Internet Faxes: A Boon to the Business Traveler

Faxes present a special challenge to business travelers. They're still essential for certain types of business communications, such as documents that require a signature, yet carrying a fax machine on the road isn't practical. Many business travelers rely instead on the ever-changing casts of fax

machines at hotels and at their customers' and clients' offices. And many home-based workers no longer see the point of purchasing a dedicated fax machine that takes up precious space and gets only occasional use.

Internet Fax to the Rescue

Internet fax technology offers a simple, convenient solution to this problem. Internet fax services are always available, they never run out of paper or need toner, and collecting Internet faxes is as easy as checking your email.

Several providers, including eFax.com and Onebox.com, offer Internet fax services geared toward business users. When you set up an account with an Internet fax provider, you get a personal fax number people can use to send faxes. These services also allow you to send faxes from your personal computer, and they provide other tools to help you organize your business communications.

Finding the Right Internet Fax Service

Consolidation of the Internet fax market has eliminated many of the free or ad-supported services that once crowded the market. There are a couple of providers that still offer free services, but these are generally bare-bones applications. If you don't receive faxes very often and don't need to send faxes over the Internet, this solution could be all you need.

Companies like eFax.com and Faxaway also offer premium Internet fax services. Their packages can include an incoming fax number within your local area code; the ability to send and receive single and broadcast faxes; toll-free fax numbers; and other business-friendly options. These services usually charge some combination of a monthly service fee and per-minute charges for sending faxes. You can even send faxes overseas for an additional per-minute charge.

Internet fax services aren't for everybody. If you send and receive large numbers of faxes, a dedicated fax machine is still the best option. For business travelers and small offices, however, an Internet fax service can be an economical, efficient alternative to traditional fax machines.