Online Fax Services - What Are They?

Those of us who are of a certain age will know exactly how to send and receive a fax in the conventional or traditional way via the facsimile machine in the office. This device will usually be connected to a separate dedicated fax phone line - just to receive your company's faxes. However, most of us can probably recall "missed faxes" or "incomplete faxes" because of busy signals, paper jams or someone left the fax machine unplugged or forgot to refill it with paper.

Jump forward to the present day and you will probably find many young people and new business owners who have "no concept" of a fax machine. These individuals and companies do all their vital faxing via the Internet or the web. They use their current email system, their web connection and an online fax provider - to do all their faxing. They have a fax number but this number is not connected to a fax machine but an online account, where they can log in and access their faxes.

It just modernization!

Just like many young people don't have much experience with the regular postal service because all they have ever used is email, instant messaging and Skype. Likewise, many young people growing up now, have no concept of a "land phone" because all they have ever used is a cell phone. The same goes for the old fax machine in the office - it has become an out-dated technology.

Online fax is the more modern way to fax. It connects all your faxing to your computers and the web. It is completely portable and makes any mobile device connected to the web your fax machine. It is paperless faxing so you don't need to buy any more papers, inks and toners. You don't even need to buy a conventional fax machine or install a separate fax phone line since everything is done online through the web.

How do I use it?

Once you sign up to an Internet or online fax service, you're given a local or toll-free fax number, some providers will even let you "port" your current number over to their services. This new number/account is connected to one or more email addresses, once you receive a fax - you're sent an email with your fax attached, usually in a PDF or TIFF file. You can read the fax from your email/desktop or you can log into your online account and carry out your business there. All your faxes can be stored/filed on your computer and/or in your online account.

In a nutshell, online fax is basically turning all your fax phone messages into emails. It is using your fax number like an email, that's why this system is often referred to as "email faxing" or "fax to email" by its users. It simply makes all your faxing much more easier to do. It is very convenient and more efficient once you consider all the benefits of using this new way of sending your messages.

What are some common web fax services or providers?

The most common/popular online fax services are eFax, MyFax, RapidFax, Trustfax, Ringcentral, MetroFax, FAXAGE... as well as many others. On average, one of these service provider will charge you around $8 to $10 per month for around 300 to 500 faxes... but depending on your needs, you can pay a lot less and there are even some "Pay-as-you-go" plans which are much cheaper.

Regardless, online fax is the wave of the future and will only become more popular as more companies switch over to using computers and the web in the day to day running of their businesses. It is the only way to proceed. So are you or your company using web or online fax?

Need more help choosing an online fax service?

If you need more help/info on picking a web based fax service, just watch the video below and it will give you a handy checklist of 12 factors or points to consider before you sign up.