Email and other digital means of communication have made faxing seem old school. But surprisingly, sending and receiving documents through fax is still in great demand. Some government agencies and private industries continue to rely on this service to send documents securely.
Thanks to technological advancements in this field and the leading online faxing service providers like eFax, individuals and businesses no longer need slow and noisy facsimile machines to send and receive documents. If you’re new to internet faxing solutions, here’s a list of their seven most valuable features that you should know about.
- Versatility
One reason why many people use online faxing solutions is versatility. You have an option to send a fax via email or through apps, whichever suits you best. This feature ensures that services are accessible anytime and anywhere, unlike a traditional fax machine that requires you to scan the documents physically.
Besides, with work from home setup and lousy weather plaguing many parts of the world, internet faxing solutions mean you don’t need to worry about caring for clunky facsimile machines. Based on many people’s experiences, the fax machine is one type of equipment that gets damaged in floods easily. When you receive online fax, it will be an email attachment, and you can view and print the document wherever you have access to your inbox.
- Security
Some small companies continue to use traditional faxing because they see it as a secure way of delivering and receiving highly confidential documents. These days, however, web fax can expedite your business processes while ensuring that anything you send via a web fax platform is safe and secure. Service providers make use of top-grade encryption, so you will have the confidence that anything you send via their online fax service is private.
Some service providers also help companies maintain compliance with different regulations related to privacy, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and many others.
- Electronic Signature
Businesspeople are always on the go. So, one invaluable web fax feature for them is the electronic signature, which enables them to add their signature to a form or document digitally. What’s more, they can sign and send wherever they are for as long as there is an internet connection. So, with online fax service, they can send electronic fax through their smartphones or tablets.
Some providers even offer different ways to capture your signature. Users can take a photo of their signature or sign their names on their device screens. Thus, you don’t have to worry about finding a computer, printer, and scanner to send signed documents via internet fax when you’re on the road.
- Storage
If you use internet faxing, you won’t only be saving trees and reducing your carbon footprint. You’ll also drastically cut back the amount of filing work you do. All files are handled and filed digitally. Plus, most web fax solutions offer expansive storage capability and dedicated archives.
If you ever need to retrieve old faxes, this feature will allow you to store them in your inbox for later use. Some online fax portals also enable easy fax retrieval. Users can find files received or sent by searching using different parameters, such as recipient name, date, or tagged keywords.
- Local And Toll-Free Fax Number
Not all web faxing solutions offer local and toll-free fax numbers. But for those who do, these features can be advantageous to many businesses. For small enterprises, having a local area code will let you establish your neighborhood presence and attract customers who want businesses that are easily accessible. A web faxing service can help you provide your local target customers with a more personal service.
Meanwhile, if you want to project a national presence, you may get a toll-free number because this gives you a wider and more established business image. Also, it can help expand your reach beyond your locality.
- Junk And Spam Fax Blocking
During the time when people only relied on snail mail or landline phones, there has already been a prevalence of junk and spam messages. So, you should not be surprised that marketers are also finding ways to send junk and spam faxes to your inbox. Good thing, many internet faxing solutions enable users to screen faxes and even block specific numbers to avoid receiving spam and unwanted faxes.
- Tracking System
Online fax providers allow you to track outgoing faxes and enable you to organize and store all your sent and received items. As soon as your fax shows up at your recipient’s inbox or fax number, you’ll get a notification. A tracking system can help in reducing the number of lost faxes.
The Bottom Line
Internet faxing solutions can do everything that traditional faxes can do. However, with added features, online faxing can also help bring down costs, boost productivity, and make sending and receiving faxes seamless.