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Most businesses are quite familiar with the traditional fax machine and its ability to send documents securely. However, with the rapid adoption of email for business communications, many businesses have transitioned to online fax for their daily needs.

Traditional faxing has been a reliable form of communication for years, however with all its benefits comes a few challenges as well. The process can be slow and cumbersome at times, and using paper and ink is costly. For businesses that use fax regularly, the costs can be quite significant.

Below are 5 reasons why online fax may be a better fit for your business.

1. Portability

With online fax, you can send and receive documents from any internet access point. For organizations that have adopted remote work environments during the COVID 19 pandemic, this has allowed them to continue operations without disrupting their business.

The added convenience of not having to get up from your workstation every time a fax comes in or needs to be sent, adds additional productivity to your day.

2. Environmentally Safe

Since online fax provides digital copies of transmitted documents, paper and ink usage is greatly reduced. This means more savings for your business, and less waste to the landfill.

Traditional fax machines are typically left on all day in order to receive incoming transmissions or to reduce the time needed to warm up the machine before sending a document. With online fax, whether your computer or mobile device is left on or off, your incoming faxes will land in your inbox and be waiting for you the next time you open your email.

3. Document Security

Document security is always a major concern for any business. Printed documents can be easily intercepted or misplaced and secure document storage solutions can also be quite costly.

With online fax your documents are delivered via email, giving you full control of who has access to incoming documents. With most online fax plans offering user management options, your business can designate the users that are authorized to send/receive faxes from your account.

For additional security, service providers such as AT&T Website Solutions offer encrypted online fax solutions to add an additional layer of security when transmitting sensitive documents.

4. Affordable

The costs associated with using a traditional fax machine can add up quickly depending on how often you use your fax machine. Aside from the initial investment cost of buying a fax machine (or multiple if required for your business), there are additional expenses to consider:

• Paper stock and ink cartridges
• Document storage
• Machine repair and maintenance
• Dedicated fax phone lines

An additional cost not considered by most business owners is the cost of downtime when your fax machine stops working. An interruption in communications can cost the business customers and revenue.

An online fax plan will typically just cost you a low monthly fee with the added benefit of not having to maintain physical machines or the headaches that can come with it.

5. Organization

With digital copies of your faxes, you no longer have to search through filing cabinets and folders. You can store them in the cloud or use archiving solutions offered by your online fax provider.

If you have teams that need to access documents remotely, they can access it from any computer or mobile device connected to the internet. They no longer need to make copies and carry sensitive information out of the office.

AT&T Online Fax Solutions

AT&T Website Solutions offers online fax services for any size business. Access your faxes virtually anytime - helping you save time and money. Our affordable plans eliminate the costs associated with purchasing and maintaining a fax machine, leaving you with more to invest back into your business.

Contact us today to learn how AT&T Online Fax can help your business.