If you are somehow related to a regulated industry, you probably have sent and received dozens of faxes to transfer documents. If you are using your fax machine to transmit such loads of documents, the odds are you are looking for an alternative that is more efficient and productive. So, learning about online fax service pros and cons will definitely help you decide whether to switch to a cloud-based faxing service or stick with your traditional fax machine or your fax servers.
Online Fax Service Pros and Cons
Pros:
Accessible from anywhere and anytime: To have access to your documents and be able to send and receive faxes you just need to have a PC, Laptop, mobile, or a tablet as well as an internet connection.
No need to print every single received fax: If your company is active in healthcare, law, real estate and other regulated industries, it means you are receiving hundreds of faxes every day. When using an online fax service, you get to choose which received faxes to print, which ones to delete, and which ones to store.
There is NO maintenance cost: The only cost you need to pay is for renewing your subscription. You no longer need to worry about your fax machine’s maintenance costs, as well as the cost of inks, toners, and of course papers.
Send fax to multiple contacts at once: Most online fax services offer the option to send a single document to several recipients at once. It means you just need to prepare the documents to be sent once and send them to multiple contacts at once.
Obtain a dedicated fax number from different countries: Traditional fax machines must be connected to a landline phone number to operate. It means you cannot get a Japanese fax number when you are in the United States. But with online fax services, no matter where you are, you get to obtain a dedicated fax number from any desired country (if supported by your faxing provider).
Organize your files easier and faster: Since all your sent and received faxes are stored digitally in a cloud storage, you get to easily organize them and assign tags to your documents to be able to find a specific document by searching through the tags.
Electronic signature: This wonderful feature enables you to sign documents and contracts within the online fax app and send them back right away.
Cons:
You may need a printer: While storing your documents in a cloud storage is more efficient and organized, sometimes you just need to deliver the physical copy of a document to an organization. In such cases, you need to find a printer and print your faxes.
You will need an internet connection: If you are living in a place with limited access to the internet or your connection is not as stable, switching to an online fax service may not be a wise idea.
