3 Major Reasons Why Demand For Online Fax Is Skyrocketing

Just as voice mail usurped answering machines in the 1980s, Internet fax will eventually replace fax machines. Among individuals and corporations, the switch to online fax is growing considerably every year. In 2009 alone, FoIP (Fax over Internet Protocol) increased by 70.6 percent, according to a Davidson Consulting report. Max Schroeder, a monthly columnist for Internet Telephony magazine, says statistics prove that consumers and businesses are accepting fax to email as a better alternative to a fax machine. The public’s acceptance of Internet fax can be attributed to three main areas that encompass familiarity, relevancy and convenience.

Fax to Email Breeds Familiarity

As with any new technology, if consumers are familiar with certain aspects of it, they are more likely to feel comfortable using it. Such is the case with fax to email. The popularity of email usage made the introduction of Internet fax that much easier and accepting. As email became a valuable communication tool for both individuals and businesses, fax to email and email to fax protocols were the next logical step in developing the Internet technology. According to Connections Magazine, a trade magazine for call centers, contact centers, teleservice companies, telephone answering services, and telemessaging call centers, the simplicity of fax to email and the ability to send, receive and store faxes via email make this a technology that users can comfortably integrate into their everyday life.

Internet Fax Has Advantages Email Lacks

Unlike email, online fax retains the integrity and format of documents. Information contained in the fax cannot be edited or altered in any way by the recipient. Likewise, individuals, hospitals, financial institutions, law firms and other businesses often need to send communications that are legally binding. Internet fax, complete with its date and time stamp, is legally binding, while email or an email attachment are not. Many times, documents that need to be sent to schools, doctor’s offices, or government entities contain sensitive or private information. Fax to email provides a private and secure environment, and meets legal and regulatory compliance requirements. A white paper by Sagem-Interstar points out that, “Despite the convenience of email, faxing remains the only legally binding and essential means of electronic messaging for all industry sectors.” With fax to email a signature on important documents or business records is legally binding. Furthermore, online fax meets the privacy and security rules contained in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Fax to Email Provides Real Cost-Savings

Because Internet fax integrates seamlessly into any operating system or business network, it significantly lowers faxing costs and improves productivity. A Gallup/Pitney-Bowes poll finds that fax transmission using a fax machine costs Fortune 500 companies an average of $15 million a year, while the savings realized from fax to email can be measured in reduced or eliminated equipment acquisition, maintenance and service costs, long distance transmission fees, supply costs for paper, toner and ink, and electricity usage. Over the course of a year, these costs, the Sagem-Interstar white paper estimates, “can add up to thousands or even millions of dollars spent on analog equipment and fax supplies.”