What to Consider Before Choosing an Online Faxing Service

So you've decided that it's time sign up for an Internet fax service, and you want to be sure that you're getting the best service possible for your business.  Before choosing a fax provider, there are some important features that you need to consider.

Number Options

Although you're using an online faxing service, it's common to be assigned a fax number.  You may want your fax number to have the same area code as your primary business number, or want a simple number for customers to memorize.  Some fax services come with highly customizable numbers, others have very rigid standards.  Be sure you know about number options before you sign up with a provider, you don't want to be stuck with a complicated fax number if it can be avoided. 

Support

Online faxing eliminates many of the troubles that arose with traditional faxing, but sometimes problems happen.  Choose a company that offers round the clock troubleshooting support, you don't want to be stuck with an important fax and no way to send it.

Security

Confidential information can be sent through faxes, and you want to be sure that your information doesn't fall into the wrong hands during transmission.  Make sure your online fax provider offers some sort of mechanism for proper encryption to ensure that all of your fax communications are protected.

Format

Any good online faxing service should allow different formats to be transferred.  The .doc is the most popular type of faxed file, but you never know when you'll need to send a .pdf, .xlsx, or an image file. 

Plan Flexibility

You could start out as a small company that only sends five faxes out a day, but after years in business your faxing needs may change.  Never be locked in to a certain type of service, make sure that you'll be able to either upgrade or downgrade your service as needed.