5 Questions You Need To Ask Yourself Before Choosing an Online Fax Company

5 Questions You Need To Ask Yourself Before Choosing an Online Fax Company

Comparing online fax companies can be confusing. Those more efficient in cost could end up not providing you with all the services that you require. Some of the more popular brands include, RingCentral, MetroFax, Nextiva, and eFax.

There are several basics that almost all companies will give you; a completely free trial, a plan for those on a budget, a fax number where your faxes will be sent to, and being able to view the faxes from your personal email or through the company.

The following list is comprised of a few things that differ from company to company and could push you one way or another in your decision.

1. Will I need an annual discount?

If the answer is yes, the next key question would be, how much of a discount? If you are looking to use an online fax system for a long period of time paying for the whole year is a great benefit. The average discount is approximately 10 percent of the monthly cost if you were to do it on a month by month basis. Except for the popular company Nextiva which cuts the cost from $8.95 to $4.95, which is almost in half!

2. Would I want to get a toll free number?

Sometimes companies can charge extra if you are asking to have a toll free tax number installed. Depending on where there are monetary cut backs in other areas of the plan this could cost you a pretty penny. This could be up to ten dollars to start, or a dollar a month. Some offer it for free, such as RingCentral and eFax, regardless; it is worth looking into if this is an option you require.

3. How many faxes will I need to send out a month?

If you run an extremely busy business and know that your fax system is just as hectic, going for a plan that offers closer to the 700 page range could be the solution. If you are not as dependent on your fax then paying extra for so many pages is pointless. But just remember, each surplus charge is also different and buying from a company that offers a little bit more than you need will save you at up to ten cents a page in overage costs. There are additionally plans that divide up incoming and outgoing faxes; don’t let a company catch you in a loop hole where only one is offered if both is a necessary component.

4. Do I need customer support that is US based?

Maybe online faxing is new to you and setting things up is already confusing enough. Possibly you have experienced a technical problem with your faxes and for the life of you can’t figure it out. The last thing on your mind is thinking about whether the customer service representative is based on the US, yet this can be a big deal for some and isn’t realized until it is too late. If the support is not US based on the other hand it can offer a more flexible schedule for calling, such as a 24 hour plan.

5. Am I looking for an app to also be included?

In today’s world we are always on the move. Internet access to emails is easy enough through a smart phone, but with mass amounts of faxes that could be coming through, an app is a better way to organize and alert you of specific fax activity. Not to mention the ease of access by multiple phones for those who need to also view important faxed information.

Conclusion

Apart from these main concerns here is an additional list of quick bullet points that you don’t want to miss in your final decision.

Software downloads required

Fax preview and delivery conformation

Amount of emails able to send/receive

Fax storage available

Each recipient and sender will never know the difference once you choose to do online faxing, but you will. More efficient in cost and time, it’s as easy a monthly payment and checking your email.



Author Bio:
This article was written by Rebecca Borchers. Rebecca is currently attending UCF where she is pursuing a dual degree in Hospitality and English. Living on a college campus, she knows all about the latest and greatest technology and is always finding new ways to use it to make her life more efficient. She is also a content creator for FindAFax. To learn more about Rebecca, check out her Google+.