Online faxing has transformed the way we share documents. Although it’s the year 2020 and fax technology has been referred “obsolete” countless times, it remains as an important part in millions of offices around the World. That’s because it remains one of the safest ways to share documents, ensuring that everything we send arrives to the correct hands, and allowing us to share legally-binding documents, such as contracts.
But the first step to take advantage of this technology is to choose the right online fax provider. There are many services out there, so it can surely make your head dizzy trying to choose one quickly. Here we like to share with you some tips that will help you choose the correct service for your business .
Get Started with a Free Account
Any reputable online fax provider in the market will allow you to create a free trial account, and you must take advantage of it! This will help you test the features and speed of your preferred service without spending a dime, if it’s not what you are looking for you can simply cancel your account and test the next fax service.
Free trial accounts usually give you access to the smallest plan, but it should include access to all features and a temporary fax fax number to receive faxes. Some companies may ask you for credit card information in the event you decide to continue using their service, to avoid any unwanted charges make sure to cancel your account before the trial period ends.
Choose the Right Type of Number
Some fax services give you the option to pick between a local or a toll free number. it doesn’t cost anything extra to pick between these two types of numbers. They will redirect incoming fax to your email after converting it to PDF so you can read it on your computer.
A third alternative is to continue using your current fax number. In this case after creating your account you need to get in contact with your provider and ask for a number porting process. This will move your current fax number online where it can work alongside FoIP technology.
Picking the right number depends on what kind of business you have, make sure it’s the best option for people contacting you.
Compare Before Paying
There are plenty of sites where you can compare different services, use this information to your advantage, just make sure they are not trying to sell you a service. If you want to fax with Gmail, you can search for Google fax services, which are specific to Gmail and provide integration with Google services such as Docs, Drive and Calendar.
When comparing make sure to go beyond price, and include features, speed and support. You never know when you may find a problem, and in those cases a good support service is invaluable.
Do ou Need to Fax on the Go?
One of the biggest advantages of faxing online is that you can do it pretty much from everywhere. You can access your fax account from your phone’s browser but some companies have gone a step further and have developed easy-to-use fax apps which puts the amplified power of a fax machine in your pockets.
If you are going to be away from the office you should pick a service that has an app, it will make your life easier.
Fax apps let you take care of basic faxing tasks, such as sending, receiving and even signing faxes. You can upload a document from the cloud or from your phone’s storage to fax, but it is especially useful for faxing physical documents on the fly. Just take a photo of it and the app will optimize the image so it can be perfectly readable on printing devices and traditional fax machines.
Check for the Compatible Files
Thanks to fax server technology, services are able to convert various file types into fax images, compatible with any fax machine. But not all services convert the same type of files, this is something you need to check on the help section of the service you are interested in.
If you only work with common file types you don’t need to worry as they are covered by almost all services, these formats include PDF, TXT, JPG; BPM, TXT, DOC and others. But if you work with other office programs and want to avoid doing a double conversion you should check with your provider.
I hope these tips are of great help when it comes to choosing a fax service provider. There’s no point in keeping using a fax machine when there is a safer and faster alternative out there.