Online Fax - Part 5

How To Scan Without A Scanner

November 14, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

A dedicated scanner is an important tool for many offices, no matter what the size of the company. But it doesn’t have to be your go-to machine for scanning documents. There are a few ways to use your smartphone as a scanner, which we’ll take a look at here.

Using Your Phone’s Camera

Smartphone cameras are more advanced than ever, making it easy to snap a decent picture of a document, receipt, or business card.

To use your phone’s camera to scan, you would simply take a photo and either save or share it in cloud storage, or send it in an email.

It’s worth noting that this method probably works best for smaller items like receipts and business cards. It would be harder to clearly capture a document that’s heavy in text with a smartphone camera, and any variation in lighting will make it even more difficult to read.

Dedicated Scanning Apps

If you plan to use your smartphone for more than just the once-in-a-while scan, it’s probably worth looking into a scanning app. There are several free versions out there that will take your smartphone images a step further. Many apps will convert scanned text into editable documents or PDFs, too.

For Android users, Google Drive has a built-in scanning function. Once you snap a photo of the document, Google Drive will separate the document from the rest of the photo you can save it as a PDF, not just an image.

Evernote also has an integrated scanning feature. Like Google Drive, it will convert a photo of your document to a PDF, saving it to your Evernote account.

For iPhone users, DocScan is another great free scanning app. The app snaps a picture of the document, and then crops and straightens the page. It will group pages together to create PDFs, and it will also let you enhance the document if you need to increase the contrast on the page. Once you’re ready to save or share the document, you can share by email, export it into iBooks or your photo album, or export it into Dropbox, Evernote, Box, and Google Docs. See the images below for an example of an image captured on an iPhone camera (top) compared with that same image enhanced in DocScan. After the image is saved, DocScan gives you a screen with options for exporting it.

For both iPhones and Androids, CamScanner has a basic free version that converts images into proper text, and lets you add annotations to share with contacts. Genius Scan is another free scanning app that works on both Android and iPhones. Like the others, it allows you to enhance images, export PDFs and store images in cloud storage.

If you’re doing a large amount of scanning, a desktop scanner is probably still going to be a necessity for you. But for occasional use, a smartphone’s convenience is a great tool that untethers you from a clunky item.

A Guide To E-Signatures

October 24, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

E –signatures are big business, and for good reason: they make going totally paperless possible. But understanding how it works and when it’s OK to use an e-signature can be confusing. Here, we’ve put together a guide to e-signatures and what you need to know to get started using one.

When Are They Considered Valid, And When Should You Not Use One?

Thanks to the federal government’s ESIGN Act of 2000, e-signatures are legally valid and carry the same legal weight as handwritten signatures. That means that for some court documents, business contracts or agreements, e-signing is a legitimate way to add your signature.

There are a few specific situations, however, in which electronic versions of documents or contracts are not considered valid. Wills, documents relating to family law like adoption or divorce, eviction notices, court orders, foreclosure notices, situations where a notary is required, and product recalls are all examples of situations in which e-signatures are not considered valid.

When Can You Paste An Image of A Signature, And When Should You Use Certified E-Signature Services?

It is possible to use a picture of your signature on any document, from PDF’s to DOCX. Although this is legal if the signing parties could prove their intent, it’s not recommended that you use this for commercial purposes because it could be subject to dispute.

Another way to add an electronic signature is to type your name in one of the following formats: /s/John Doe or /John Doe/. Both are considered legitimate signatures according to the ESIGN Act, and are acceptable in the legal industry. Some experts recommend that you use this format for agreements or contracts for a lower value, non-recurring service.

The most iron-clad way to add an e-signature to a document is to use an e-signature service, either through an Internet fax provider or through a service like DocuSign or Adobe EchoSign. Those services adhere closely to the ESIGN Act, even taking into account international laws. For high-value transactions like real estate contracts, or for international business, a service like this is probably the best choice.

Sending Documents By Fax Versus Email: Which Is Better?

September 8, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

In today’s digitally-driven business world, many people ask, “why fax at all ?” If online fax services give an email address the ability to send and receive faxes, why not just send an email? It’s a reasonable question.

While it may seem that there’s little difference between sending a document via online fax versus sending it as an email attachment, there are some specific nuances that do make the two methods very different. And for some industries, those differences mean sending documents via fax – online or traditional – is still the preferred choice.

Medical Security

Online faxing and traditional faxing are both key to medical fields because they offer a way to send and receive patient information that’s compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability ACT (HIPAA). While email isn’t strictly prohibited under the HIPAA Security Rule as a means to send electronic patient health information, it’s much harder to ensure that patient information is adequately protected when sent by email. Therefore, faxing has become the preferred method for sharing patient information by medical professionals.

Several online fax services offer specific HIPAA-compliant features, which include various levels of safeguards: the services act as a Business Associate, which means they are qualified to send messages and content related to personal health information; they use encryption; and they use firewalls to ensure network security.

When You Need A Signature, Fast

The medical field isn’t the only industry that relies on faxing – financial services, law offices, and real estate professionals are also big fans of the fax. Some industries, like student loan providers, say they would lose track of communications if they came in over email. Many lawyers also use fax machines because some courts accept fax signatures in place of original signatures, but don’t accept signature copies sent via email. Faxes also offer confirmation of receipt, which can be important if a lawyer needs legal proof that a recipient actually received a fax.

And the fax has its moment in the spotlight every February when high school athletes send their letters of intent to colleges and universities on National Signing Day.

Online fax services can also send documents to standard fax machines. That’s key for lawyers or Realtors, who need documents signed. Esigning features on many online fax services mean “documents that need an immediate signature or response can be sent online, then signed electronically, and returned straight away,” says an eFax blog.

One thing that may change faxing’s advantage over email, at least when it comes to security concerns, is encrypted email. Email encryption software can make emails more secure and in some cases make emailed transmissions compliant with certain security requirements. Some policy-based filters automatically encrypt emails that are sent from employees’ accounts, and most work across platforms popular business applications.

Nonetheless, it seems that for businesses that want hard copies, are sold on the extra security of faxing, or need signatures exchanged quickly, the fax still holds the advantage over email.

Online Fax Service Providers With Cloud File Sharing Integration

August 27, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

Cloud file sharing services make it easy to store and share documents from any location, with the assurance that they’re backed up securely. Many online fax companies are starting to integrate their services with cloud file sharing services, either through smartphone apps, plugins, or directly from a web interface, making it even easier to send and receive documents. Here, we take a look at some of the online fax services that offer a way to fax documents from cloud file sharing services.

MetroFax – You can’t use MetroFax’s web interface to send documents from cloud file sharing services, but you can fax documents from services like DropBox by using MetroFax’s smartphone app in conjunction with those services’ apps. MetroFax offers three packages: Essential, Value, and Professional, and all three include iOS and Android apps. MetroFax’s smartphone apps also allow you to take a picture of your document and send the image as a fax.

MetroFax’s plans all offer great value. Its Essential plan includes 500 total pages for $7.95 per month, its Value plan includes 1,000 total pages for $12.95 per month, and the Professional Plan includes 2,500 total pages at $35.95 per month. Its Professional plan in particular is a very good value for high volume users.

RingCentral – RingCentral allows you to fax directly from Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox. RingCentral also offers a great value and is feature-rich. All of its plans include electronic signatures (eSigning), Microsoft Office integration, and mobile apps fro iOS, Android and Blackberry.

RingCentral’s Fax 700 includes 700 total pages for $8.89 per month, its Fax 1000 includes 1,000 total pages for $17.99 per month, and its Fax 2500 plan includes 2,500 total pages for $59.99 per month.

MaxEmail – MaxEmail is an online fax and voicemail service. While it doesn’t allow you to fax from cloud file sharing services through its web interface, MaxEmail does have an iPhone app that includes direct integration with DropBox, Google Drive, iDisk and all WebDav services. The iPhone app also allows you to take photos of documents and attach them to faxes as PDF files.

MaxEmail offers three plans, all on a month-to-month basis with no contract. Its Plus plan include 250 inbound pages and 100 outbound pages for $9.95 per month, the Corporate Lite plan includes 600 inbound pages and no outbound pages for $39.95 per month, and the Corporate plan includes 2,000 inbound pages and no outbound pages for $104.50 per month. While MaxEmail includes some great features, like the app’s integration with cloud-based document programs, its plans offer less flexibility.

HelloFax – HelloFax is not a feature-rich service, but it does offer a plugin that allows you to fax Google Docs directly from an online Google Drive interface. It also lets you sync and manage your faxes from Dropbox, Box, OneDrive and Evernote.

HelloFax also offers international faxing, unlimited storage of sent and received faxes, and is HIPAA compliant. It doesn’t offer any mobile apps, phone support, or toll free numbers, however, and doesn’t provide the ability to store your contacts online or integrate with Microsoft Office.

HelloFax offers three plans: its Home Office plan includes 300 total pages for $9.99 per month, its Professional plan offers 500 total pages for $19.99 per month, and the Small Business Plan offers 1,000 total pages for $39.99 per month.

Top Online Fax Services With eSigning

August 21, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

If you run a small to medium-sized business, you may be on the hunt for an online fax service that doesn’t cost a lot. While it’s easy to find plenty of plans and services that offer low rates, it’s a little harder to find one that also includes good features. The ability to electronically sign (eSign) a document in particular is one feature that can add value to a plan. eSigning with an online fax allows you to respond more quickly and saves you the hassle of having to print, sign and scan a document that simply needs your signature. Here, we take a look at plans with low monthly costs that also let users eSign faxes.

eFax – Plus Plan

eFax’s Plus plan includes 150 inbound and 150 outbound pages at $16.95 per month. While all of eFax’s the services are both feature rich and reliable, that’s significantly pricier than other fax services.

eFax offers the ability to eSign documents and fax them back, and its services are HIPAA compliant. It also offers apps for iPhones and Android phones, as well as Microsoft Office integration and 24/7 phone support. eFax is the only company to include all of those features in one service.

HelloFax – Home Office plan

HelloFax’s primary selling point is their smooth eSigning capability. In fact, they also own HelloSign, which is a service that specializes in eSigning various types of electronic documents. HelloFax’s Home Office plan costs $9.99 per month, or $8.33 a month with an annual prepayment. That includes 300 pages inbound and outbound, unlimited storage of sent and received faxes, and unlimited users. This plan lets you eSign documents from your browser, and also gives a preview of faxes before sending.

Other notable features in this plan include tight integration with Google Drive and no startup fees. HelloFax offers local numbers in 42 states, and has U.S.-based (email-only) customer support. However, they do not offer phone support or any mobile apps, and also will not let you store contacts online. HelloFax will port your existing fax number into their service for $15.

(RingCentral No Longer Offers eSigning) ~~RingCentral – Fax 700~~

At $8.99 per month – or $7.11 per month with an annual prepayment – for 700 inbound and outbound pages, this RingCentral plan is a great value. The Fax 700 plan offers a host of features, including the ability to eSign documents from your browser, faxing to international numbers, iPhone, Android and Blackberry apps, 24/7 phone support, and bundled service options (like RingCentral Professional and RingCentral Office- business phone systems that include online fax capability).

~~The plan also includes a 30-day free trial, local fax numbers in 49 states, and unlimited storage of sent and received faxes. Porting a number is free, and the plan also includes contact books.~~

Top Online Fax Providers With Smartphone Apps

August 21, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

The advent of online fax services meant no more being tethered to a fax machine. Then smartphones came along, and furthered the mobility aspect of online faxing. Smartphone faxing apps turn your device into a fax machine on the go, allowing you to create, send, receive and manage faxes. Here, we take a look at the fax providers that offer apps for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry devices.

MetroFax: All three of the plans MetroFax offers include apps for iPhone and Android. Its Essential plan includes 500 total pages for $7.95 per month, the Value plan includes 1,000 total pages for $12.95 per month, and the Professional plan includes 2,500 total pages for $35.95 per month. All three plans come with a 30-day trial. MetroFax’s plans are a great deal, and are among the most competitively priced out there.

MetroFax has won praise for its very intuitive iOS and Android apps. The service also offers HIPAA compliance and Office integration, allowing you to fax directly from programs like Word, Excel, and Outlook. Its optional desktop software, MetroFax Printer, lets you print faxes automatically and sync with Yahoo! Mail contacts, among other features.

RingCentral: RingCentral is another feature-laden service with three tiers of plans. Its Fax 700 costs $8.89 per month and includes 700 total pages, the Fax 1000 plan includes 1,000 total pages per month for $17.99, and the Fax 2500 includes 2,500 total pages at $59.99 per month. Its 700 Plan is a fantastic deal, although its high volume plan is pricier than those of competitors. But RingCentral does provide very good reliability and support, and a wide range of features.

In addition to the smartphone apps for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry, RingCentral’s plans include electronic signatures (eSigning) and Microsoft Office integration.

eFax: eFax offers two plans, Plus and Pro. Plus includes 150 inbound and 150 outbound pages at $16.95 per month, and Pro includes 200 inbound and 200 outbound pages at $19.95 per month. While the services are both feature rich and reliable, that’s significantly pricier than other fax services.

eFax offers apps for iPhones and Android phones, and its services are HIPAA compliant. It also offers the ability to eSign documents and fax them back, as well as Microsoft Office integration and 24/7 phone support. eFax is the only company to include all of those features in one service.

Top Large Volume Online Fax Services with HIPAA Compliance

August 5, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

When you’re choosing the right online fax service for your company, it helps to narrow things down by looking at services based on your specific needs. Fortunately, there are plenty of services out there that offer a range of features. Here, we take a look at large volume fax plans that offer Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance. While encryption and security are often included in online fax plans, HIPAA regulations adhere to a specific set of guidelines. The following services offer both large volume plans, and comply with HIPAA regulations.

SRFax is a user friendly, HIPAA compliant fax service that will also sign Business Associate Agreements on request. They offer several different pricing plans, the largest of which is the Business 2500 plan that includes 2,500 sent and received fax pages for $39.95 per month or $329.40 per year (effectively $27.45 per month).

SRFax also has a Business 1500 plan that includes 1,500 pages for $29.95 per month or $287.40 per year (effectively $23.95 per month).

For companies that need more than 2,500 fax pages per month, SRFax offers customized plans that are quoted individually via the contact form on their corporate fax solutions page.

SRFax doesn’t charge a setup fee and offers a 60 day free trial to test their services.

FaxAge is another online fax provider that offers several large volume plans, all with HIPAA compliance. Its “Toll-Free 1500” plan runs $19.95 per month, and includes 750 incoming pages and 750 outgoing pages for unlimited users. If your business sends a large number of faxes and prefers a toll-free number, this is a good plan.

FaxAge’s “Small Office” plan gives you 5,000 pages in and 400 pages out for $29.95 a month. While that plan is somewhat less flexible than others, it’s a great option if you know you’re only going to be sending a moderate number of faxes compared with what you’ll need to receive.

FaxAge also offers two Unlimited plans: “Unlimited Inbound,” which for $19.95 a month gives you 5,000 incoming pages and 0 outgoing pages, and “Unlimited” for $64.95 a month, which includes 5,000 total incoming and outgoing pages.

All of FaxAge’s plans are HIPAA compliant, and include unlimited storage of sent and received faxes and the ability to preview faxes before sending. Local numbers are available in 48 states, and primary customer support is U.S.-based. However, FaxAge’s plans do not include a free trial, and do include a $5 start up fee.

(HelloFax removed their HIPAA compliance option) HelloFax’s “Small Business” plan is HIPAA compliant and includes 1,000 total pages to unlimited users for $39.99 per month, or $33.33 per month with an annual prepayment.

HelloFax’s pros include the ability to eSign documents from your browser, a 30-day free trial, and the ability to preview faxes before sending. Cons include no phone support and no mobile apps, and a relatively high price for the number of pages included in the plan.

How Do SmartFax and SRFax Compare?

July 29, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

SmartFax and SRFax are both known for their value. Both offer low priced plans and good, basic service. For a closer look at how the two compare side-by-side, we took a more in-depth look at what they each offer:

Value: Both offer good prices, although SRFax offers more options, with a Lite plan, Ultra Lite plan, and three different business plans (from small to large). Its Lite plan is $9.95 per month to send and receive up to 500 pages, or roughly two cents per page. That comes in lower than many services. Its overage rate of six cents per page is also lower than the typical overage rates of 10 cents per page. SRFax also offers a 60-day free trial period.

SmartFax keeps it simple, with only one plan for $6.95 per month to send and receive up to 250 combined pages. Its overage rates are also very low, at 8 cents per page. SmartFax offers a 30-day free trial period.

Features: SRFax is compatible with all mobile devices, but it does not offer a mobile app. However it does offer a few handy features, including a “never busy” service that allows you to receive multiple faxes simultaneously without giving clients a busy signal, the ability to send from email or the web, PGP encryption for added security, and HIPAA compliance.

SmartFax again keeps things very simple when it comes to features. It offers a blocked/allowed phone call list so you aren’t charged for faxes from numbers you label as blocked, although that service is only Mac-compatible. Customers can also have faxes delivered to email.

Sending and receiving: SmartFax allows you to attach up to five documents per fax. You can send each fax to one recipient at a time. Its text quality is fine, but picture quality on sent and received faxes is poor. Faxes are stored free for 30 days, after which there’s a charge of five cents per fax per month. SmartFax does allow you to send a fax from an unlimited number of email addresses, but you can only receive a fax on two email addresses, making it better suited to small businesses or sole proprietors.

SRFax also allows you to attach up to five documents per fax, and allows you send a single fax to up to 50 recipients at a time. You can also schedule faxes for later delivery. Its text and picture quality are both good on sent and received faxes. SRFax will store an unlimited number of faxes for free for a year. Up to nine email addresses can send faxes, and an unlimited number of email addresses can receive them.

Neither service allows you to preview a fax before it is sent.

Fax number options: Both services offer only a limited about of local fax numbers; SmartFax offers them in 25 states, and SRFax offers them in 13 states, plus 40 cities in Canada. Both offer (866), (877), and (888) toll-free numbers for no extra fee. SmartFax does not port numbers, while SRFax will port a number into your account for $25 if you are in their service area.

Bottom line: if you’re a small business looking for the most basic package and you don’t want to pay for bells and whistles, SmartFax is an excellent choice. If, however, you need more choices as far as plans go, or need features like encryption, SRFax offers more plans and features.

Five Free Video Conferencing Services

June 26, 2014/in Online Fax, Video Conferencing /by LeoW

Video is everywhere these days, although most of it seems to be showing up on social media feeds. Business owners who want to conduct a conference with the aid of video may have to do some searching to find good video conferencing, especially at no cost – but it is out there. We’ve compiled a comparison of a five of the top free video conferencing services that work for businesses.

Skype: The biggest name in free video conferencing, Skype has huge reach. You can Skype through Windows, OS, Blackberry, iOS, Android, even game consoles like PlayStation Vita and Xbox One. Skype offers free group video conferencing for up to ten users (this was previously only available to “Premium” members) as well as a slew of other features.Pros of Skype include the ability to instant message, file share, and share your desktop screen during a video conference. Negatives include the need to download dedicated software and the sometimes-complicated interface, depending on that device it’s being used from.
Google Hangouts: One of the fastest growing video conferencing services. Google Hangouts is web-based and compatible with most browsers. You will need to add a plugin (which is free) to your browser, but it won’t ask you to download and install software. It’s also iOS and Android compatible.The pluses of this service include easy setup and use and offers features like screen sharing as well as remote desktop access. Because so many people use Google, it’s easy to connect to other users. The biggest negative is that it doesn’t work with Blackberry or Windows phones or tablets.

FaceTime: FaceTime is an Apple service, and works with MacOS and iOS only. Currently, the only supports one-to-one video chats, but it appears that iOS8 and OS X Yosemite will enable group conferences. The service also doesn’t include features like screen sharing.FaceTime is easy to use if you are an Apple user – just register your phone number or email, and you can find others, and the video quality is typically very good. However, the inability to video conference with more than one other person and the lack of features make this a poor choice for business users.

Cisco WebEx: Although the main product is $49 per month, there is a free version available that’s limited to a three-person meeting. This service is browser-based, and supports iOS, BlackBerry, and Android devices.While WebEx doesn’t have the most features, it has an excellent performance record. The service won’t ask you to install add-ons or applications, and doesn’t experience glitches during a meeting. WebEx also comes with terrific mobile support.

Oovoo: Oovoo works with Windows, OS, iOS, Android, and through Facebook (via an app that allows you to join a chat from the Web.)Oovoo markets itself as a social service, but it does include features that business owners can make good use of in meetings: file sharing, group video chats for up to 12 people, free voice calls to any phone, and screen sharing. You can also record calls directly to YouTube. A free version is ad-supported, or you can upgrade to premium for $2.99 per month.

How To Find The Best Corporate Fax Service

June 10, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

For small to medium businesses, online fax services offer competitive pricing and service. But what about large businesses with high volume fax needs? Large companies have different requirements, from multiple numbers to custom fax routing.

Corporate fax services do exist to cover those needs. To pick the right service, companies need to consider a few criteria:

Security: Many services provide encrypted transfers and password protection, as well as administrative control that allow a company to authorize users for specific features. This is especially important for businesses that must comply with regulations like HIPAA or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. MetroFax’s Corporate package provides a variety of encryption options, including SSL, TLS and VPN. Biscom also has good security features, including the same encryption technology that banks use, and secure data centers.

Features: Corporate fax services should offer productivity tools that save time and money for large faxing volumes, such as enabling businesses to send multiple documents in one fax, offering multiple user logins, and the ability to send and receive faxes from mobile devices. eFax Corporate, for instance, lets users send a single fax to multiple recipients, works through email, and provides mobile apps for iPhone and Android devices.

RingCentral offers a contacts tab that lets you create contacts lists, as well as tools to create a custom cover page and the ability to fax out from cloud apps like GoogleDrive, Dropbox, and Box.

Support: It’s important to have accessible and responsive support if questions arise; FaxAge and RingCentral are among those which offer email and phone support, typically have quick response times, and also have an FAQ section on their websites.

Scalability and High Volume: Many corporate fax services offer custom plans, so that a company that needs 50 unique fax numbers can, for instance, grow to 500 fax numbers. Corporate fax services also allow for higher volume than smaller business plans, with the ability to send tens of thousands of pages per month, with multiple users and inbound numbers.