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Online Fax Service - Why Your Company Should Have One?

Titus Hoskins

February 17, 2009

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Online fax services are becoming extremely popular with  business owners. There are several reasons why Internet or online faxing has found favor with the business sector.  Mainly because it's easy, fast, available 24/7, truly mobile  and perhaps most of all, online faxing is very convenient to use.

No wonder, Internet fax providers like MyFax have  reported they're getting over 15,000 new costumers  signing up each month. Many companies, large and small,  are switching over to this new way of faxing; while  others are adding an online fax service to compliment  their traditional office fax machine.

What is an Online Fax Service?

If you're not familiar with this new way of faxing, just remember, Internet faxing is simply using your email system and the web to send and receive your faxes. You sign-up for an online service and you're given a local or Toll-Free fax number which you use to send your faxes. Your online fax service acts as an intermediary on your behalf to handle all your faxes.

You are also given an online site (interface) where you can store your faxes. You can also send and receive your faxes from this online account. Your faxes are sent as email attachments, usually in TIFF or PDF formats. You can send your faxes to other online fax users or you can send faxes to other traditional fax machines  and vice versa - again, your online fax service acts as your intermediary.

Why is it very Cost-effective to use online fax?

There are many cost saving factors to using Internet fax. First, there is no need for an extra phone line and  there is no need for paper and inks/toners since online faxing is totally paperless. This can mean significant savings  especially when a business or company is just starting up.

Furthermore, the monthly charges for using an online service is around $10 but you can get cheaper services if your faxing requirements are very minimum - some as low as $20 a year. The key is to shop around and compare fax services to find the perfect fit to match your needs. This is usually a long-term service so you can achieve large savings by doing your homework now!

Some of the major Internet fax providers are: MyFax, RingCentral, eFax, TrustFax, Send2Fax, RappidFax, MetroFax and Faxage. All have slightly different plans and services so again, it pays to shop around before you buy or sign-on to any of these services.

In addition, most of these fax services are completely scalable for business so you can quickly adjust your type of service should your company's faxing needs  increase or decrease. In other words, you can quickly  scale up your faxing lines and numbers to keep in sync  with any sudden expansion or growth in your company.  This alone can save you money and business.

Perhaps, another important factor in these worrisome economic times, online faxing is one way to keep your company or business very competitive. Especially if your company depends heavily on faxing to bring in new sales/clients or you use it extensively for office and employee communications. You have to  imagine all the benefits of using online fax: no more missed faxes because of busy signals or paper jams, no more missed opportunities because you were away from the office when that urgent fax came in... your faxes are available wherever you are: at home, in a hotel or on a plane.

Since it also ties your faxing to the Internet and your  computer; it brings this vital office function into the  modern age. Your faxes are available anytime, anywhere  - wherever you have the Internet and these days that's  just about everywhere. It's completely compatible with  cell phones, PDAs, netbooks, laptops... and totally  accessible no matter where you fax.

It is this total mobility and this total accessibility  which makes email faxing a great way for your company  to stay competitive in this very competitive world. It  is a simple way to put and keep your company or business  completely in the picture. It will keep your company  relevant and current.

Now, your last question would have to be: can you afford NOT to use an online fax service? Can your company really afford NOT to have Internet fax?

It's your decision.

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Great tips here! Find more information about computer faxing and reviews and comparisons of some of the online fax services listed in this article. Go to http://computerfaxing.org for more information.