In many industries, the use of faxing is still a requirement because of security concerns. However, fax machines themselves can be a nuisance to deal with for a variety of reasons. They are big and clumsy, and they still pose security risks despite the fact that they sidestep the Internet.
There are now very effective ways to address these concerns. Regardless of whether you have a small business or work for a large corporation, you can send and receive faxes online without the use of a fax machine. In this article, we will discuss the ways that you can do this, and provide an overview of the benefits of doing so.
What are the benefits of sending faxes online?
As mentioned above, there are a number of benefits to sending faxes online:
- The most obvious benefit is that you don’t have to maintain a big, clunky fax machine in your office. Fax machines take up space, require maintenance, and carry all of the usual burdens that most traditional-style equipment does. In addition, paper can get lost, ink cartridges can run out at inopportune moments, and there can be any number of other problems associated with having to manipulate physical machinery.
- You will also be able to rid your office of awkward filing cabinets if you maintain your company files online. Not only do filing cabinets also take up unnecessary amounts of space, but people often make mistakes in their filing of physical documents. You never know when something might be put in the wrong folder, which both creates problems for finding things, and also potentially exposes sensitive information to the wrong parties. With virtual fax solutions, you don’t have to worry about these things. And you can create a storage system that is in keeping with your company’s individual priorities.
- In sending faxes online, you have the freedom to send your fax documents from anywhere. You don’t have to worry about physically creating cover sheets, the designs of which may or may not fit with your sender information. And fax users can send multiple faxes simultaneously. This can be a big advantage if you have a large company and want to provide access to faxing services to multiple staff members.
- Another advantage is that online fax solutions reduce the costs involved in faxing. With traditional faxing methods, you have to pay for every fax you send. In using a cloud, you simply pay a fee for the software, and you can often send unlimited numbers of faxes for free.
Studies suggest that as much as 80% of small and medium-sized businesses are using online faxing these days. And the numbers are even more convincing at the level of enterprise faxing.
There are multiple online programs that you can use to carry out the process. You will be guided through all the steps involved as soon as you register.
The process of sending and receiving faxes from email
If you want to send and receive faxes from a computer, there are a series of steps that you need to take.
To accomplish this, you will first of all need to have a unique digital fax number through which you can receive a fax online. It is also possible to get one through a third-party app by means of using an application programming interface.
The way that it works is that the online fax maker converts the fax that is sent to a PDF or another compatible format. It appears as an attachment to the email.
Steps involved in sending a fax to an email address
The following are the steps involved in sending a fax to an email address:
- Create the fax as you normally would for a traditional fax-to-fax delivery.
- Instead of sending to a machine, the data gets sent to the service provider that is designated by the receiver.
- After being received by the service provider, they then convert the fax into a PDF and send it to the email of the client company.
- You will receive the email as normal, and the fax report will be logged. If you have a high-enough quality service provider, you will be able to receive a fax report at any time in the future as faxes will all have been archived.
Steps involved in using email to fax
Conversely, if you’re wondering how to send a fax by email, don’t worry; it’s not that difficult. The process of sending fax through email is quite simple once you have access to a service. First, you will need to subscribe to fax solutions that facilitate the process, such as everyfax.com. These companies offer online fax services of different sorts. Once you have created an account, you can send a fax through email by means of completing the following steps:
- Open the message that you want to send.
- The digital fax number that you will be faxing to is part of the email address, for example faxnumber@usualdomain.com.
- Type out your email as you normally would. You will also need to choose a template for your fax cover page, just as you would have picked a paper one for a traditional fax machine.
- Include any attachments that you would like included in your digital faxing. These will come out as separate pages.
- As you send the email to the recipient’s fax number, the faxing tool that you use will take care of the rest of the process for you. The fax machine that receives your fax will receive a call just as it would for a traditional fax.
- Check for confirmation in the form of a digital fax report.
How to Send a Fax from Your Phone
You can also send faxes from your iPhone or smartphone. In fact, pretty much any cell phone that you can connect to the Internet is theoretically capable of completing the faxing process. You just need to make sure that your particular software is compatible.
There are some particularities involved, depending on your device type. The process might be slightly different in each case, but the basic rules are the same.
If you don’t know how to fax from iPhone or Android, don’t worry: the process is fairly simple. You can send faxes from iPhones or iPads by following a set of simple instructions:
- Download and install FAX. This is a widget that comes with Apple products.
- Register for the application using your usual email account (Gmail, Yahoo!, or whatever you traditionally use)..
- If you do not have an existing fax number, register for one.
- When you need to send a fax, upload the relevant document. If the document that you want to send is in paper form, use the fax and scan application and save it either as a PDF or a TIFF.
- Enter the recipient’s information as you would in sending an email. You can then send files from your Internet-connected device with ease.
The process of sending faxes from an Android is similar, except you will need to use Google Play to download the relevant app that you choose to use.
Conclusion
Online faxing is an infinitely easier experience than dealing with traditional fax machines. Once you learn the basics of how to fax from computer, you can use Microsoft Windows, Macs, or any number of mobile faxing apps to get the job done.
If you find an online fax provider, you won’t have to worry about dealing with machines, independent fax telephone lines, or stocking your office with paper. And you will have increased confidence in your documents’ security knowing that they won’t fall into the wrong hands. You can fax documents as an attachment, just as you would with a traditional fax machine, but it will all take place digitally. In addition, your staff will function more efficiently as they will waste less time archiving and searching around for paper documents. It is truly a win-win solution for all.
FAQ
How do I know when a fax has been sent?
You will receive a notification indicating the time and date that your fax went through. It will be automatically logged in the system.
Do faxes sometimes get stuck in the system?
As with traditional faxes, you sometimes have to wait for faxes to go through if there is a queue. It depends on how many are being sent to a particular number at the same time.
Are some online programs incompatible with certain devices?
Many online programs have cross-platform and multiple device capability. You should always check any given program’s specifications before you buy it, though, as some may be propoietary.
