Learn Why You May Need to Upgrade to an Internet Fax Service
Fax machines were once the only way to send a paper copy to another location over the phone lines. Some businesses have discovered that converting business practices from the traditional method to an internet fax service offers many benefits. Many fax services are available and the features vary in minor ways. If your business is struggling to maintain the fax machine within the business processes, consider these three major categories of benefits realized from an internet service.
Convenience
. Access from any location - For sales forces and people who travel for business, the internet fax service follows the fax recipient to any location in a timely manner. If the recipient can access email, the fax can be read and forwarded to anyone else.
. Directed to recipient - Within the office, the fax machine is no longer located in a common area, and each fax arrives at the desk of the recipient without any intervention. If a fax arrives in a general box, a reviewer can simply send the fax to the right person without printing.
Cost Reduction
. Paper use - Fax machines print every fax that arrives regardless of business hours. Paper is an expensive office supply that can be consumed quickly when a fax machine is available 24 hours per day. A fax service allows the recipient to choose which faxes must be printed and which can be simply stored electronically.
. Telecom requirements - Extra phone lines are no longer necessary when a fax service is used in place of a fax machine. The existing office internet service will support the internet fax service. Faxes will not be lost because the service is never "busy."
. Software - Every fax service provides free software that is installed on each computer. Anyone who receives a fax can easily download the fax reader and see the fax on the screen. Most fax reader software is simple to use and contains easy to use help screens.
. Unlimited use - Many internet fax providers offer unlimited monthly use options. When everyone in the office uses the same business account, cost is controlled because one monthly fee is paid regardless of use.
Security
. Confidentiality - Fax machines are usually located in a common area where anyone can see the information being sent and received. Certain businesses rely on confidential business communications to maintain professional standards. An internet fax service can insure that all information is protected from casual glances.
. Legal compliance - Information related to people falls under laws that carry stiff penalties when that information is shared with those who do not have a need to know. Using a fax service instead of a traditional fax machine provides control over the information at every stage of the business process.
. Proprietary information - Businesses with patented products and highly confidential product information can be certain that printed copies of information are tightly controlled. Fax services transmit scrambled copies of the information and the recipient has the option to work from an electronic version without printing the fax.
Conclusion
Fax services have taken all the best features of a traditional fax machine, removed the expense and provided excellent convenience to businesses of every size. When every employee is encouraged to use the fax service and print only the most essential documents, costs will drop dramatically in the first month of the service. Fees for using office supply fax services will be eliminated because traveling employees can fax directly from their computers. Every business should evaluate the benefits of adapting a new way to fax business information and then investigate providers.
Author Resource:
The author is a contributor and researcher of small business programs and products on topics such as internet fax services . Please visit http://www.faxcompare.com/internet-fax-reviews for more information on frequently asked web fax questions.