How to Choose Online Fax Service   by Sam S.

in Technology / Communication    (submitted 2012-02-09)

Online fax services have been gaining in popularity recently. Whether it's for cost savings, efficiency, environmental concerns or any other reason, online fax services are winning out over traditional fax services with both small and large businesses. This surge in popularity has encouraged many more companies to enter into the online fax services market with their own service offering. With so many companies to choose from, each describing their service and features in a different way, it's hard to compare them and choose the one that's right for you. Below I outline the steps to follow when choosing an online fax service, whether it's for your home, small business or large corporation.

Free Trial
It always best to try out the service before you lay down the money for them. You'll want to test out the features and the interface to make sure that it's easy to use and actually works as described.

Support
24/7 support is one of the most important things you should look for when choosing a fax service provider. If something stops working, or you need some help with a certain function or feature, you need to be able to contact someone who can fix your problem or walk you through the solution. The best way to test the support is to actually experience it for yourself. When you take a free trial, make sure you try contacting a support person a few times so you get an idea of their procedure and responsiveness.

Feature Set
Each online fax provider has a different set of features that they offer with their plans. Some features are free, while others cost you extra. Make a list of the features that you need, and have that in mind when checking prices and plans. It may help to browse the features list of the service providers that you're looking at when making this list. Common features include: contact list importing, contact list exporting, free toll-free number, smartphone apps and live chat support.

Plans & Pricing
Try to estimate how many faxes you send and receive each month. Then get your list of required features out from the last step. Now take a look at the plans and the pricing for each of the service providers you're checking out. Each provider structures their plans and pricing differently, so your ultimate cost will vary greatly depending on your usage and required features.

Growth Potential
When you're checking out the plans and pricing in the step above, I'd also recommend that you check out how much it would cost you to upgrade. As your company grows, or as more people start to use the service, you may find that you need a different plan to satisfy your needs. You don't want to be locked into a contract where you go over the limits each month without any way to upgrade.

Service Bundles
Many online fax service providers also offer VOIP (Voice Over IP) services as well. If you're already using one of these services, you may wish to contact your provider and ask if they have an online fax service as well. You may be able to get a discount on the services by bundling them together. Otherwise, if you're not already using a VOIP phone system, you may want to crunch the numbers to see if you should get one. It may save you money if you switch from your current phone provider to a VOIP phone system provider, especially if bundled with your online fax plan.

With those important considerations in mind, you're ready to compare a few plans, narrow down your selection and sign up to some free trials. To help get rid of the confusion, we've developed a comparison matrix featuring the most popular providers and their most popular packages. You can easily compare the top companies in the online fax business by checking out MostlikedComparisons.com

About the Author

Sam S.
Marketing Analyst at Gazaro.com, a Branham Group Top 25 Up and Comer