give you an edge over your competitors. If tenants are happy with the provided experience, they are more likely to stay longer and pay more for a building that includes amenities they need or makes their lives easier. In the long run, this will increase occupancy rates and reduce tenant turnover. Ultimately, it boosts asset sale potential as well as cost savings.

5. It is Eco-Friendly

A study by the Environmental Protection Agency reveals that paper products make up the majority of materials disposed of in landfills - more than plastics, metals, and yard trimming combined. For businesses who want to start implementing sustainable options, using a mail scanning service can provide a solution to going paperless. Besides making it easier to track documents and information through digitization, companies can easily recycle papers through their digital mail service.

Frequently Asked Questions on Mail Scanning Services

Q. How does mail scanning work?

Mail scanning is a service where a business opens and scans mail on behalf of a client. When you get a mail address, you will receive all mails and packages sent to you. However, for mail scanning to take place, you need to sign up for a virtual mailbox address where the scanned mail i,tems will be sent. When received, through Optical Character Reader (OCR) technology, the mail is scanned and transformed from a print document to a digital copy. While there is an option of taking images of physical documents for storage, the OCR is more advanced. When a document is scanned through OCR, the contained text becomes searchable and editable.

Furthermore, mail scanning can be used to identify packages quickly in an overcrowded mailroom. Every item that needs to be tracked has a barcode. Barcode scanning can occur at every stage of the process - receiving, processing, and delivery - either using automated equipment when processing or by a portable tracker used by delivery staff. With the Mailroom by PackageX software, you can use the Mailroom App to scan these barcodes to identify packages, no need for extra hardware.

Q. How Do I Scan To Email?

Digital mail services can help you scan documents to email. When you grant an open and scan access after you are notified of an inbound mail, the company scans and sends it to a designated email address of choice. There are also cloud storage options where you can store the scanned copy and access it whenever needed.

Also, you can choose a manual process with your phone after your mail has been delivered to you. There are applications you can use to scan documents, and mobile cameras can also be used. However, these are not very different from manual options and are time intensive. If your organization received a large volume of mail, errors could occur from scanning the same document multiple times. In addition, the results of mobile cameras have poor readability, which is why an OCR technology that automates the scanning process is needed.

Q. How do I see my mail before it's delivered?

To see your mail before it's delivered, you can request a digital preview before it arrives. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has a feature called Informed Delivery that provides eligible residential consumers with a digital preview of their household's incoming mail scheduled to arrive soon. However, you can only see the information on the envelope and not the letter content.

With a mail scanning service, you can request that the mail be opened and scanned to you before it is delivered. In addition, you can quickly identify junk mail and request that it be disposed of. Also, time-sensitive mail can be attended to before it is delivered.

Q. Can I scan documents to my phone?

Yes, you can scan documents to your phone through your mail scanning service. If you are looking for an alternative option when you need to scan a document on the go, here is how to do it below.

For Android devices:

● Open your Google Drive App and scan documents directly into Google Drive by tapping the "+" button in the lower-right corner of the home screen.

● Select "scan" when the menu slides up from the bottom.

● It opens to a camera which you can use to take a photo of the document.

● It will automatically scan the document. You have the option to resize, crop, and download as PDF.

For iOS devices:

The Google Drive App on iOS does not have the same option to scan documents. You can use your Notes app to achieve the same results.

● Open Notes and select a note or create a new one.

● To scan a document, press the camera button in Notes, then tap Scan Documents.

● Make sure that the camera captures your document.

● When your device is in Auto mode, your document will automatically be scanned. Using the Shutter button to scan or the Volume buttons will allow you to capture a scan manually. You can adjust the scan so that it fits the page by dragging the corners. Then, tap Keep Scan to finish.

● You can save the document or scan more.

Research by AIIM shows that more than 40% of organizations process more than 1,000 mail items every day which increases paper usage. With advances in technology and the emergence of digital mail services, businesses can reduce paper usage and improve mailroom operations.

Using mailroom management software will help you save time and money and provide a positive experience for your customers. Through mail scanning and forwarding services, you can reduce junk mail and access data on mailroom practices. When choosing a digital mail service, remember to verify their credibility and ensure they can handle your business needs.