Introduce Online Fax To Business

By Author: Chris Haycox
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Whether you run a multimillion-dollar business or have a one-person home office, there are a few technological aids that you just have to have. One is a computer (or two), another is a phone-and right there with them at the top of the "needed" list is a fax machine.

Over the last decade, as online technologies matured and more services went "virtual," fax machines have begun to be replaced by online fax services. The reasons are multiple and convincing, so much so that there is not reason not to introduce online fax to your existing business or plan to get it for your new one. The debate, frankly, is over on this topic, and online faxing won.

The benefits
* One could doubtless make a very long list of the benefits and advantages of online faxing, but the following points should be sufficient to make the point:
* Online faxing is much faster, as messages are delivered in seconds as opposed to minutes, and this doesn't even count the time it takes to walk to and from a fax machine.
* Following up on this first point, online fax services are much more convenient, since the delivery is made right ...
... to your computer on your desk.
* The quality of the received fax is superior. You get a perfect digital copy of the faxed document, not a faint, scanned, often poorly printed facsimile.
* It's easier, since sending and receiving faxes is as simple and straightforward as e-mail.
* Online faxing is less costly. Some limited-feature online fax accounts are even free, but full-featured ones can cost as little as $20 to $40-per year.
* It is also more secure, for several reasons. You can choose to access your communications on an encrypted website, and the documents are always delivered to a specific computer, not an open, accessible machine.
* Online faxing is very flexible, and can "scale up" with your growing business needs with no increase in costs for paper, electricity, toner/ink, maintenance or replacement.

Productivity increases
Your business, whatever its size, is likely to make great productivity gains with online faxing. No longer will you or your employees need to "travel" to deliver a fax, walking back and forth to a centrally located device. The time savings, when multiplied by the 10 or 15 faxes sent daily by X number of employees, can be substantial. The savings on paper and supplies will be immediately felt in your bottom line, too.

The move to digital media and communications is accelerating across the entire range of human enterprises. E-mail is replacing "snail mail," just as online faxing is replacing standalone, energy-draining fax machines. This is natural progress that is to be welcomed, and the capabilities can be quickly and efficiently added to your ongoing business activities. As the rate of change increases, the aggregate savings to American (and global) business will be huge.

Environmental impact
Internet faxing has already made a convincing business case. However, there is another, more compelling case it can make, and that is its "enviro-friendliness." A few factoids about paper, trees and how American and global firms munch their way through a good portion of the world's forests will frame the issue:

A single tree can produce 12,500 sheets of paper, but it still takes four trees to fulfill the faxing needs of the average U.S. business.

Supply fax paper to all American businesses takes 17 million trees per year.

Annually, faxing by the average U.S. office worker consumes 10,000 sheets of paper, while faxing by all U.S. firms put together uses some 215 billion sheets of paper.

Approximately 95% of paper faxes will eventually be discarded without recycling.

The facts about resource use, especially the true cost of wasteful business practices, are becoming increasingly well known. The more you know about how quickly all this wasted paper piles up, the less likely you will think that your contribution to a waste-reduction effort is, itself, a wasted effort. The fact is, your decision to introduce online fax to your existing business can make a meaningful cut in America's total waste, and benefit the planet as well as your bottom line.

Traditional, standalone fax machines represent one of the most energy-intensive types of modern communication, so there are energy savings to be had along with the environmental benefits. Paperless business solutions, from online fax to digital recordkeeping, are already having a measurable effect on our environment. As our technological civilization evolves toward an increasingly conscientious stewardship of our planet's resources, making the transition to online faxing will be considered a sensible, cost-effective and responsible business decision, as well as an eco-friendly one.
About Author:
Metro Hi Speed is a leader in online fax solutions for any sized business. Less expensive and more reliable than traditional fax services - you'll enjoy the convenience and well as the cost. Visit today for more information on our small business and corporate fax solutions.