If you are wondering which internet fax service to choose, help is here. It’s important to review several different providers and compare prices, customer service, and what’s included in the plan you’re interested in, among other features and benefits.
Here is a list of important questions to ask yourself when choosing an online fax service.
What is your first impression of the service?
Are guarantees offered? Do you provide multiple methods of contact, such as email or a toll-free number? Do you offer no questions asked refunds? Free trials? It’s important to take a quick look at their website to see what they do and don’t have.
How is your reputation?
Validate that the company maintains a respectable history. You can do this by checking sites like Ripoff Report, ComplaintsBoard, and even the Better Business Bureau. However, be sure to check multiple sites because some reviews may be negative, but not from actual users, but from competitors trying to make that service look bad.
Does it fit your budget?
You will find that Internet fax services offer different plans at different prices. There are plans for small businesses that need fewer fax pages and other plans with more fax pages at slightly higher prices. Typically, the cost per month is around $10 on average, but some services may have special promotions, such as a percentage off the first few months or more fax pages included. Make sure you don’t sacrifice a couple of bucks for quality though, if a fax service costs a bit more and offers more features then it may be a better option.
How much do you fax each month?
It is important to find an online fax service that meets your needs. If you fax a couple of times a month, you can settle for a startup plan, however keep your business growth in mind. Will you need to upgrade to a larger plan in the future? If so, take a look at all the plans that the company offers to see if they are also reasonably priced in case your company grows.
The best services offer plans that come with a certain number of pages to send and receive. Some plans offer a certain amount to send faxes and another amount to receive. Consider your faxing habits, do you send more faxes than you receive or the other way around?
Extra Page Pricing
When you have used all the fax pages included in your plan, you can continue to send faxes, but online fax services will charge you a small fee for each additional fax page you send. Usually this is less than 1 cent or around that price. However, if you notice that you are sending several extra pages each month, you may want to upgrade to a higher plan.
Are there setup fees?
Most Internet fax services do not have setup fees. They will usually tell you in the plan details, but always be sure to check or call them and ask if there are any hidden fees. Also check if they have any maintenance fees. Although many services offer a free fax number, be sure to check if there is a maintenance fee for that number.
portability
Some services allow you to send faxes from multiple places, such as your computer, laptop, and even your cell phone. Others offer great integration tools for your office. Consider if you need a service that offers high portability because you’re always on the go, or if you just need a solution for your office because you’re at your desk most of the time.
Integration
It’s great when the service you choose integrates seamlessly with the apps you already use. For example, many online fax services are compatible with Microsoft applications like Outlook, Excel, etc. Others also offer webmail integration so you can send and receive faxes from your Gmail, Yahoo, or MSN account.
