You may assume that fax has been completely replaced by more modern means of communication, the most obvious choice being email. However, fax still plays a big role in a lot of organizations, especially those who process sensitive information.
For many, the ability to quickly and securely send and receive sensitive documents via fax is unsurpassed by any of the medium’s modern rivals. But whilst manual fax machines may seem slow, bulky and unfashionable, there is now an alternative method of faxing that saves users a lot of both time and money.
Here are the 5 main reasons why small business owners should switch to Internet fax:
1. Time Saving
Time is a precious commodity for some small business owners and when using an Internet fax service, it’s possible to reduce any unnecessary time spent feeding paper into a fax machine, as faxes can be simply sent and received straight from your desktop.
2. Cost Reduction
When using an Internet fax service any dedicated fax lines can be eliminated, saving businesses between $40-50 in line fees alone each month. All you’ll have to pay for this excellent service is a small monthly fee, dependent on how often the service is used, but some can charge per fax sent. This could be a better option for some small businesses, that do not need to regularly send and/or receive faxes. Monthly charges range from as low as $2-10 upwards.
Faxing the old-fashioned way costs money on a regular basis: line rental, paper, ink and sending fees. Not to mention the time consuming nature of physically sending documents, especially if multiple documents need to be sent to multiple locations. And time is a cost in itself.
3. Eco efficiency
Internet faxing also saves businesses money in paper costs whilst making them more eco-efficient. This is because faxes can be easily downloaded or printed off as and when they are needed when using Internet fax, something that isn’t an option with manual machines.
Also ink and paper usage can really add up over time with manual fax machines, as anyone working in the era of spam faxes will tell you, making Internet fax a much more environmentally friendly alternative.
4. Security
One of the major benefits of Internet fax, is the improved security the system offers. For example some services give you the ability to restrict access to your faxes, track usage data, and protect your important documents from outside interference. A manual fax machine can never provide this level of service.
5. Cloud Computing
Internet fax is a cloud-based fax solution, which means that instead of installing and managing software, users can simply access their faxes online. Cloud-fax benefits users by giving them numerous efficiencies without it being necessary to buy, build, and maintain IT infrastructure to support the technology.
Unfortunately, many people have a perception of fax based on memories of the 1980’s. However, modern Internet faxing is so hugely different from the previous version with more flexibility and accessibility than ever before, it must be tried to be believed.
About the Author: Written by Mari Westberry, Sales Manager, SecureCare Technologies, Inc. SecureCare securely digitizes, processes and stores sensitive information to eliminate manual processes and paper. Today it provides a ‘double encrypted’, HIPAA-compliant, secure online fax service for the healthcare sector named Sfax.