Learning About Fax to Email Services

It has been observed repeatedly that investments in technology that people will be using tomorrow can result in becoming quite wealthy. Nowhere is this truer than in the telecommunications industry. These trends have very much affected people around the world and changed the way we live, communicate and conduct our businesses. Nowadays, things such cell phones, computer networking, email and voicemail are vital tools that are required in today''s business environment. The introduction of these technologies has forever enhanced the efficiency in which we do our jobs and interact with people. A lot of people in the technology and investment industries feel that fax-to-email conversion may soon become the next big thing.

You might be asking yourself, "What is fax-to-email conversion?" Well, to put it basically, fax-to-email is referring to a process by which a fax is changed into a digital file and forwarded to a person''s email inbox. Even faxes that have graphics can be processed as easily as those that do not can. After the fax message is sent to the user''s email address, they can retrieve it from their inbox just like a conventional email. There are countless benefits to using this manner of receiving faxes over the customary method, which is why many perceptive businesses are making the switch.

Unlike faxes to a fax machine in an office where anyone walking by can potentially pick up and read the document, faxes delivered to an email is secure and private. The sender and receiver can rest assured that only the person intended to see the fax will be able to have access to it. Furthermore, digitized faxes delivered by e-mail are easy to forward to other people the receiver wishes to view it. This cuts down on paper and usage of the copy machine.

The fax can also be easily saved on the user''s hard drive, allowing them to archive all their faxes for later reference. Useless faxes that would previously use up fax paper only to be thrown out can instead be instantly deleted without wasting so much as one sheet of paper. In addition, the user can view their faxes anywhere in the world they can check their e-mail! Fax-to-Email users might also experience an increase in savings in paper and toner expense because many of the faxes received will never need to be printed. This has a positive impact on our environment as well.

The time to switch is now: More and more businesses are switching from paper-based fax machines to a fax-to-email service, and they are starting now. Just as many businesses made the transition from answering machines to voicemail back in the ''80s, perceptive business owners now are seeing the benefits in making the switch in how they receive their faxes. The major impetus for switching is the explosive increase in email. Email is as common in business environments as the telephone and is the major reason for business computers. Email offers a low cost, efficient, and easy to manage way of communication and this is exactly why billions and billions of emails are sent and received all over the world. Why receive faxes over phone lines when you could be utilizing the power of email to obtain them more efficiently and cheaply? Lastly, people prefer simplicity and being able to view all of your faxes together in your inbox makes things much more simple.

The switch is easy: Communications companies have been satisfying the need for fax-to-email seamlessly and because of this, their users are happy to pay a monthly fee for fax-to-email service. This trend provides Internet communications companies the opportunity to develop fax-to-email services for their customers and prospects. Also, there is a great opportunity for interconnect companies looking for popular new technologies to resell to their clients.

Innovative computer and telecommunications manufacturing companies have developed solutions for service providers to get started in generating fax-to-email revenue using commonly available computer technology. These services are commonly provided by using a single industrial-grade computer that has ports for DID trunks and a high speed Internet connection. The DID port is what allows faxes to be received for processing by the computer and the Internet connection transmits the digitized fax document over the Internet, routing it to the customer''s email account. All that someone really needs to do is to hook the DID ports up and power the computer. The only programming that needs to be done is routing the correct DID numbers to the respective customer''s email account, which is a simple administrative process. In addition, any telecommunications company that has a front-end switch is capable of merely forwarding numbers to the server without sustaining any additional telecommunications charges. Thusly, providers can utilize their existing infrastructure, minimizing start-up expenses.

It is a good idea to watch for systems that provide the means to manage the fax-to-email server in remote locations. This allows the system to be administered away from the office. An additional significant feature is event logging, which refers to the information produced by the fax transmission that took place initially. With traditional paper-based fax transmission, this exists as the header information that is found at the top of the fax page. The header has all the important information about the fax, such as the sender''s information and when it was sent. This information is crucial to many companies that use fax frequently and rely on accurate data for billing and filing purposes. It is easy to increase revenue: Its very simple and easy to set up and offer a fax-to-email service to its clients, but isn''t there any way to create new revenue? Well, yes there is! The following is an example of how this can be achieved. Prices vary as to what providers charge for fax-to-email service, but whether its $24.99 a month or $4.99 a month, the ongoing revenue generated can really add up. Because customers see how much better things work with fax-to-email service, the retention rates tend to be high. Because its usually fairly cheap to own and maintain a fax-to-email service, the technology investment can usually pay for itself in a few months or so - even if it only has a handful of paying customers at the start. Resellers also have found success with bundling fax-to-email service along with existing PBX sales to add more value for their customers.

On selling fax-to-email: It is simple to market fax-to-email service. Because the benefits are incredibly compelling and easy to understand, it is an easy sell. What business that uses fax wouldn''t want to pay a nominal fee to receive all faxes in their email inbox? It is easily understood how efficient it is to be able to handle faxes just like any other email with the ability to save, delete, print, forward, and broadcast them.

Probably the most important part is that potential clients are easily recognized and abundant: accounting firms, healthcare offices, retirement planning firms, law firms, doctors, landscaping companies, etc. Nearly every company or person who relies on fax for their business will be very interested in getting faxes as emails. Just ask someone who uses a fax-to-email service if it is worth it, and you will be reassured of this fact. Soon this service will become as popular as voicemail is today. Some simple ways to spread the word and inexpensively advertise your service are through direct mail, telephone marketing, email promotions and of course, fax broadcasting. Fax-to-email service is a brilliant business prospect for anyone in the telemessaging services industry or voice mail providers.

This opportunity is great for interconnect companies who are looking to resell great new products that has potential to become the next big thing. With just a little bit of background research, a minimal investment, and some marketing, communications companies can become successful at selling this exciting new technology in no time.