How To Choose An Online Fax Service
As online faxing gains in popularity, more online fax service providers enter the scene. Each boasts different plans and price points, making the task of selecting an online fax service a bit daunting. However, the process of choosing an online fax service that’s right for you becomes much easier when you consider these important factors:
Your Faxing Needs: Think about how many faxes you send and receive in a month. If it’s not many, a free online fax service may meet your needs. However, if you send and receive faxes regularly, an online fax service with a monthly plan is more economical and reliable, and offers greater fax management efficiency.
Rates And Usage: Most online fax services charge monthly rates that start as low as $4.99. Although a low rate may sound appealing, you need to look at how many faxes you can send and receive for the price. Unlike faxes sent over phone lines that charge by the minute, faxes sent over the Internet charge by the page. Compare the monthly plan rate to how many fax pages (sent and received) are included. Most monthly plans include 300 free incoming and outgoing faxes each month. Also look at the fee charged if you go over the monthly page limit. If your faxing needs include international destinations, check to see which countries are included in the plans’ free fax zone and compare the international rates (usually billed per minute) for countries not included.
Features: A good online fax service plan includes in its monthly rate the choice of a local or toll-free fax number; the ability to fax by email, smart phone, or the Web; a control panel where you can easily manage your contact lists and fax documents; the ability to send online faxes to a fax machine; tools to personalize and edit your faxes; the ability to send to multiple recipients at one time; fax storage for up to one year; real-time fax reports; schedule fax delivery; delivery confirmation; anti-spam and security features; and 24/7 customer support. These are basic features to look for when comparing online fax service plans.
Extra Charges: With most online fax services, set-up is free, but some charge anywhere from $9.95 to $12.95 for setting up your account. Consider what these fees include. Also compare other extra charges, such as fees for fax storage or going over your monthly sent and receive page limit.
Bundled Services: Some online fax services offer bundled plans that include VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services like voice mail, call waiting, call forwarding. caller ID and other typical phone services.
Growth Potential: This consideration is important for businesses. If you expect your faxing needs to grow or if a business expansion is in the future, look for an online fax service that can handle this growth potential. The online fax service provider that you choose should be scalable, meaning it can scale up to handle your fax volume at any time. It should also be able to easily and seamlessly provide you with additional fax numbers and accounts.
Free Trial Offer: Most online fax service providers offer a free trial so you can try out their services before buying to see if they meet your needs and expectations. Take advantage of these free trials and try a couple of different online fax services to see how they compare and differ. Also evaluate how user-friendly their services and features are when using them in different applications (i.e. at home, in the office, or on the go). A free trial offer also gives you the opportunity to evaluate an online fax service provider’s reliability and overall fax service.