Faxing 101: What Should I Look for in Online Fax Service?
First of all, going cheap isn’t necessarily the way to go. Review what the options for free fax online are available from each vendor. As with anything else you buy, compare the pluses and minuses of a number of different services. A great place to start, is checking out reviews of what’s out there. Cnet.com has on online forum specifically for office productivity and software. Other resources out there are toptenreviews.com and tomsguide.com.
How Much Should Online Fax Cost Per Month?
As we said, the cheapest services are not always the best. Most services offer a free trial period. You’ll want to make sure the trial is at least 10 days. eFax.com has a 30-day free trial period. This should give you enough time to make an informed decision if the service interface is intuitive and easy to use.
After this trial period, a monthly fee of $16.95 will be charged to the credit card provided. And, there is a limit to the number of faxes you can send and receive. There are options to upgrade your plan, so premium services will cost more. RingCentral also offers a 30-day free trial and their basic rate after that is $7.99 per month.
For Free Online Fax, What Features Are Really Important?
This really depends on what the requirements of your business are. A big factor is security. Some companies require a confirmed secure connection for sending and receiving faxes. SRFax, for instance, is HIPAA compliant. SRFax offers email-to-fax and fax-to-email services.
Documents are securely sent and received. They offer a 60-day free trial and then it’s $15.95 for a basic business plan. If secure access is required, SRFax should be part of your comparison shopping.
Send Fax Online: Will You be Sending International Faxes?
If you are, this is something that should rank high on your priority list. If you use a fax machine and charged per fax, the cost could be crippling to your business. Make sure the online service you use has a fixed cost for phone numbers, outside of the country of origin.
faxZero.com highlights their international services and sends to a number of countries, including, Canada, Australia and the UK. You can send five free faxes per day to Canada. Prices vary for the other countries. There is also a limit of pages for each document sent.
What’s App With Online Fax Services?
Does The Online Fax Service Have a Free App?
Although technology has come a long way, make sure your system is compatible with your internal systems. Do you use a PC or Mac? If it’s a PC, what version of Windows are you using. If it’s a Mac, what OS are you running. Fax.com, as do most online services, requires no software or downloads.
You also want to check if there is an app included for iPhone or Android mobile devices. Google Play is loaded with fax apps. Test the apps at the top of the pages first. They are usually the ones that receive approval from the direct sources. Meaning, the app coincides with a particular service.
Do Fax Online for Free Services Offer Customer Support?
The good news is, most services offer 24/7 support. Many times you can tell if a particular provider is right for you by your initial contact with them This is the same as with any other business. Make sure there is a toll-free number to call. If you have direct contact with a human being, then you are off to a good start.
Ask questions; especially the ones you know the answer to. This way, if the person you are speaking with has no idea what you’re talking about, they probably shouldn’t get your approval or your cash. Usually, in an instant, you can ‘feel’ bad customer service. myfax prides itself on customer satisfaction.
Online Faxes: What Have We Learned?
- Don’t start using a service by clicking on an ad.
- In advance of the end of your trial period, make sure the features and cost is in line with your needs.
- You really want, as close to, unlimited pages allowed to send and receive, without a charge.
- Make sure you can go through email services, such as, Gmail, in order to send a pdf file.
- Use review resources, like Lifehacker for valuable information.
How to Choose an Online Fax Service.
According to Business News Daily, the answer is yes! But, the free option is only for incoming faxes. Also, if you go over a 10-page limit for faxes received, your account may be subject to cancellation.
The other site Business News Daily found, GotFreeFax.com allows users to send a limit of two faxes per day, that are three pages or less. This may be the best “sending” free option of all. Really, the only negative found was the lack of customer support. But, the interface is fairly simple to use, so outstanding customer support isn’t a total necessity. Some of the other limitations include the lack of:
- document storage
- mobile app
- customizable templates
- contact integration
- online account management
To be clear, if you’re looking for any of the above services, you will need to pay. Again, if you need to send a limited number of faxes, GotFreeFax.com is a great option.
faxZero.com offers free services, as well, for sending. The ‘free’ moniker service includes:
- sending up to five faxes per day
- a three-page, plus cover page limit, per fax
One drawback, faxZero.com branding is present on every page sent. If this is not a concern, then this is a definite free option to consider.
If you are business that relies heavily on faxing services, then free faxing is not an option. For example, the auto sales industry, heavily counts on faxing to complete sales transactions. Car dealerships need loan approval from lender institutions. The lenders , then may go through a teletrack service to verify payday loans through their computer system, in order to recieve approval. In addition, the dealerships require insurance verification which still comes by fax. For business, consider primarily the services offered by the fax provider, NOT the cost. Look for:
Online faxing is not a one-size-fits-all service. That’s why there are so many choices. Free is great, but you usually receive the corresponding product to the price paid or not paid.
Share this Image On Your Site
Please include attribution to fivehundredstories.com with this graphic.