Best VoIP Fax Solutions for Businesses

Faxing over VoIP

Although the idea of faxing is tied together to bulky fax machines, this is no longer true. Nowadays, everyone can send faxes via the internet by using an online fax service or a VoIP solution with faxing capabilities.

Cloud phone systems are able to receive faxes by converting incoming faxes to email format. Meanwhile, providers who offer online faxing allow you to send faxes via their platform or email. All you need to do is upload the PDF of the document you want to fax, add a cover page, and insert the email or fax machine number you want to send the fax to.

If you own a fax machine and want to keep it, you can still fax with the device via VoIP. However, keep in mind that the fax machine needs to be connected to the internet. Newer models usually support VoIP natively, but you’ll need to get a fax bridge if you have an analog fax machine.

Benefits of faxing over VoIP

VoIP faxing is much more user-friendly than traditional faxing. But that’s just one of the many benefits of online faxing:

• 🌱 Environmentally friendly: Faxing over VoIP saves a lot of paper, as you don’t need to print the documents to fax them.
• 🛠️ No bulky hardware: If you don’t own a fax machine, you don’t have to get one to fax over VoIP. The only device you need is your computer or mobile phone.
• 💰 Lower costs: From not having to invest in a faxing machine to saving on the electricity bill and buying paper, faxing over VoIP cuts the costs of faxing substantially.
• 🔒 Secure: Most VoIP providers encrypt faxes with SSL. Some are even HIPAA-compliant, so healthcare companies can use them without fearing for the security of their patients’ data.
• 📱 Convenient: Receiving faxes in your email and being notified with a push notification is more convenient than walking to the fax machine to retrieve the documents you just got. Plus, by taking advantage of VoIP mobile apps, you’re able to fax from wherever you are.
• 💻 No need for a separate line: Unlike traditional faxing, you don’t need a separate line to send and receive faxes.

The way to fax over VoIP will slightly depend on the provider you’re using. Still, in general, it should always follow the following process:

Fax numbers in VoIP

Fax numbers also depend on the VoIP provider you subscribe to. Still, in general, most business VoIP solutions that offer unlimited faxing also provide an associated fax number for each user added to the plan.

It’s also possible to have a dedicated fax number for the entire company. In this case, you either get a new fax number (local or toll-free) from the provider or keep your existing one by porting your current fax number.

Some companies provide free porting and free phone numbers. Others may ask you for a monthly fee for the fax number and a one-time fee for the porting. Although not ideal, fax numbers usually cost around $5 per month, and number porting costs $30. So, you can be reassured that having separate fax and phone numbers won’t break the bank.