Author: Pop-A-Lock

Owning a business is a huge accomplishment and source of pride. Your important documents, delivery orders, and payslips deserve to be treated with the same level of dignity. To protect your company’s mail from damage or criminal activity, consider investing in a secure business mailbox — an important step in propelling your company’s success.

Both store business-related mail securely, but the technical differences between PO boxes and business mailboxes — and what both convey to customers and clients —are of utmost importance to your business. 

Simply put, PO boxes are locked storage containers for your mail, located at your local post office. Though they can store all business-related mail and packages, PO boxes are not owned by the business itself. Business mailboxes, on the other hand, are operated by private companies, and have the prestige of a physical street address, usually located in a city’s business core. These mailboxes still receive mail from traditional mail services but they’re operations are under the sole control of the private business. 

In even scanning the definitions of these two types of mailboxes, it’s apparent that business mailboxes lend a company an  air of professionalism, while PO boxes seem trite in comparison. These impressions might be superficial — a thriving company can certainly use a PO box for all mail — but appearances matter when trying to grow your business base. When choosing between a PO box or business mailbox, business leaders need to closely consider the differences between the two:

• Professionalism: When reviewing a company’s contact information, both clients and customers are likely to hesitate at the mention of a PO box, wondering “is this company legit?” PO boxes aren’t permanent fixtures directly tied to a company, which could signal to customers that your business is either struggling or poorly-run. This could be far from the truth, but no business can escape this impression. The same goes for home addresses. Customers are often wary of addresses ending in “Lane,” “Courtyard,” and “Place,” since these streets are almost always associated with residential areas. To many, running a business from a home doesn’t seem as real. A business mailbox, however, has its own street addresses and is controlled by your company directly, serving as a testament to the business’ success. Even if your company is virtual or spread-out, having a private, physical mailbox can help you maintain a local presence. 

• Security: Business mailboxes hold all mail, packages, and products in a lock secured unit until the company retrieves it. Here, mail is kept safe from the elements and potential meddling. Only authorized account holders can remove mail from business mailboxes. This is far more secure than home mailboxes, where nearly anyone can access your mail, or even the post office, where mail is more likely to go missing or over-stuff your PO box. 

• Privacy: When operating a business from a home address, privacy is a huge concern. For once, since your information is public, anyone could show up at your residence or tamper with your mail. Both business mailboxes and PO boxes help preserve your privacy, though only business mailboxes can offer companies the best in protection. Due to its direct address, the mail destined for business mailboxes is kept separate from other correspondence, preventing the mix-ups common at most post offices.

• Cost and Convenience: Although business mailboxes are more expensive than PO boxes up-front, they’re significantly more convenient. Most mailbox service facilities offer 24/7 access, meaning that account holders can pick up the mail whenever necessary. Even if you travel frequently, mailbox services can sign for special deliveries and notify you when mail arrives. This is a big step up from having to worry about being home to sign for packages, or rushing to the post office and waiting ages to pick up your mail.

As with any business decision, choosing between a PO box and business mailbox depends entirely on your company’s needs. If your business is growing and needs to remain competitive, a business mailbox with it’s very own address is probably  what you need to seem successful while allowing you to meet your customer’s demands. On the other hand, if your company is a start-up or a virtual business without a central office location, a PO box might be your best bet, keeping your mail secure until your business gains its footing.  

Whether you need a keypad lock or turn-key lock installation, Pop-A-Lock technicians are the smithees for the job. Give us a ring today to discuss your needs and get a free quote. We promise to provide state-of-the-art locks and installation services suited to your business needs. 

Everyone has a right to feel safe and secure at their workplace, regardless of position. Nonetheless, it might feel intimidating to bring up security issues to your supervisors or managers. No one wants to risk coming across as accusatory, or risk overstepping some invisible line.. But, at the same time, maybe a former employee is making threats against the company, or perhaps the parking lot lacks adequate lighting. Whatever the issue, if you feel you or your co-worker’s safety is at risk, speaking up is the right thing to do. Here, we’ll show you how.

Before you raise a concern, it’s important to evaluate whether or not your workplace safety is truly compromised, and if your company already has security measures in place to deal with the issue. It’s likely that your office isn’t as safe as it could be if it has any of the following:

• No security system or surveillance: Whether or not there’s been a workplace incident or break-in, a total absence of an office security system is a cause for concern. Despite how safe the area may be, without an alarm system or security cameras in place, the office will always be vulnerable to outside threats and unable to be alerted in case of an emergency. This could lead to heightened anxiety among employees, reducing their productivity and overall wellbeing. 

• Unsecured entrances: If you work at an office with multiple entrances, it’s important to check that each point is secured against unauthorized guests. The front entrance may have a receptionist, key-card reader, or keypad lock, but if other, less-conspicuous doorways are left open and unmonitored, you’re still every bit as vulnerable to intruders.

• Threats and violence: If your office recently let go of a disgruntled employee, received threats of violence, or was the site of a violent attack — and higher-ups did nothing to improve security measures — it’s time to take action. Not only is it nearly impossible to work under the threat of an imminent attack, but employees are now directly in harm’s way. Dangers of this nature should be taken seriously, and security should be ramped up in order to prevent anything bad from happening. 

• Poor visibility: Take a long, hard look at your office campus. The large shrubs, concrete pillars, or dark corners scattered around the perimeter or parking lot may add to the aesthetic appeal, but they also offer convenient hiding spots for thieves or assailants.  If the area has weak lighting (or no lighting whatsoever), the chance of potential threats has now doubled.  

When raising security concerns to your boss, it may feel like challenging authority or,  if you’re alone in your concerns, like presenting a losing argument. But this is hardly the case. If you’re working for a company that truly cares for its employees, supervisors would be grateful that you brought up an issue they likely overlooked, and would fix the problem immediately. After all, the office climate improves and everyone produces better work when they feel relaxed and cared for.

Below are a couple pointers for making a strong case for greater security: 

• Bring up specific incidents: When making the claim that you or others feel unsafe at the office, it helps to provide some specific examples of security breaches or dangerous incidents, especially if your boss wasn’t there. You can also describe how such incidents made you and other employees feel, and how morale was impacted afterwards. 

• Point out weak-spots: (And how they can be improved). After detailing safety breaches, explain why you believe beefing up security could have prevented the incident from ever taking place. If a former employee breached a back entrance, for instance, you could mention that by placing a keycard reader at every door, only current employees would be allowed entry. Should employees feel unsafe walking back to their cars at night, you can suggest greater lighting. Your boss will be more receptive to claims of danger if you provide a concrete solution for mending the problem. 

• Get co-workers involved: Finally, before raising concerns to your supervisors, it’s best to have some people in your corner. Consider collecting written testimonies from co-workers, or creating a document for everyone to sign. There’s safety in numbers, and if you can prove that the office supports your efforts at improving safety, your superiors will feel more pressure to improve security as quickly as possible.  

We believe everyone deserves to feel safe both at home and work, which is why we offer business security audits along with our residential ones. Using our expertise, we’ll scour your workplace until we’ve located all security threats and provide  solutions. Call us today for a free quote!