Individuals and companies use faxes differently, and in differing amounts. If faxing is a big part of your business, chances are you've already make the switch from the costly, trouble-prone, standalone fax machines (from the Stone Age) and signed up for an online fax service. If you depend on communicating, getting and making orders, billing and other things with faxes, you know that just cutting out the paper cost is a big deal, not to mention the many other benefits that it offers-which we will discuss below. Without question, Internet faxing is the wave of... now! This already is the future, and your work, whether individually or corporately, will be more efficient with this method. Your competitors are probably using it. You have to ask yourself if you can afford not to.
Range of benefits
The benefits of online fax services are many. They are cost-effective, easy and simple to use, much more secure than machines in common areas, more convenient and, being web-based, don't require buying and installing any special software. The technology is tried and true, dependable and cheap. There are very few downsides to doing it.
An online fax service uses your computer and its Internet connection to send and receive "faxes," which are now simply another kind of computer file or document. Normally they are sent as e-mail attachment in one of several popular, easily read formats (JPEG, TIFF or PDF). The methodology saves paper, ink, time, electricity and hassles, all at once. As you can protect your computer, and even certain areas of it, with passwords and security settings, online faxing also improves security right along with convenience.
Always on, always there
Certainly one of the major benefits of using an online fax services is that it is always accessible. It always accessible, of course, because the Internet is "always on and always there," ready to be of service. In addition, your faxes are accessible, too, from any Internet-connected computer in the world. Wherever you are that there is computer-Internet access (which is about everywhere now), you are able to access and use your fax account.
Your online account, password-protected of course, is also compatible with the range of devices that you use on a daily basis-you cell phone, laptop, PDA (Portable Digital Assistant, like a PalmPilot)-making it also a "portable faxing solution" that can keep you and your company up to speed, up to date and on top of a fast-paced business.
The way to go
You will need to sign up with an online fax service, which gets you a phone number. This can be in any area code, given the calling plans these days, or you can pay extra for a local or toll-free number. (Some services use a single toll-free "tollway" and divvy up the messages with codes that you place in the Subject line.) You will also be directed to the online interface (faxing site) where you will do the actual writing, reading and management of your faxes.
Fact is, internet faxing takes the communications methods of the 1980s and updates them to the current Internet-Computer-Information Age equivalents-which are "virtual," of course. This means that you only print what you really need to, only save what is important (without having to throw paper away) and manage your business in a low-environmental-impact kind of way.
Range of providers
There are literally scores of Internet fax services to choose from. All offer similar types of plans that vary slightly in the details (sometime not so slightly, actually) so it really does pay to shop around. Consider your choices the same way you would in making any other "long-term" business decision. Doing your due diligence now will doubtless save you money in the long run.
There are still ways to get free online fax services, but not as easily as you once could have. Still, there are some introductory plans that are low- and no-cost options, as well as some limited services (10 pages a month) that may be available still. For the established, ongoing services, the monthly cost ranges from about $10 to $15 but there are some at the $4-to-$6-per-month level. If you can't find a free service, and your faxing needs really are really minimal, the best deal out there is probably going to be for a year, paid in advance, for about $20. Again, these are not full-featured plans, so if you really depend on faxes, don't skimp-at least not that much!
Price is not the only thing
There are more important things than saving a few bucks when your company's image and income is at stake. You may need customer service someday, so check the firms' reputations for support. Don't be misled about the number of faxes you can send and receive, have it spelled out plainly. You want dependability and scalability, both.
Many of the leading providers offer 30-day trials, so make a point to check out a few services first, without risking money or reputation. There is no doubt, though that an online fax service is far superior to the traditional paper-faxing methods. After doing your research, you won't doubt it any longer.Metro Hi Speed is a leader in online fax solutions for any sized business. Less expensive and more reliable than traditional fax services - you'll enjoy the convenience and well as the cost. Visit today for more information on our small business and corporate fax solutions.
