Fax Software Review

Using modern fax methods, you can send faxes from a computer, Mac or PC, a mobile phone or a traditional fax machine. Fax services are affordable, and many offer HIPPA-compliant methods for sending and receiving faxes. Fax software provides logs for tracking sent and received faxes. It can send mobile alerts when a fax is received, automatically resend faxes and receive numerous faxes at once.

There are other advantages to internet faxing, such as the ability to archive and save faxes for your records. Many also provide the ability to choose your fax number, including area or country code. Some also provide the ability to add electronic signatures to documents. If you want the ability to send a fax from literally anywhere, consider RingCentral or Nextiva. For low-cost, per-page transmissions, consider MetroFax. To learn more about faxing from your computer, read our articles about fax software.

Fax Software: What to Look For

When it comes to faxing, most small business owners are most concerned with the bottom line. How many pages can I fax and how much does it cost? We compared fax plans and software costs as well as additional costs. Most fax services are eager to get your business and no longer require set-up fees, and they offer a large selection of telephone numbers. We considered all the offerings to determine the one that is most suitable for small businesses.

Plan Features
Internet fax service plans include page allotments, over-limit pricing, a variety of phone number types and storage options. For the purpose of this review, we compared the entry-level plans; however, many services also offer high volume or unlimited plans. Page allotments include a combination of send/receive limits, such as 350 send and 150 receive, or they pool the pages into one shared total. When you sign up with your new fax service, you can select the plan that best suits your needs.

Fax Features
We considered the basic features of the fax software or service, such as the ability to receive faxes via an email account, the ability to create custom coversheets and fax archiving. We also evaluated the mobile tools. Mobile tools range from simple alerts when a fax is received to sending/receiving faxes using a mobile fax app. Fax broadcasting, or sending out a fax to numerous recipients, is often an upgrade, but we noted if it is available. Faxes are transferred in a variety of ways, such as via the internet, by email or through a modem.

Although many will allow you to fax via print command, not all are integrated to fax directly from a specific application. At the minimum, fax software should be able to send from email, Microsoft Office and Outlook. Convenient services allow you to fax from almost any application, including online services such as Google Docs. Some will even allow you to send faxes using a traditional fax machine, which provides you the handiness of using the fax software and the security of a traditional fax machine transmission.

Security
Faxes are transferred in a variety of ways, via the internet, by email or through a modem. By email is considered the least secure but may be a convenient option for those who do not transfer sensitive information or those who are not constrained by HIPPA requirements. At the minimum, most online services will encrypt your fax files during transfer and in storage. Sending faxes by modem is considered the most secure. Most fax software allows you to create, send and receive faxes using your computer, but the transfer method is via phone lines. Some online services provide HIPPA-compliant transmissions. If you need security-compliant fax transmissions, investigate the service before you sign up.
 

Though faxing is often required, a clunky fax machine is not. Fax software allows you to create and send faxes using your computer or mobile device, freeing you from inefficient technology and the confines of your office.
 

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