Eliminating The Fax Machine From Your Workplace
The fax machine was invented in the 1900s, and has long been a part of the office scenery. A large, awkward machine, it took up space and served one of the most useful purposes since the invention of the telephone. The fax or facsimile machine literally scanned in material and converted it to an image which was then sent via an analog line to the recipient whose receiving fax converted it back into an image of what had been sent. While businesses have long used fax machinery as standard equipment for office use, it wasn’t until the price, size and supplies decreased in price that home offices and individuals joined the fax market. Today, it is just as likely that you’ll find a compact, cheap fax machine in someone’s residence as you’ll see one in a large, corporate office.
With the introduction of digital fax to email and email to fax services, the facsimile market has gone one step further, offering availability of this standard office equipment at prices anyone can afford. Nowadays, online faxing services abound, and the problem is no longer which machine works best, but which service provides the best quality, reliability and list of features for an inexpensive price. Not all online services are the same; the transition from physical office equipment to digital services can be easy or hard based on the research done in advance.
When looking to transition from physical equipment to digital services, there are some basic things to keep in mind. Your office expenses can be lowered, since you would no longer require a dedicated fax line. Good services provide a unique, personal and local number that can be passed out to customers and clients. This means that telephone expenses are lowered. The dedicated number should be local to you, and an 800 toll free number would also be given to you for your clients or customers who are not situated within your area code.
If security is an issue, investigate the online service’s availability to receive incoming faxes via the website rather than through email. Email is not secure, so if privacy issues are a concern, make sure the service enables for secure sending and receiving of faxes via an encrypted page on their site. Some companies will need this due to HIPPA concerns or where financial data is being transmitted. A good online service should offer this service as part of their package.
Should any problems arise, an extensive knowledgebase and troubleshooting ought to be available. As well, there should be good customer support, and a simple method for contacting the online company. There is nothing more frustrating than running into a problem only to find that the knowledgebase of the service doesn't have any answers, and support is non-existent. In order to avoid this, look around on the site before you sign up so that you can see if they address some of the most common issues, and if there’s a support ticket service in place to handle things not covered in the FAQs. While there is a lot more to mull over, one thing that should be taken into consideration is the number of positive reviews from satisfied customers. Positive reviews by existing clients are a good benchmark of how well service is provided.