Why is Online Fax Cheaper Than Conventional Faxing?
By: Titus Hoskins
Submitted: 2011-12-20 07:11:20 | Word Count: 554
One of the main reasons why online fax services have become so popular simply has to do with pricing. It is much cheaper than conventional faxing for numerous reasons and those reasons are listed below. Any potential customer or user of these online faxing services should prudently examine the costs involved and decide if this new way of faxing is viable for themselves or their company.
No Start-up Costs
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Since online faxing is a simple form of "cloud computing" everything can be out-sourced to a third party. All your faxing is handled through the Internet and your current email system so there are virtually no start-up costs. You can have your local or toll-free fax number up and running within minutes and because most providers offer a 30 Day Trial, you will have to pay nothing up-front.
No Extra Hardware
Since your faxes are sent as email attachments (usually in Tiff or Pdf format) you don't have the expense of buying a fax machine. And because online faxing is paperless, you don't have the ongoing costs of papers, inks and toners... all of which can add up in the old traditional way of faxing.
No Extra Fax Phone Line
Perhaps one of the biggest cost-saving expense with Internet faxing, there is no need for an extra fax phone line. And no more missed faxes because of busy signals, which can also save your company money especially if you depend upon faxing to bring in sales.
Low Monthly Charges
These providers on average, charge around $8 - $10 per month which will give you around 500 combined (incoming & outgoing) faxes. Overage fees usually run around 5 to 10 cents per fax, keep in mind, some providers charge by the minute instead of by the fax. International rates may be higher so you should check with the provider if you send a lot of International faxes.
Completely Scalable For Business
Another great benefit of using online faxing is scalability, any company can scale up or down their faxing services without purchasing extra hardware or equipment. This can also be a great cost-saving feature of these email fax services. There is also fax broadcasting which lets a company quickly send a single fax to a large number of recipients with one click.
The Cost Of Being Competitive
Perhaps one of the intangible cost savings has to do with the competitive nature of having a faxing service which is available 24/7, 365 days of the year. Your business is open and reachable anywhere, anytime... no matter where you or your employees are located. This can make your company more competitive and bring in more sales or business. It may even give your company the edge it needs to succeed in these harsh economic times.
Finally, any individual or company will have to examine all these costs savings listed above and decide for themselves whether or not online fax is suitable for them. If you only send a couple of faxes each month, then changing your current system may not be in your best interest. However, if faxing plays a major role in the smooth running of your business and you do a lot of faxing each month; then checking out these online faxing services may just be worth your while and may just save your company big bucks in operating expenses, especially over the long haul.
