Despite some of the bad press surrounding smart phones and their distractive features, it has become an essential accessory to any businessperson’s toolbox. In today’s day and age, small business owners and entrepreneurs profit from the mobility that such devices offer. But one aspect of business that they have not been able to escape is the massive amounts of paper that continue to require their attention, and they usually have to collect this from an office or have a courier move it from one location to the next.
Back in the mid- to late-1980’s, the commercial fax machine was hailed as a revolutionary invention (even though in its true sense, the fax was invented roughly 100 years prior). It provided a solution to high courier costs and eliminated some of the opportunity losses that came with delivery delays (no longer would a company have to wait days or weeks for a document to travel from one end of the continent to another — they could receive it and execute it in minutes). The problem today with the fax machine is that it needs a hard telephone line. These lines come with brick and mortar offices. So unless someone waits next to the fax machine while you are out developing business relationships, an important document might sit for undisclosed periods of time before you even know it is there. This results in those same opportunity losses that the fax machine aimed to eliminate in the first place!
This is where online fax services can offer assistance, particularly to the small business clients that we work with. Now that most folks enjoy high-speed internet and low hardware costs, the ability to move and store tremendous quantities of information means you can outsource your fax requirements for as low as $10 USD per month.
At first glance, using an online fax service might seem like a luxury. At $120 per year, you can own upwards of four traditional machines. But when you consider the monthly fees associated with a dedicated fax line, ten bucks doesn’t seem so steep. Plus, the traditional fax won’t forward your documents to you by e-mail, which can be accessed anywhere in the world (yes, even through those smart phones!).
Surprisingly, you are not limited by the type of fax you send. The leading online fax services company allows you to send more than 150 different file types like JPG and MS Word documents. This means online fax services are just as flexible as traditional machines.
Again, this type of flexibility allows small businesses to operate from anywhere. For small business and entrepreneurs who do not need a physical location or who want to offer employees work-from-home arrangements, online fax services can really make it happen. With almost every type of business document being scanned and stored in digital form, moving away from bricks and mortar business locations is an increasing trend, especially among larger corporations.
The most impressive service we reviewed was offered through myFax, whose lowest cost of $10 offered plenty of freebies. This entry level package allows 200 incoming and 100 outgoing faxes as well as a free toll-free or local fax number at no extra charge. They do not force you to sign a contract, so if their service doesn’t work for you, you can bail without charge. Their priciest plan, at $40/month, simply allows for more incoming and outgoing faxes. All plans allow faxes to be saved for one full year as well as limitless access to their easily navigated website — this is important when you are unable to access your inbox through your handheld or PC.
For small business owners and entrepreneurs seeking true mobility, fax services may have just been the last frontier. Through myFax, you can realize your freedom and start seeing savings immediately.
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