7 Reasons Why Online Fax is Better Than Traditional Fax Machines

Facsimile transmissions have been around for decades, and they continue to be a crucial aspect of any business’s communication activities in spite of their age. Faxing is as relevant in the 21st century as it was back in the heyday of fax machines in the 1980s and 90s. 

However, that is not to say that the facsimile industry hasn’t undergone many important changes over the past couple of years. To the contrary – sending faxes is now easier than ever. In fact, you don’t even need a dedicated fax machine to do it! 

The rise of the Internet has changed the way we look at written communication methods. It enabled us to send messages and documents seamlessly via e-mail and instant messaging, without having to rely so much on tons of paper and electronic equipment. However, the Internet didn’t quite manage to make faxing irrelevant – instead, it enhanced and improved the way we send and receive fax messages. 

Nowadays, online faxing is largely superior to the traditional way of going about it. In this article, we’ll take you through the main advantages of online faxing over traditional, paper-based fax machines. 

How Does Online Faxing Work? 

The main premise of online faxing is to streamline the entire process by taking all the basic functions of a fax machine and putting them in a neat app that you can use on your desktop computer or smartphone. 

Your application will be tied to a virtual fax number that can communicate with traditional fax machines and online faxing software alike. You can attach this number to your email account to receive and browse faxes directly from your inbox, but you can keep all of your fax communications within the dedicated app just as easily. 

Online faxing allows you to compose, send, receive, and sign documents directly from the app. There’s no need to scan or print anything out! When you receive faxes, you’ll be able to browse through them in the app or your preferred email service and act upon them however you see fit. 

Now you know how online faxing works. There’s really not much else to it – it is simple, efficient, and elegant. So why should you make the switch to digital faxing if you already own a regular fax machine? 

The Advantages of Online Faxing 

There are plenty of upsides to handling all of your faxing needs via the cloud as opposed to using a traditional fax machine. However, many business owners and office managers are wary of making the switch seeing as they have already invested considerable amounts of time and money into the old way of handling these types of communications. 

If you fit that description, you might be asking yourself: why should I invest even more resources into faxing? 

The short answer is: because it will make life easier for yourself and your employees. We realize that this explanation might not cut it, so stick around and keep reading for a full breakdown of all the reasons why you should pivot to online faxing. 

You Can Do It From Anywhere 

All the features of a premium online faxing service remove all limitations usually associated with traditional machines. Seeing as it enables you to use your laptop, smartphone, and virtually any other device that can access your email to send and receive faxes, you can easily fax away from outside of the office, which may come in handy whenever you need to deal with a time-sensitive matter. 

Nowadays, with remote and hybrid work being adopted by an increasing number of companies, a solution like an online fax service can improve your organization’s workflow and communication efforts should you choose to have your employees work from home on a regular basis. 

Online Faxing is More Secure 

While regular fax machines are pretty fool-proof when it comes to online security (as many of them simply can’t connect to the Internet), they fall short in other areas. For example, a confidential document can end up in the wrong hands at the receiving organization. 

It can also work the other way around – an employee at your office can pick up a message intended for your eyes only. In the best case scenario, this can cause misunderstandings, but in worse cases, these messages can cause conflict within the organization, especially if they pertain to topics such as upcoming layoffs or pay cuts. 

You won’t get any of that with online faxing. The messages you send and receive are only accessible through your device with a unique fax number attached to it. Furthermore, top-quality online fax services are encrypted and compliant with the stringent security standards of most industries, so you can rest assured that your data will be safe. 

It’s More Environmentally Friendly 

Businesses that use traditional fax machines on a daily basis go through tons of paper every year, most of which gets discarded after acting upon the contents of the message. It’s a major issue, especially if you want to maintain an environmentally friendly image for your organization. 

Online faxing radically reduces the amount of paper used at your office, decreasing your business’s carbon footprint. 

Less Clutter Around the Office 

Fax machines are large, heavy devices, not to mention the fact that they come with a whole bunch of cables that are necessary for these devices to function properly. Typically, smaller offices only use one fax machine, but if you run a larger business or faxing is a major part of your operations, you might find that all of this equipment clutters your workspace. This, in turn, can make your employees less productive. 

After switching to an online fax service, you can free your office of the chunky equipment, lengthy cables, and countless reams of paper.  

Better Document Organization 

Proper storage and organization of your documents can take a lot of work if they all consist of printed sheets of paper. In some cases, an archivist would be necessary to get everything in order and make it so that all of your files are easily accessible whenever you need them. 

With online faxing, you’ll have access to all of the documents you’ve sent and received, neatly organized by date and sortable by a variety of filters. Best of all, it’s all done automatically! 

It Saves You Money 

This is a big one, especially in today’s economy. With the rising prices of electricity, even ceasing to operate the fax machines you have at the office will result in substantial savings over longer periods of time. 

That’s without even mentioning the costs of paper and having to pay for a landline, which nobody really uses anymore outside of faxing purposes. If you want to make your business more sustainable, then using online faxing solutions is a great first step. 

Online Faxing is Easily Scalable 

Every entrepreneur aims to facilitate the growth of their business. However, as your company expands in size and scope, you will find yourself needing to send more and more faxes. Normally, this would require getting additional fax machines, setting them up, and watching your electricity bills skyrocket. 

With online fax services, you can simply pay a few more bucks for an expanded plan and set up fax capabilities on the devices of however many employees you like. 

Make the Switch to Online Faxing Today

Sending faxes online is an easy, modern way to go about this type of communication in 2023. There is nothing preventing you from making the switch right now! At FaxBurner, we can set you up with a brand new fax number instantly. 

What’s even better is that you can get your first fax number completely for free and start faxing right away. Learn more about our service and all the subscription plans we offer by visiting our website. Happy faxing!