Online Fax - Most Important Feature To Check Before You Buy?

By now, most people have heard of online or Internet fax. This is a process where instead of using a traditional fax machine, you use your email to send or receive a fax. This is an online faxing system where you choose a third party server or provider to handle all your faxes for you, in return for a small monthly charge. Your faxes are usually sent via an email attachment and since this new type of faxing utilizes your email system, many people refer to it as "fax by email" or "email fax".

However, because you're outsourcing your faxing to a third party company or service, you have to proceed with a little caution, especially if faxing plays a vital role in the running of your business. You must do your due diligence before you buy or sign up to any one of these online fax services. Keep in mind, this will usually be a "long-term" arrangement so doing a little homework now, could save you a lot of trouble, not to mention a few bucks.

There are many factors or features you must check in your future fax provider, but there is one feature that stands miles ahead of the others. This feature is quality. What is the quality of the service you're buying? Does the faxing service work flawlessly and without any hitches? Are they reliable? Are they professional? Even more importantly, can you reach or get support if something does go wrong?

These are the real questions you should be asking when considering any fax service, don't necessarily jump for the service with the cheapest price or the largest number of faxes allowed per month. Just make sure you get a quality service that you won't regret going forward. While it is helpful for you to check out online reviews and user opinions, this information can sometimes be inaccurate or biased. Thankfully, most of these providers will let you have a 30 Day Free Trial so that you can check their service "first hand" before you buy. Use this feature to decide for yourself if the quality of the service is up to your standards.

Of course, there are going to be other features you will also need to check before you buy an online fax service. As mentioned above, price will be among the top considerations, so too, will the number of faxes you can send/receive each month. The number of email addresses allowed with your account? Overage prices if you should go over your monthly limit? Support hours? Any set-up fees or charges? Amount of online storage and how long can you keep your faxes online? Are there corporate plans or custom plans? Methods of sending your faxes, types of file formats allowed?

All of these features or factors should be checked before you buy any service, but above all you must check the quality of the service. Check the online reputation of the service - what are users saying about it? How is it rated? What kinds of reviews does it have? Most importantly, do a "test run" and check the quality of the service for yourself. If your chosen provider doesn't work out or there are problems, remember - you can always choose another service. But while most services will let you "port" your fax number, it's best to do a little homework and research now so that you get it right the first time around. So Choose Wisely.

By Titus Hoskins

12:33 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Online Fax - How It Can Mobilize Your Home Office Or Business

Online fax seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, but many individuals still don't realize how revolutionary this new faxing technology has been for the home office and for companies in general. Just as we have taken for granted the enormous revolutionary impact email has played in our daily routines, both in the workplace and in our personal lives, the same applies to this new technology. Unfortunately, online or email fax has often been placed in the same boat. This short article will look at some of the ways in which online fax has truly changed the modern workplace and deserves much more respect.

Online fax is simply a matter of using your current email system and your web connection to send and receive all your faxes. In order for it to work, you must first sign up to a third party provider or server, which acts on your behalf to handle all your faxing. These online fax service providers usually charge on average around $8 to $10 per month, and for that amount you get around 300 to 500 faxes (incoming and outgoing) each month. Rates and service plans do differ somewhat, so it does pay to shop around to get the best fax plan and service to perfectly match your needs.

Keep in mind, with these services, you get an online account where you can log in to send or receive your faxes. Your messages or faxes are sent as email attachments, usually in a Tif or Pdf file. Once you receive a fax, you will get a notification via email with the fax attached or you can log on to read the fax from your online account.

However, what most people don't realize is the importance or significance of such a service and how it does truly revolutionize the workplace. Unlike a traditional fax machine which is confined to the office and business hours, an online fax service is completely portable and available around the clock, regardless of where you're located. This offers any worker or business great freedom and can be truly liberating for all concerned.

Setting up or working from home, is much more easier with an online service because you don't need to install a dedicated fax phone line and you don't have to purchase a fax machine. Nor do you have the ongoing expense of buying all those inks, papers and toners. This makes running a home office or business much more cost-effective, especially when you consider the fact that these will be long-term expenses.

But perhaps the greatest benefit will come from the portability features, you can fax from anywhere at any time, as long as you're connected to the web. Any portable device connected to the net, can be your virtual fax machine. This also means that your business is open and accessible 24/7, 365 days of the year. This can make any home office or business much more competitive and effective, even in these harsh economic times. This easy access and availability has truly revolutionized the modern workplace, making it much more flexible and feasible for everyone. What more could you ask for?

So are you or your company using an online fax service?

By Titus Hoskins

12:29 AM | 2 comments | Read More