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Although their use has been reduced since the proliferation of email, faxing documents is still necessary for businesses and individuals on many occasions.
The convenience of sending documents and getting contracts signed and returned within minutes can mean the difference between making a commission or losing a sale.
However, with the availability of online fax services, owning a fax machine isn’t necessary anymore. Here are some alternatives to using a traditional fax machine to conduct business.
Use an Online Fax Service
Nowadays, it is much faster and convenient to communicate using a computer or your mobile telephone than it is to send greeting cards, letters, and business documents through the United States Postal Service.
From your phone or a laptop you can send emails, faxes, audio files, photos and texts when you want to contact someone or share information.
Fax services such as MyFax allow you to send important documents and have them returned to you within minutes, rather than sending them overnight and waiting to get them back.
Using an online fax service allows you to send documents to clients or your lawyer at the last moment to approve business deals in time to meet tight deadlines.
Send Email Attachments
If you’re going to email someone about your business or make an announcement, send an attachment containing the announcement or create an online card to save time and money.
It’s not an efficient use of your time to send both an email and a letter containing a separate document when it can be done simultaneously.
Sharing in the Cloud
Are you in a profession that requires collaborating with co-workers in other states or around the globe? If so, you don’t need to make corrections on documents via fax or go on business trips to collaborate with your team. Instead, you can share documents, blueprints, or images by putting them in the cloud.
The cloud is a shared document storage website that allows you and your co-workers to access information in order to make changes or finalize them.
Whether it’s a book, contract, or research project, you can stay in your office or at home and share information with anyone that is using a device with an internet connection.
PDF Files With E-Signing
If you need a signature from a client or vendor, you can send a PDF file for them to review and sign on screen to approve the document. There are several programs on the market that allow you to “sign” documents (or e-sign), and send them back via PDF file.
An electronic signature carries the same legal authority as a real signature, so if the document is signed, the agreement will hold up in court.
In many ways, the internet has changed the way people do business. Whether you own a small business like a boutique or have a company you run from home, sometimes it is necessary to fax documents to others for approval or to complete a deal.
Instead of cluttering your space with a fax machine that usually gathers dust, try one of these other alternatives to traditional faxing if you need to have a document reviewed, signed, and quickly returned to you.
Not only do these methods save time, but they can save money as you don’t need to buy a machine, or purchase paper and ink to use it.
