online fax

[ljwalters]

Im looking to try an online fax company. Does anyone have the name of one they would recommend?

I know there was a post about it last year some time, but I just can't seem to find it.

Thanks Linda

[Kea]

I use MyFax. I started out with Packetel but they were bought out by MyFax a few years ago. I haven't used any other company so I really can't compare if one is better than the other, but I've had no complaints so far. I really like getting faxes in my e-mail. No more wasted paper & I can get them even when I'm traveling (as long as I have internet).

http://www.myfax.com/

I hope you find a company you like.

[ljwalters]

Thanks

Linda

[Lion EA]

I like eFax. You can get a free or cheap account, or you can pay a bit and choose your own number. They've been helpful on the telephone the couple of times I had questions.

[TaxCPANY]

I'm with Kea.

I've been using MyFax's 'basic' for a few years; luv it! For only $10/month, I can prod my clients to take full advantage of 'my' "toll-free, 24/7" capability -- i.e., you're assigned a *toll-free* number for your clients to use. Another BIG plus: MyFax still offers non-outsourced tech-help that not only answers the phone quickly but also solves almost all problems quickly -- e.g., they have full, real-time access to error-messages generated by both the sender & recipient, and they really know whassup, technically.

Overall, MyFax has been much cheaper (a third the cost) & better than the dedicated land-line and fax-machine or fax-modem setup I'd used for over a decade. I really had a lot more, technical problems with that arrangement -- and NO ONE to diagnose those, at no cost, as MyFax offers.

Only one caveat (that hasn't prevented me from *relying* upon MyFax for over three years): The IRS formally is prohibited from using Internet-based fax services -- but there're not too few agents who know this (;-))

A nod to Lion: I've lately read in the TaxTalk forum in Yahoo Groups that "eFax" offers encrypted service -- for an escalated fee -- that I simply am't sure is offered by MyFax.

Hope this helps, TaxCPANY

[Lion EA]

I think I pay about $69/year. I had an 800 number, but most of my cients have nationwide telephone &/or cell bundles so I chose a new number a few years back that had a similar symmetry to my office telephone number so they'd both have the same area code. efAX has been offering more services, but I've been saving those emails to read sometime later!

Faxes land in my email, well an email with a link to the fax does, so I'm alerted when they arrive. Or, I can go to my fax message center at any time from anyplace with internet service. I can send with one click or from my fax message center from anyplace. I think my storage is for a year or unlimited, but most client-related faxes I copy into the client folder on my hard drive anyway.

eFax offers some other services, such as a virtual receptionist to answer your telephone, but I haven't paid much attention to those,

[Terry D EA]

Don't know abouyt myfax. I have been using ring central for the last two years without a single problem. I think it costs about $79.00 per year. By far cheaper than a fax machine napping on an expensive phone line.

[steve12345]

You'll find that most people recommend either MyFax, RingCentral or EFax. If you are still not convinced that you need an Internet fax solution check out http://www.smashyourfax.com for a number of reasons why online services are better than traditional machines.

[Margaret CPA in OH]

I'll stick with my setup, at least for now. I bought a basic refurbished computer from my computer guy who set it up such that I 'print' all faxes to pdf and save in the client file folder on my hard drive on my main computer. It is a dedicated phone line for $10 per month but it saved me when I foolishly switched to all cable for a few weeks last year and the power went out for a couple of days - except for my fax line.

It also is nice to have a second line when my husband with cell phone phobia needs to talk when he works from home, too. And it is easier for me to send faxes when needed through the fax machine as when I have multiple muni extensions and fax the same federal extension to them all. It works for me and I don't have to change the letterhead and business cards that all have that number.

[Lion EA]

I have eFax but have a stand-alone fax machine for the same reason as Margaret. Most of my telecommunications are on Optimum cable, but I have the one plain vanilla land line from AT&T. I already had a fax that continues to work (although, its scanner is acting up for scanning to a flash drive) and use that on the landline. Then, I can plug in an old telephone to that jack during power outages that knock out my cable. And, for those documents not already in my computer, it's often faster to just feed them to the stand-alone fax. Don't know if I'll replace it when it goes, but for now I continue to pay the basic monthly charge to keep it as well as eFax.