Virtual office software
Virtual office software for mail scans and forwarding requests
Each scan goes into the client's folder in your Google Drive. Clients ask for a forward in one click.
- Scans in each client's spaceSaved in your Drive, shown on your site within about a minute.
- A notification for new mailWith the Cloud Docs Pro app, coming soon.
- Forwarding in one clickThe client right-clicks the scan and fills in a short form.
Mail scanning without the e-mail back-and-forth
A virtual office handles a lot of mail, and every letter brings its own questions.
By e-mail and phone
- Each scan goes out by e-mail, one attachment at a time
- Forwarding requests get lost among other e-mails
- The team checks by hand what was already done
- Clients call to ask "has my letter arrived?"
With Drive Workflows
- The scan waits in the client's folder once it is saved
- Each forward is a request with its own short form
- The team ticks off "Letter posted"
- Clients see each step in "My requests"
Why virtual office software built on your Google Drive
Your scans stay in your Drive
The team keeps saving scans in your Google Drive, as it does today. This mail management software shows each one in the right client's space on your WordPress site. Nothing is copied to us.
One list of requests for the team
Forward and shred requests reach the team as requests, not e-mails. It works as simple mailroom software: each person ticks the step they finished. Everyone sees what is left to do.
For a domiciliation centre too
A domiciliation centre, as French businesses call it, receives, scans and forwards mail in the same way. The client space comes in English and French. It follows the language of your site.
Example
A letter, from the scanner to the forwarding address
Paperboy, a domiciliation centre in Narbonne and Béziers, France, uses it every day for its clients' forwarding requests.
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Step 1: The team scans and saves the letter
The team saves the PDF in the client's "Mail" folder in your Google Drive, as it does today.
Screenshot: the client's "Mail" folder in Google Drive -
Step 2: The client is notified
Within about a minute, the scan is in the client's space on your site. The Cloud Docs Pro app (coming soon) sends a notification: "New document in your space".
Screenshot: the notification "New document in your space" -
Step 3: The client asks for a forward
The client right-clicks the scan and chooses "Forward this letter". A short form asks for the forwarding address. The team sees the request straight away.
Screenshot: right-click, "Forward this letter" -
Step 4: The team posts the letter
When the letter is posted, someone ticks "Letter posted". The client follows each step in "My requests", without writing to you.
Screenshot: "My requests" -
Step 5: The scan is filed, the client gets an e-mail
If you choose, the scan then moves by itself to a folder such as "Forwarded". The client gets a closing e-mail.
Screenshot: the scan in "Forwarded"
Follow this tutorial in Help
More workflows for a virtual office
You set up each workflow once. Here are other workflows a virtual office can offer its clients.
The client decides from the scan; the team shreds the paper and the client knows it is done.
- Step 1 · The clientThe client right-clicks the scan, chooses "Shred this letter" and confirms in a short form.
- Step 2 · The teamOnce the letter is shredded, the team ticks "Letter shredded".
- Step 3 · The filesThe scan moves to the client's "Shredded" folder, for the record.
- Step 4 · E-mailThe client gets an e-mail: the letter has been shredded.
Where the files end up: The scan stays in the client's "Shredded" folder in your Drive.
The client asks for a letter to go to a new address; the centre checks the request before posting.
- Step 1 · The clientThe client right-clicks the scan and chooses "Forward to another address". The form asks for the address.
- Step 2 · ApprovalThe centre manager checks the request and approves it from an e-mail link.
- Step 3 · The teamThe team posts the letter and ticks "Letter posted".
- Step 4 · The filesThe scan moves to the client's "Forwarded" folder.
- Step 5 · E-mailThe client gets an e-mail: the letter is on its way.
If the address needs checking at step 2
- ApprovalThe manager declines the request.
- E-mailThe client gets a "declined" e-mail.
- The clientThe client corrects the address.
Back to step 1: the client sends the request again
Where the files end up: The scan in the client's "Forwarded" folder, in your Drive.
Mail your clients receive
Every letter or notice you scan goes to the client's own folder.
Official mail
- Tax letters
- Social security letters
- Court letters
- Company registry letters
Business mail
- Invoices
- Bank letters
- Contracts
- Cheque notices
Parcels and registered mail
- Registered letter notices
- Parcel notices
Client requests
- Forward to another address
- Shred
- Scan in full
- Keep for pickup
These requests are examples. You set up the workflows your centre offers.
What's included
A mail folder per client
Each client sees only their own mail, nothing else of your Drive.
Notifications for new mail
In the Cloud Docs Pro app (coming soon), grouped when several letters arrive.
Requests in one click
Forward, shred, or any request you create, each with its own short form.
Steps for the team
"Letter posted", "Letter shredded": the team ticks them off one by one.
Automatic filing
Once a request is done, the scan moves to the folder you chose, such as "Forwarded".
Automatic clean-up
Old scans can go to the Drive trash after the period you choose. Off until you turn it on.
Security and privacy
Your clients' mail stays in your own Google Drive
Security and privacy in detail- Each client sees only their mailThe folder is checked on every request, so changing a link leads nowhere.
- Nothing on the lock screenNotifications stay generic: no sender or file name shows on the phone.
- Kept as long as you decideScans stay in your Drive until you remove them or set a clean-up period.
Who it is for
Virtual offices, domiciliation centres and mailroom services that scan their clients' mail into Google Drive and have, or plan, a WordPress site.
Drive Workflows covers the client side of your mail service. Keep your current tools for contracts, billing and the front desk.
Questions
How do I send scanned mail to my virtual office clients?
Save each scan in the client's folder in your Google Drive, as you do today. Drive Workflows shows it in the client's private space on your website within about a minute. There is no e-mail to write and no attachment to send.
Can clients ask me to forward or shred a letter online?
Yes. You create one workflow per service, for example "Forward this letter" and "Shred this letter", each with its own form. The client right-clicks the scan and chooses one. The team ticks each step, and the client follows it in "My requests".
Will clients be notified when new mail arrives?
Yes, with the Cloud Docs Pro app (coming soon). When a new scan reaches a client's folder, even one saved directly in Google Drive, their phone gets a notification. Several letters arriving together give one notification, not ten.
How long are scans kept, and can they be deleted automatically?
Scans stay in your Google Drive as long as you keep them. If you want, old files in client folders can go to the Drive trash after the period you choose, and a client's folder can be removed after their contract ends. This clean-up is off until you turn it on, and you see a preview first.
Can each client see only their own mail?
Yes. Each client sees only their own folder, and nothing else of your Drive. The folder is checked on every request to the site, so changing a link leads nowhere.
Do my clients need a Google account?
No. Clients sign in with a WordPress account on your site. You create it, they sign up if registration is open, or a WooCommerce purchase creates it.
Does it replace my virtual office management software?
No. Drive Workflows covers the client side: scans, requests and notifications. Keep your current tools for contracts, billing and the front desk.
Can I charge for forwarding inside the request?
Not inside the request yet. You can sell access to the client space through WooCommerce, once or by subscription, and invoice forwarding as you do today.