Can Internet Or Online Fax Really Save You Money?
Perhaps, one of the most frequently asked questions about
Internet or online faxing is simply this: “Can I really
save money by using an online fax service?”
The answer is a definite: “YES!”
Using a web based or hosted fax service provider can
definitely save you money; not only on start-up costs but
over the long haul. It truly is one of those cost-saving
measures that any individual or company can take full
advantage of if they’re trying to cut back on their
day-to-day business expenses.
First, you must understand online fax is simply using
your Internet access and your email system to send and
receive your faxes. It’s a web based service where your
faxes are stored online so you can access them at anytime,
anywhere. Your faxes are sent as email attachments,
usually in TIFF or PDF format. Keep in mind, your online
faxing service provider acts as your intermediary so you can
still send and receive faxes from traditional facsimile
machines.
Because email faxing uses the web and emails to send and
receive your faxes, it’s paperless and inkless so you will
no longer have the on-going costs of paper, inks and toners.
Plus, since you don’t need a traditional fax machine, you
will not have any maintenance costs associated with running
those machines. Then there are the substantial savings at
start-up since you don’t need an extra dedicated fax phone
line and of course no need for a fax machine. For any company
or business just starting out this can be a blessing, especially
if funds are tight.
Perhaps, the greatest savings with Internet faxing comes from
the fact that you can pick or choose a service that exactly
meets your faxing needs. If you do minimum or very little faxing,
then you can get a service for as little as $20 a year, or you
can pick a service that only charges as you go. If your faxing
requirements are much greater, then you can even choose corporate
packages to suit your needs. If you do fax broadcasting, then
online faxing is definitely a real money saver since it’s
paperless and you can send countless faxes simultaneously.
On average, most providers usually charge around $10 a month
but each provider has slightly different plans so it pays to
shop around. Do your homework now, and you can achieve
significant savings over the long term. As with any ongoing
business service you must check to see if it’s a quality
service that won’t give you any headaches down the road;
thankfully, many of these providers have Free 30 Day Trials
so you can test out the service first.
When we are talking about business services many people only
think of the monetary cost of the service, but you have to
factor in many more variables into this equation other than
just the monthly charges. For example, online faxing is totally
mobile and portable, so no more trips back to the office to
send or retrieve an important fax at 10 o’clock at night.
If your company depends heavily upon faxing to bring in sales
and orders, or to communicate with clients/customers, then you
have to factor in what all this will mean to your business
when you have a fax service that’s available 24/7, 365 days
of the year. How having such a service can benefit your
company’s bottom line.
Then again, you have the whole issue of competitiveness, it’s
a dog-eat-dog business world out there and having a totally
mobile/accessible fax service can make your company more
competitive. No more lost tenders or deals because that fax
didn’t get there on time, no more lost orders because of paper
jams or busy signals… all these factors can save your company
some serious money, especially over the long haul.
One final point, everything these days is switching to computers
and the Internet. This includes many businesses and companies that
you’re probably already dealing with so can you really afford to
be left out of this lupe? Can you really afford not to have online
fax if all your competitors are using and benefiting from it?
It’s your call.
…
For more information on Internet Fax Services use this
handy online Comparison Guide: online fax services
Or if you want more detailed information on Internet Faxing
try here: internet fax guide.
Titus Hoskins Copyright © 2009. This article may be freely
distributed if this resource box stays attached.
