Which Internet Fax Service Is Right For You?

Titus Hoskins asked:




Internet or e-mail fax services are becoming very
popular with the computer savvy public. The ability
to receive and send faxes whenever and wherever you
access you e-mail has proven too irresistible
for many fax users to ignore.

It’s an offer they couldn’t refuse. Can you blame them?

No more paper-jams, no more bulky fax machines, no more messy
inks, no more busy signals, no more extra phone lines, no more
return trips to the office at 10 o’clock at night to retrieve
that important fax.

Internet fax is easy, mobile, convenient, accessible
and very compatible with most of today’s and tomorrow’s
computer gizmos and gadgets. From cell phones to BlackBerries
to ultraportable notebook computers, e-mail fax services
will work with all of these contraptions.

Besides, almost every aspect of doing business in our
brick and mortar world has been transferred onto the
Internet. Faxing services are no different. However,
using an Internet fax service has some distinct advantages
over the old fashion fax machine/service; mainly the
ability to access your faxes anywhere, anytime. This mobility
is a big plus for both mobile professionals and ordinary fax
users. Being completely connected in a wired world can give
any business or company a competitive edge.

But there are so many Internet Fax services to choose
from, each with its own features and pricing structures,
so just which Internet fax service is right for you?

The answer will mainly depend on your own faxing needs
or requirements. How much faxing do you plan to do? What
types of faxing services do you need? Will you be only
receiving faxes? Will you be only sending faxes? Will
you need both functions? Will you need a fax broadcasting
service?

Perhaps, the first question you have to ask yourself?
Do you need Internet fax at all? Some people like to keep
their businesses 9 to 5, weekdays only, please don’t bother
me after working hours or on the weekend. If you want your
faxing strictly confined to your office, during office hours
on your old fax machine, then Internet fax is probably
not for you!

On the other hand, if you want your business or company
to be able to receive and send faxes 24/7 — 365 days of
the year, then you should check out the different Internet
faxing services.

There are many Internet fax services available to the consumer.
Some of the better known ones are MyFax, eFax, Send2Fax and
TrustFax. All these e-mail fax services have different plans
and features. They also have different rates and fees, so it
pays to shop around and check out each before you sign-up to
any one fax provider.

Each Fax Service provider has slightly different ways of
sending and receiving faxes. They all use e-mail and the
Internet. Some have a free desktop application download that
sits on your desktop. Most can be used with Windows Outlook
and Windows Office. Most or all have a Web Interface, online
web site where you can access your Internet fax account to
send or check your faxes. Most also provide storage space if
you wish to keep your faxes online.

Almost all are completely flexible and scalable to meet all
corporate faxing requirements. They can be customized to any
size organization or business. Fax broadcasting, where you
send a fax to a large numbers of recipients is offered by
most online fax services including the ones mentioned here.

And obviously, all supply you with a local or toll-free fax
number.

What Internet Fax service is right for you depends mainly
on your own personal needs. Are your faxing needs very minimum
or do you do a lot of faxing? The answer will usually determine
which faxing service you go with. Of course, you must also check
out customer support, service reliability and the overall
quality of the fax service you are signing up for. But you
knew that!

If you just want to ONLY receive faxes, eFax will provide
you with a free account where you can receive up to 20 free
faxes a month. But be warned, you will have to upgrade to a
paid service if you want to send faxes. The charge is minimal
but they can quickly add up, so keep a close check on how many
faxes you send each month. You should also be aware that each
of these services charges higher rates to send international
faxes; domestic faxes are cheaper.

Another fax service you should check out if your faxing needs
are light, Send2Fax Prepaid charges you $0.15 for every
fax and a $20 deposit along with a very low $1.95 monthly fee.
They also have a plan if you only send faxes – Send2Fax
Broadcast is a send-only account at $0.06 per sent page and
a $1.95 per month fee. TrustFax has a Power User plan for
$19.95 per YEAR with 70 Free Fax Pages (Incoming AND Outgoing)
and 15 MB online storage for your faxes.

If your faxing needs are a little heavier you could try MyFax,
it has great customer support and is only $10 a month which
includes 100 sent and 200 received faxes. No setup fees, no
hidden charges and it also informs you how much each of your
faxes cost.

Which one should you choose?

It’s always a good idea to try before you buy. Many of these
Internet fax services have free one month trials. Some services
such as MyFax and TrustFax have online demos which you can use
to see what your faxes will look like. You can Test Drive their
faxing systems before you buy.

If you check online, MyFax has garnered top customer or
user ratings in such sites as Microsoft Office Marketplace,
PC Magazine and on Fax forums. It provides good quality
service for a very reasonable price. Not to be outdone, eFax
is extremely popular with over 9,000,000 users and that must
count for something. TrustFax and Send2Fax also come highly
rated.

But make up your Own Mind!

There are many more Internet faxing services on the web. You
will have plenty of other services to choose from. Just make
sure you have an Internet fax service that meets all your faxing
needs and you won’t be disappointed. Whether you’re running a
small home office or a large multi-national company, there’s
probably an online faxing service that will meet your needs.