Do you really need to go through the bother and the expense of setting up a fax system?
It is true that the internet has certainly decreased the popularity of fax machines. Digital documents and digital signatures really make it easy to share. There is still, however, a need to fax or receive faxes, and as a legitimate business, you definitely want that capability. The acceptance of digital signatures is not universal and there are cases where you will want receive actual document hardcopies.
Good news – you don’t need an actual fax machine anymore. Even if you already have one setup, you can reduce costs and fax with greater ease using faxing software.
Setting up your computer to receive faxes is easy an economical.
For $7/month and 5 minutes of training, you can be sending and receiving 500+ fax documents per month via your computer.
With traditional faxing, you have to buy the fax machine. While the cost of these have come down, it is still an unnecessary cash outlay.
You will also have to pay for a dedicated phone line. Way back when I tried the shared line approach, having both the phone and the fax on the same line. Take it from me, it does not work. You will need a separate line.
Finally, every time a fax spews out of the machine it costs you money in terms of paper and ink.
Online faxing has none of these expenses. You already have the computer and an online setup. And, you can choose which of the few documents you receive actually need to be printed.
Receiving Internet Faxes
When you setup an internet fax service, Faxes are automatically received at your desired number. The faxes can be sent directly to your email inbox. Existing fax numbers can be ported over, or you can make a new, dedicated number.
Sending Internet Faxes
So the first step is to get an internet fax service. Ring Central is very popular.
Then, if you are on a PC, you can use Window’s Fax and Scan to send Faxes.
Also, you can attach a document to Gmail and send it as a fax.
Note: If you setup your business phone system online, you can use the same number and account to send and receive faxes, or you can add an additional line for fax for $4.99.