How Office Evolution owner Peggy Barron uses digital mail to help keep revenue in the building

Peggy Barron didn't plan to become an early adopter of digital mail services. But when she opened her first Office Evolution location in Greensboro, North Carolina, in late 2017, she saw an opportunity to reach a new group of prospective clients beyond traditional office suites and coworking memberships.

That decision created a revenue stream that would later expand to her High Point location while solving a problem most workspace operators don't anticipate: 

What happens when members need to downsize but don't want to leave entirely?

The answer turned out to be simpler than expected.

When manual mail management creates daily disruptions

In the early days, Barron's team tried to accommodate member requests for mail updates by having them call the office.

"When we were small in the beginning, our approach was just, 'Oh sure, call me, and we'll let you know if there's any mail,'" Barron recalls. "We didn't realize we were setting ourselves up for all these phone calls and running into the mailbox to check."

The calls became more frequent.

Members were waiting for checks, tracking payments, and monitoring correspondence.

"We had members calling every day," she says. "I'm a business owner too, so I get it. But it meant we were constantly running to check mail in the middle of other tasks. Having a platform where they could see what's there online solved that problem."

Building two revenue streams with iPostal1 and iWorkSpaceMail

As a brand, Office Evolution had been exploring digital mail options early on, and Barron had access to those resources.

"We were an early adopter with Office Evolution," she explains. "As soon as Office Evolution scoped it out, we started doing it."

The impact was immediate.

"It brought clients we wouldn't have otherwise found and created additional revenue," Barron says. "Our Greensboro location, which is more established, has higher usage than High Point, but both locations are always getting new clients through iPostal1."

A couple of years later, iWorkSpaceMail became available.

"We already had experience with the platform, and we had members calling us to check their mail," she says. "When iWorkSpaceMail came out, we implemented it and could tell them, 'You can go online and see what's there. You don't even have to call us.' It was an easy decision."

She adds, "The more you can automate, the better.”

How digital mail helps close deals and keep members when they downsize

For Barron, iWorkSpaceMail has become part of the sales pitch for virtual office members.

"It helps close the deal," she explains. "We start out with, 'Use the business address. Here are all the benefits.' And then add, 'By the way, we have this electronic platform where you can see your mail. You don't even have to come into the office to get it.'"

But the real member retention happens once they commit to the address.

"Once they decide this is going to be their address, that's what creates the stickiness," Barron says. "The digital platform is an added benefit that makes the service more valuable."

The platform also helps when members need to scale back.

"We've had people downsize from an office or dedicated desk to just virtual services," Barron says. "They keep that same address, and that's a revenue stream we would have lost."

Instead of canceling entirely, those members stay on as virtual members.

"The benefit is that we're keeping them in our building," she says. "If they left completely, that revenue would be gone. This way, we keep them, and when their business picks back up, they're already here. Having a strong digital mail service is a big part of that."

The digital platform makes that transition work, especially for members who aren't local.

"We've always offered to forward mail for members who aren't close by," Barron explains. "But having the ability to see what's there and keep on top of it is a selling point. They can log in and decide if they need to pick it up or if it can be thrown away."

Why platform quality and partnership support matter

Barron has been using digital mail long enough to see competitors emerge. She hasn't been tempted to switch.

"I know that even within our network, there are some other providers," she says. "I wouldn't change. I haven't seen anything that's a better platform or a better partner than iPostal1."

Her advice to operators considering digital mail? Choose your partner carefully.

"Make sure you check out who your partners are," Barron says. "Look at their track record, look at reviews, because if you're my partner and you're not acting in the best interest of me, my clients, and our mutual clients, then I don't want to be a partner. I want both of us to be supporting those folks."

That partnership was tested during the CMRA regulatory overhaul.

Barron saw iPostal1 step up.

"When the CMRA changes came, iPostal1 did a lot of work with the post office," she recalls. "They did seminars and Q&As with the person in charge of that transition. They also provided resources to support our locations. I felt like they were really trying to get out ahead of it and provide support as a partner."

The platform itself has improved steadily since Barron first adopted it.

"We've seen continuous improvement over the few years we've been using it," she says. "iPostal1 has been good at following up if there are issues. As our needs and our clients' needs have evolved, they've continued to improve."

For Barron, digital mail serves a dual purpose: iPostal1 brings in new customers, and iWorkSpaceMail helps entice existing members to stay when they need to downsize.

When members scale back to virtual memberships, they stay connected to Office Evolution. They keep the same address, and when their business rebounds, they're still there.

Ready to get started with iPostal1? Contact us today to start building a new revenue stream for your workspace with digital mailbox solutions.