Thoughts On Taking Your Business Mobile

Thoughts On Taking Your Business Mobile

On a day when Apple sells 9 million iPhones - it sort of hits home that a large majority of people on planet earth has gone mobile, not only when it comes to their personal lives but also for business.

Things have changed. Times have changed.

There's no denying we have become an instant world. Instant photos, instant tweets, instant messages... everything happens within a matter of seconds now, not hours or days. The same goes for operating in the business world because your customers and clients want it now, this instant - not tomorrow.

Thankfully, technology has kept pace with this growing demand for instant results. We now have a whole toolbox of business tools, which can make your company or business very mobile and instant. No more waiting for that important signed document which is needed immediately, we can simply use an online fax service  where the fax/document can be signed and returned instantly.

Leading online fax providers such as eFax®, owned by j2 Global, provides such a service with a smartphone app which takes your business to a whole new "instant" level. This also means that your company or business is no longer tied down to the old traditional fax machine in the office, your business has become completely mobile or portable.

While the introduction of such an online portable fax service may seem to be a modest improvement, the ramifications can be much more far reaching than one would expect. All your workers and sales force can be reached anywhere at any time - for that matter your business can operate 24/7, 365 days of the year.

Then there is the simple convenience, no more missed faxes, no more paper jams, no more inks and toners. Going mobile and paperless in today's instant world makes for perfect business sense. It can even elevate your company's competitiveness up to the level of your competition since most of them will have already adapted to these new mobile technologies.

It is simply the wave of the future.

It will be how business is now done. If you operate a company or business you must at least consider the implications of NOT using new mobile services such as online fax and virtual PBX. Can your business stay competitive? Can your business survive without all these technologies? Or will you discover, like many business operators, it simply boils down to one fact...

Go mobile or go home.

Are There Any Pay-As-You-Go Online Fax Services?

One of the most common questions asked about Internet or online fax services usually goes something like this, "I only send a few faxes a month, can I get a Pay-As-You-Go fax service?" The simple answer is yes. There are several fax providers who will offer you a pay-as-you-go plan which can be a real money saver because you only pay for the faxes which you need.

For example, one of the plans from Popfax will only let you send faxes and you don't have a fax number, but you can pay for your faxes as they are needed. With other providers like Faxage, if you go with the lite fax plan, you pay a small monthly fee for a fax number and faxing is 5 cents per minute.

Keep in mind, some providers charge per fax and others charge per minute. What's the difference you ask? Well, it usually takes on average around 40 seconds to send a fax but if it's a large fax or has numerous pages, it might take several minutes to send your fax. Some providers charge 5 cents a minute so you can do the math. Other providers charge you per fax which can be equal to the same amount depending on the provider.

The same thing applies to overage rates, most fax providers will give you around 300 to 500 (incoming and outgoing) faxes per month, with the average monthly cost being around $8 to $10. But if you should go over that monthly limit, any extra faxes will usually cost you around 5 to 10 cents per fax. Some providers will charge per fax and others will charge per minute.

The reason these costs are just estimates is because each online fax provider or company will have slightly different fax plans and rates. So it does pay to do some quick comparison shopping before you sign on the dotted line. If you go with a monthly plan, this will be an ongoing business expense and you can save a lot of money by doing a little homework now.

Online fax services are relatively inexpensive so it might be worth your while to check into acquiring a monthly plan instead of a pay-as-you-go plan. Depending on the number of faxes you send, a monthly plan may work out to be even cheaper. The great part is most providers will offer you a 30 Day Trial so you can check out their services and also see if your fax requirements justifies going with a monthly plan. Also most if not all providers offer local or toll-free fax numbers with your account. Your faxes are sent as an email attachment, mostly in a Pdf or Tiff file.

On the other end, there are corporate fax plans which can be especially tailored or designed to exactly meet your company's needs. These plans can be quickly scaled up or down depending on your requirements. In a changing economy this flexibility can be a great money saver, as you only pay for the fax lines that your company needs.

Regardless of which fax plan or fax provider you choose, as mentioned before, it would probably be smart to shop around before you buy. Even with pay-as-you-go services there will be different rates and you must check out the quality of any service you're considering using, regardless of the price. No good getting a great price, if the quality of the service provider is inferior and causes more problems than it's worth. Choose wisely.




...

For more information on Internet Fax Services use this handy online fax Comparison Guide to get your own: online fax services. Or if you want more detailed information on Internet Fax try here: Are There Any Pay-As-You-Go Online Fax Services?

Online Fax Can Modernize Your Workplace Communications

Even in these troubling economic times, it does pay to modernize all your workplace communications and networks. This is especially true for all your faxing requirements. Companies must bring their faxing systems up to date and into the modern era if they want to truly compete in today's marketplace. Here are several reasons why companies must modernize their communications - both with employees and their clients.

As you probably already noticed, computers now handle much of the work associated with running all aspects of your business. The same applies to your faxing, you must connect your faxing to your computers in order to have a truly integrated communication system. Online fax is one solution many companies are opting for simply because it's cheaper, paperless and much more convenient than traditional faxing.

What is online fax?

Simply put, online faxing is using your current email program, your computer and your web connection to send/receive all your faxes. You or your company simply sign up to an online fax service provider and they will handle all your faxing for you, in return for a small monthly fee or charge. You can get your own local or toll-free fax number. Many providers will also let you "port" your current fax number over to their services, for a small transfer fee. This can definitely be worth the price if you don't what to lose clients or have a disruption in your business communications.

Why use online fax?

Mainly because the whole world and the modern workplace/workforce has become extremely mobile. We want instant messages or instant communication, regardless of where we're located. This both applies to our personal lives as well as with our business dealings - in the era of smart phones, netbooks and ipads - being constantly connected with loved ones, friends and workmates is taken for granted. Online fax simply takes or makes all your faxing portable since it is web based and not strictly confined to the office fax machine.

With online fax, any mobile device that's connected to the web can be your virtual fax machine. You can send and receive your messages at anytime, anywhere. This will truly have a modernizing effect on your company or business. All your workers and/or clients are reachable around the clock, regardless of where they're located. Keep in mind, since online or Internet fax is available at any time of the day, it also means your business is open around the clock. This can make any business much more competitive in these trying economic times.

How is using online fax more modern?

Besides connecting your faxing to computers, there are several reasons why online fax is more modern than traditional faxing. First, you have to realize that this new modern way of faxing is much more secure. You can use SSL encryption to send your messages which is a much more secure method. Plus, only you have access to your faxes, via your email account, no one else can see your messages. Second, you can more easily store and retrieve your faxes since they can be filed/stored on your computer. This means no more lost or misplaced faxes, they are at your fingertips, ready for easy retrieval.

In addition, you must realize that these web based services are completely scalable should you need to quickly adjust your number of fax lines or accounts. This scalability will definitely save your company money and make the whole system much more modern. Lastly, with online faxing, you can easily import your client lists and use fax broadcasting to simultaneously send a fax to countless recipients at once. Again, this will save you both time and money.

As you can plainly see by the reasons stated above, using or going with an online fax service will make all your workplace communications much more modern. It will connect all those communications seamlessly with your computer and the Internet; making all your faxing extremely portable and accessible, regardless of where you or your employees are located. It truly is a step forward in the right direction. Are you using online fax? It's your call?




...

For more information on Internet Fax Services go here: Online Fax Can Modernize Your Workplace Communications. Or here: Online Fax Services.