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Online Fax Services Review of eFax, MetroFax, and MyFax

Having a fax number is like having a computer now a days. Everyone has one. And I can see the importance of having one. In one day alone I had 2 different customers inquire about my fax number so they could send me some papers they had made notes on. I hated disappointing them by telling them I didn't have one. It made me feel unprofessional or like my business was small potatoes. I want my customers to have absolute faith in me. And to be able to get information to me the easiest way possible for them.

So, I started doing research on fax machines and fax numbers. I found them to be way out of my price range. Being a small business I don't have a lot of available money to purchase new supplies like a fax machine. Also, as I was searching through fax machines, I realized, I don't really  have the space in my tiny home office to put a fax machine.

And then I found online faxing services! Online faxing services work just like a fax machine except the fax is delivered to your email instead of through a phone line. This is so convenient and because its online, it provides added benefits that a regular fax machine wouldn't.

First of all, there is no need for paper or added electricity. The fax is delivered to your email on your computer. This helps the environment as well as my wallet!

Also having faxes delivered directly to your email makes it easy to keep your backup. No more paper copies that you need to worry about losing. With an online faxing service, you can easily organize faxes as you would your emails. 

This type of service is ideal for the traveler, those who need to retain copies of faxes, eco-concious companies, and anyone looking to down size the equipment in the office.

Below are the top 3 services I found on the Internet for online faxing services:

MetroFax

MetroFax costs $12.95 a month (add $2.00 per line for toll free numbers) and includes 1,000 pages per month! This is the most bang for your buck if you do a lot of faxing. I didn't come across another service that offers as many free pages as MetroFax.

MetroFax has no lenghty terms so you can leave whenver you want instead of being held to them by a contract.

Using MetroFax is very easy. It's compatable with virtually every email program and many Windows applications so you don't need to worry about formatting your fax. Also, you can access it through a Web browser, so wherever you have a connection, you have your fax machine! And most importantly, you have backup at your fingertips while on the road, away from your filing cabinet.

eFax

eFax has two options, efaxPlus and eFaxPro. The efaxPlus  is  the best choice for a smaller company doing a minimal amount of faxing. This service costs $16.95/month with no set up fee. The same service is only $14.13/month if you sign up for the entire year. This package includes 30 outgoing faxes and 130 incoming pages with each additional page costing $.15. If you have a toll free number, every page is $.20.

You can sign up for this service by the month or by the year. And as I pointed out above you save quite a bit if you purchase the entire year upfront.

You can access your account from anywhere you have a connection to the web. How convenient to be able to access faxes right from your computer or mobile no matter where you are. eFax is more expensive than the other two options, but offers excellent customer service.

MyFax

Myfax is the one that stood out to me. If you are a small business with a minimal amount of faxes, this one may work the best for your needs. The best part is you can get a free 30 day trial! After that, it's inexpensive at only $10.00/month, local or toll free numbers, with 100 sent and 200 received faxes included.

Term length, again, is an optional. If you decide this is what you are using and make a year commitment, your cost for the service is $110.00 for the year.

Myfax can work from a web browser, just like MetroFax. MyFax can send 178 different formats through the fax like Excel and Word documents. Think of all the time you'll save, not having to wait for print and then fax. Now it's right there, no matter where you are. And to make it more convenient, MyFax offers free webinars to learn all the ins and outs of online faxing.

Something Myfax has over the others is the option to search for a vanity number. For free you can personalize your number and add a little edge to your business faxes.

Overall, faxing companies offer pretty much the same stuff: faxing from anywhere through your web browser, flexible commitments, and at least 30 free pages a month of faxing. I know my business would be fine with the 30 page limit because I could monitor what I choose to fax, but that might not work for other businesses. That's why it's so great that these companies offer free trials of their serivices. You can be faxing in minutes!

Here is a quick chart to compare the different features each company offers.

 
As I said, this is a quick chart. Please visit each companies website for further details.

Categorized: Reviews, Business Tips

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