Expert Articles

With all the technology now available, it can be difficult to know when to use which new advancements for different parts of doing business. This is especially true when it comes to sending information and messages through Internet fax or email. There are benefits to both, as well as times when one is more appropriate than the other. However, within business solutions and dealings, using an internet fax is many times the right choice.

First, an internet fax is similar to a traditional fax, except for the added convenience of doing everything over the Internet rather than on a physical fax machine. There are numerous internet fax companies to choose from and each operates a little differently. Some will charge per page while others will charge per minute. Many companies offer business accounts for corporations that will be sending numerous faxes regularly. Pages to be faxed over the Internet can either be uploaded to an online interface or sometimes a fax driver is provided that will allow you to fax directly from within your document. The data output will look just as it does when a regular fax is sent, except most likely with more clarity.

Another advantage is that it is a great way to send signed documents quickly. This can be especially important within business transactions when a signed document is required for legal purposes. Just as a regular fax, the internet fax is considered a legitimate form of a legal signature. With email it is possible that the company on the other end may not be able to open the attached documents. With different versions of software and proprietary document formats, this is a problem that can come up often in the business world. When faxing over the Internet, the company receiving them can still have them come out of their fax machine, but with more reassurance of its arrival. Or if they too have an internet fax account, they can retrieve them from their account as well.

Furthermore, since internet fax documents look like regular fax documents, it is a more professional way of sending information. Private email addresses, many times, look unprofessional due to the email address name or can get lost in the backlogs of emails or diverted to junk mail folders. Many companies still prefer using faxed documents because of their professional quality, and having a document that looks exactly like the original really helps.

Sending large files through email can sometimes be a problem. Many times they will take forever to send or time out before the files can be sent in their entirety. This is another situation where faxing over the Internet is a better solution. You have a larger capacity when faxing over the Internet than when sending an email because Internet fax does not fall under any caps put in place by email hosts.

Using an internet fax also means eliminating the need for additional office equipment and phone numbers. Fax machines can be large, bulky, need maintenance and additional supplies. Faxing over the Internet eliminates these additional office items and cuts costs for many businesses. So a company looking for an alternative to email doesn't have to worry about increasing costs by using an Internet fax service. Also, additional office phone lines are not needed. When signing up with a provider, a fax number is assigned to each user. This means that any company will be able to give that number out as their fax number, instead of having to sign up with the local phone company and paying those additional charges.

Because of bulk quantity fax packages that can be purchased, the cost of faxing is lowered further. Instead of the actual cost of paper and supplies that are needed to be used to fax, as well as the monthly cost of the service number, an internet fax is sent electronically, eliminating these items. There are companies out there that offer free fax services for sending or receiving. Since businesses must pay for an additional phone line with traditional faxes, they must pay for its use regardless of actual faxes sent.

Email is useful for many transactions however, using an Internet fax is many times a better choice. It is professional, cost effective, simple and fast.