Thanks to this, faxing is still a crucial part of the legal, financial, state, and healthcare industries. However, as traditional faxing is much slower than online faxing, more governing bodies are approving online faxing thanks partly to its ability to transmit signatures, which can turn faxes into official documents.
Why fax when you have email?
According to Bloomberg Law, 70% of healthcare providers still used fax machines in 2021 to exchange medical information. Law firms, accounting firms, and real-estate agencies are required to follow legal and regulatory compliance when faxing official documents, or an individual’s health information, bank details, personal information, and even invoices.
These industries require top-tier security and traditional faxing can securely transmit a document via a phone line within minutes. Online faxing also provides its own reliability with end-to-end encryption, meaning there’s no need to worry about confidential information being intercepted.
However, online faxing also brings speed and convenience to the table, as documents can be faxed within seconds from a cellphone, tablet, or computer. Furthermore, online faxing can save time, money, and space as there’s no longer the need to purchase and install a costly and bulky fax machine.
The different types of virtual faxing
Online fax services
Online fax services can vary, but the best ones will let clients send and receive faxes through an app or web platform without the need for a fax machine. From there, users can upload a PDF, fill in the recipient’s name and number, and the message will be sent to the fax machine. To receive faxes through an online fax service, it’s necessary to sign up for an account that comes with a dedicated number. Received faxes will either appear in your online fax account or in your email inbox.
eFax is an excellent solution for those seeking a more extensive fax service. It provides cloud storage with its Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android apps, plus large file sharing of up to 3GB.
Fax over IP
Fax over IP (FoIP) is a virtual faxing system that lets you use your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system to send and receive faxes. Faxes can be sent not only to a fax machine but to an email address and vice versa. Plus, for those remote workers in the most rural of locations, this setup doesn’t require a phone number but only an internet connection and IP address – so it’s even possible with satellite internet.
Fax servers
Fax servers are physical or virtual servers that are connected to a Local Area Network (LAN). The computer or device can send or receive faxes from any other computer connected to the same LAN.
These servers eliminate the need for physical fax machines and paper-based faxing by allowing users to use a computer as a fax machine, converting the messages into digital files that can then be sent and received through digital communication channels.
Online faxing use-cases in key industries
Healthcare
The healthcare industry can definitely benefit from online faxing, particularly due to its speed. Time is of the essence when sending referrals, medical information, and test results. Furthermore, healthcare entities will soon be able to apply to be part of a U.S.-wide information exchange system with eFax.
Finance
Finance is also an ideally suitable sector. Clients are able to breathe easy knowing their sensitive financial records are being securely transmitted with end-to-end encryption and top-of-the-line security, while the company benefits from streamlined workflows and increased team productivity.
Legal
The legal sector has nothing to fear when it comes to maintaining client confidentiality with online faxing. Most services provide ways for lawyers, paralegals, judges, etc., to securely exchange contracts, settlements, or evidence used in court. Plus, some online faxing services are HIPPA compliant and offer military-grade encryption. Additionally, many provide the option to use ‘Wet Ink’ signatures for both efficiency and a personal touch.
Government
Online faxing can help municipal, regional, and state agencies, as they all require complete confidentiality and fast turnaround times. Along with the military-grade encryption protecting government application forms, these services streamline e-signatures, document management, and forms processing with cloud automation.
Conclusion
Ultimately, faxing will remain a necessity for many industries as there’s no denying faxing offers efficiency, security, and practicality. However, there are quicker ways to have your house purchase or medication subscription signed than waiting for a physical machine-sent fax.
In an age of global remote workforces, not only businesses lack a physical office to set up a traditional fax machine, but remote workers also need to be able to securely send documents even if they don’t have access to a landline. Whether the key sectors end up opting for FoIP, fax servers, or online fax services, they can rest assured that their documents are being transmitted safely by top-of-the-line software.
Although it may not happen for a while, when online fax services completely replace physical fax machines, it’ll help faxing stay in style. If you work in any of these industries or are a small business owner, it’s worth noting that the faxing industry is shifting. Getting on board sooner rather than later to save your company time may just give it that much-needed boost in productivity. The best part is that you can usually test online fax services at zero cost – such is the case with eFax, which comes with a generous 7-day free trial.
Samantha A.
Saskia H.
