For decades, faxing was a commonplace activity at businesses. To some extent, email has replaced faxing. However, there are still situations that require a formal fax instead of a casual email. Instead of continuing to use a clunky old fax machine, businesses should consider the benefits of an electronic fax plan.
Cost Effective
The cost of an e-fax plan is typically going to be less than the costs associated with maintaining a traditional fax machine. A fax machine requires staff members to regularly refresh the supplies, such as ink and paper. Further, the current fax machine is eventually going to break and need to be replaced, which will likely be a large bill. An e-fax plan allows the business to put money toward other endeavors.
Time Saving
Sending faxes through email saves time, as the transfers are instantaneous. Also, since faxing is not as common as it used to be, new employees might need training and reminders about how to use a traditional fax machine, which can cut into time for other tasks. E-faxing is more intuitive and uses tools that many people are already familiar with.
Attractive for Prospective Employees
When individuals are looking for jobs, some of them want to know how technologically savvy the company is. Prospective candidates who see that the company uses an e-faxing system, as opposed to a traditional method of sending faxes, may be more inclined to pursue a position at the business.
Security Advantage
Using a traditional fax machine can put sensitive information at risk. The wrong person might pick up the paperwork, or the document could get lost. With e-faxing, senders can confirm that recipients received the documents on the spot. There is no risk of someone picking up the incorrect document from the fax machine. Interested parties can also look into additional security features to provide another layer of protection for sensitive information.
Multiple Recipients
In the event that employees do have to send the material to multiple recipients, electronic faxing makes that process easy. With a traditional fax machine, employees would have to individually send the fax to different numbers. Electronic faxing means that all recipients receive the documents at the same time. This system also makes collaboration easier. Instead of having to wait for a response, the conversation can continue immediately.
Better for Large Documents and Files
Faxing a document or file that contains multiple pages can be a time-consuming task. Also, with older fax machines in particular, this type of project can jam up the machine. E-faxing works smoothly and efficiently regardless of how large the fax project is.
Remote Employees
Expecting remote employees to purchase fax machines for their homes is unreasonable, as is expecting all of these individuals to rent co-working spaces that have such machines available. Electronic faxing allows remote employees to communicate with one another and with employees who are in the office. In short, virtual employees can proceed with their daily tasks without the additional hassle of finding a fax machine.
Many businesses are faced with difficult decisions over continuing to using a traditional fax machine or make the switch to electronic faxing. While any type of change has some sort of adjustment period, electronic faxing is likely to better the business and make operations smoother overall.
