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Copyright (c) 2009 Titus Hoskins

The old adage: “test out before you buy” appropriately applies to most of our purchases. Testing an online fax service is no exception to this rule. You should test-run any service before you sign-up for the long haul; especially since you will probably be incurring monthly charges or fees.

First, you must realize online or Internet faxing is simply using your email system and the web to send and receive all your faxes. It is the totally modern way to fax. It is also more convenient, more secure and much more portable since you can send/receive your faxes from any mobile device such as a cell phone, PDA, laptop… wherever you have Internet access and these days that’s just about everywhere on the planet.

In order to send and receive your faxes via the web and your email, you must first sign-up to an online fax service provider who will act as your intermediary to handle all your faxes. You are given a local or Toll-Free fax number to use and to give out to all your business contacts. Your faxes are sent as email attachments, usually in TIFF or PDF format. You also receive an online site (interface) where you can read and send your faxes.

Since this is an ongoing business service and expense, you should do your homework and compare the different fax companies before you decide on any one particular service. You need to choose a company and plan that will perfectly match your faxing needs. The great news being many of these services have Free 30 Day Trials where you can check out the quality of the service before you buy.

Is there timely reporting of your faxes sent and received? Are there any extra costs or hidden fees? Perhaps the biggest question mark you should be considering: What is the level and quality of customer support? If something does go wrong, can you easily reach someone? Are the support staff helpful, friendly and pleasant to work with, or are they a royal pain in the you know where? Are your questions or concerns dealt with in a professional manner?

All these are questions you should be asking and answering as you test-run your Internet fax service. Following this kind of strategy will save you or your company from a lot of headaches down the road, not to mention what it can do to your company’s morale.

Perhaps, one of the more trickier aspects of test-running a fax service is whether or not you can your port your fax number over to another service if things don’t work out. You might want to hold off on giving out your new fax number to the majority of your customers/clients until you’re certain you will be keeping the service. Check each fax company to see if you can indeed port your fax number, many won’t let you do this or will charge you for it.

Remember, once you have a fax number printed on all your business cards, on all your company’s promotions and in all your client’s contact lists - it will be extremely difficult to switch without losing some business. So make sure the fax service you do eventually choose is the right one for you. This makes trying a Free Trial all the more important, as this will more than likely tell you the kind of service you will be getting in the future.

So in conclusion, when checking out the different fax providers, it is in your best interest and in the best interest of your company to test-run and thoroughly check out any service before you finally sign on that dotted line. Better safe than sorry.