Benefits of Virtual Fax Services

When you hear the term fax in this day and age, chances are you think of an outdated form of communication and wonder why anyone would use it with all the capabilities the internet provides. Well, have you heard about virtual faxing? It’s a form of faxing that eliminates paper faxing machines while offering an array of other benefits that every business may want to consider. Virtual faxing is basically sending online fax messages using the internet. Here is how it works:

-Create the document you need to fax

-Digitally sign the document

-Pick a file from the virtual fax software

-Send the file

As you can see, this process is relatively fast and almost at the same level as the current means of sending documents such as email or the cloud. That being said, let us delve closer into the many ways your business can benefit from virtual fax services:

(i) Portable & Convenient

With online faxing services, you can send a free fax from basically anywhere as long as you have internet connectivity. This is highly convenient for businesses or companies where the staff are always on the go or work from home.

For example, if your business has an external sales force, you can benefit from online faxing by sending signed contracts and applications from a mobile device or smartphone. In so doing, your company will have a digital record of the transaction from the start, allowing you to work with new clients or partners immediately.

This was a hassle in the past as the external sales team had to go to the office or wait until they had access to a fax machine to send these documents. Thanks to technological innovation, however, now everyone has the power of fax in their pockets.

(ii) Secure Paperless Storage

Some organizations are hesitant to upgrade their faxing processes due to concerns with document security. Since conventional faxes are sent through phone lines, they seem safer compared to email attachments that can be susceptible to hacking.

That’s a valid point, as hackers have a reputation for targeting weak spots in network systems and email. By using an ideal fax machine, businesses can reduce the chances of a security breach.

However, most if not all online fax service providers have top of the like security such as SSL encryption and email confirmation. They also utilize secure and monitored communication channels. At the end of the day, your documents are way safer when sent via virtual fax services. When you print the fax, the paper copies are even more vulnerable compared to their digital counterparts.

Online fax services allow your documents to be stored in a secure, encrypted, cloud database, and you don’t have to worry about maintaining and securing physical copies.

(iii) Environmentally Friendly

According to a study done by the University of Colorado, over 210 billion paper sheets are used by fax machines each year in the U.S alone. In addition to the negative effects of deforestation, fax machines tend to consume too much power. In addition to the electricity needed to send and receive faxes on a constant basis, these machines tend to be left on for faxes that come in outside business hours.

With online fax services, however, the energy impact is almost negligible and you do not have to worry about wasting paper. Going virtual is a good move for your reputation, especially nowadays that every company is trying to reduce their carbon footprint.

(iv) Affordable

When you decide to use traditional faxing, you can expect to spend several hundred dollars on the fax machine. In addition, you need to contract a third-party vendor capable of handling service calls & maintenance. Keep in mind that the downtime caused when an important business equipment malfunctions cost you money as well, be it in sales or other business opportunities.

Additionally, you will need to buy a dedicated phone line for the fax machine according to this site. You can opt to get both regular and fax calls on one line, but operations tend to be easier when you separate the two. Other not so obvious costs of faxing the traditional way include electricity, paper, toner, ink, employee time spend running and troubleshooting the machine.

Online fax services get rid of all these expenses. When you partner with an online fax service provider, you only pay a small fee per month, usually between $10 and $50. By doing this, you will not need extra power, additional phone lines or paper. Your employees won’t have to wake up from their desks every time they receive or want to send a fax. This results in a more efficient and productive workforce.

(v) Easy to Use

Traditional faxing may seem easy if you have been doing it for years, but the same is not true for new users. In the age where most business operations are done online via virtual platforms, cloud technology, and touchscreen devices, using a traditional faxing machine may seem counterintuitive and daunting.