How ALX Community made digital mail “free” for members—and still increased revenue

In Alexandria, Virginia, ALX Community has grown into a thriving coworking brand, expanding from a single location to four. 

For Community Manager Luke Powell and the team at ALX Community, creating scalable revenue streams and a seamless member experience have been high priorities. 

One solution that helped ALX find this balance? 

Making iWorkSpaceMail “free” for Office and Dedicated Desk members rather than an optional add-on and leveraging the revenue from iPostal1 to offset the cost of doing so.

Here’s how ALX Community transitioned to an integrated digital mailbox membership, the impact it’s had on their business, and why Powell believes other coworking spaces should consider this option vs. the traditional markup pricing strategy.

Why ALX made the switch to iWorkSpaceMail from its previous digital mail service

“Before iWorkSpaceMail, we used Greetly for mail management, which only sent pictures of mail without allowing members to take action,” Powell recalls. “If something went missing, I literally had to check security cameras instead of reviewing mail logs.”

For Powell and his team, the switch to iWorkSpaceMail was rooted in both member benefits and operational improvements. 

“Handling mail is part of our daily closing routine,” he says. “We’ve scaled significantly since implementing iWorkSpaceMail, and yet, we haven’t felt any growing pains. More customers haven’t equaled more work—it’s actually streamlined things. You can think of it like economies of scale.”

Now, Powell’s team benefits from a structured system that keeps mail organized, secure, and easy to manage. 

He adds, “We’re definitely not chasing down lost packages on security footage anymore, to say the least.”

Integrating digital mailbox services into memberships for a seamless member experience

In the early days, ALX Community offered digital mailbox services to its members as an optional add-on for an additional fee. But as their membership base grew, so did the complexity of handling mail.

“When occupancy increased after the peak of the pandemic, we realized we needed a standardized approach,” Powell explains. “We wanted every office member to have iWorkSpaceMail included in their membership—no extra fees, just a seamless experience. So, we started thinking about how we could offer this valuable service to our Office and Dedicated Desk members without them having to pay extra for it.”

For ALX, the shift wasn’t just about streamlining logistics—it was also about providing a professional, hassle-free service that members didn’t have to think about.

“Our private offices are our most premium offering,” Powell says. “Including iWorkSpaceMail in that membership just made sense. We also extended it to dedicated desks since it felt like the right fit.”

But when it came to Flex (coworking) memberships, things played out differently.

“We initially bundled mail services into our Flex memberships too,” Powell explains. “But we realized those members didn’t all need business addresses, so we switched to a subscription model. Now, those who need mail services can opt-in to digital mail services for an additional monthly fee, and those who don’t can keep their costs lower. It was a win-win.”

How members responded to ALX’s membership pivot

Integrating iWorkSpaceMail as a standard offering was a smooth transition, partly because ALX positioned it as a built-in perk rather than an additional cost.

“No one really comes up to me saying, ‘Wow, I love the mail system,’” Powell admits. “But that’s the point. A good mail system should be invisible. It should just work.”

He adds, “If we didn’t have it, we’d absolutely hear about it. It’s one of those things that just needs to be there, and having included it in the price of our memberships means it’s a benefit our members don’t need to think about.”

The revenue impact of iWorkSpaceMail and iPostal1 at ALX Community

In addition to offering iWorkSpaceMail to its members, ALX Community also leverages iPostal1, providing digital mailbox services for customers who are not members of their workspace.

While streamlining operations was a primary motivator, Powell acknowledges that iWorkSpaceMail and iPostal1 have also had a strong financial impact on ALX Workspace. 

“The commissions from iPostal1 are solid,” he says. “It took some time to reach critical mass, but once we did, our revenue from iPostal1 more than covered the cost of offering iWorkSpaceMail free of charge for our Office and Dedicated Desk members. This meant we were able to provide these services without charging our members an additional fee, cover the cost of doing so through iPostal1 revenue, and still keep healthy profit margins from our digital mail services.”

He continues, “Doing this also allowed us to streamline our operations and provide a more comprehensive service offering for our members without incurring incremental costs or having to increase their membership fees.” 

Beyond commissions, ALX generates additional revenue from add-on company mailboxes for members whose plans don’t include mail services.

“If your membership doesn’t come with digital mail services, you can add a company mailbox for a small monthly fee,” Powell explains. “Some offices have multiple company names, so they’ll need additional mailboxes.”

Powell confirms that demand is growing. 

“Our virtual office membership, which hinges entirely on iPostal1, became so popular that we had to pause new sign-ups at our flagship location,” he adds. “Luckily, we had another location where we could shift the overflow.”

Why Powell recommends iWorkSpaceMail for other coworking spaces

For coworking operators considering digital mail services with iPostal1 and iWorkSpaceMail, Powell offers simple advice: 

If you can do it, you should do it. 

“If you have the ability to receive mail and an employee who can manage it, you should absolutely offer digital mailbox services with iPostal1 and iWorkSpaceMail,” he says. “You’ll generate revenue, provide a great amenity, and it takes up almost no physical space—just a couple of filing cabinets. It’s a no-brainer.”

Another advantage? The ability to control new sign-ups as needed.

“With iPostal1, we can turn new customer acquisition on and off as needed,” Powell says. “If we hit capacity, I can pause new iPostal1 sign-ups temporarily, get things stabilized, and then turn it back on when we’re ready for new customers. That flexibility is invaluable.”

Is it time to add iWorkSpaceMail to your coworking space?

ALX Community’s experience highlights why integrating iWorkSpaceMail isn’t just about convenience—it’s about long-term scalability, operational efficiency, and revenue growth.

“If you’re running a coworking space and you’re not offering digital mail services, you’re leaving money on the table,” Powell says.

With iPostal1 and iWorkSpaceMail, you can build two new revenue streams for your coworking space. iPostal1 connects you with digital mail customers beyond your coworking community, while iWorkSpaceMail lets you offer that same service to your existing members. 

And, like ALX Community, you can get creative in how you implement digital mailbox services to best fit your business model and your members’ needs. 

Ready to get started with iPostal1? Contact us today.