Much like the typewriter, the outdated fax machine is no longer a viable option. If you’re considering transitioning to a fax app, assessing your business needs thoroughly is important. These apps provide numerous advantages, such as the convenience of sending and receiving faxes directly from your smartphone. However, with multiple apps offering an extensive range of features, it is crucial to assess your needs to select the most suitable fax app. In this article, we’ll discuss the key considerations to be mindful of, such as compatibility with your devices, required features, pricing, and support, before switching. But first, we need to understand what a faxing app is and what it does.
Before we begin our informative journey, let’s first understand what a faxing app is and how it works.
What Constitutes a Faxing App?
A faxing app designed for smartphones ingeniously allows users to transform their handheld marvels into virtual fax machines, effectively obliterating the necessity for clunky hardware and traditional fax lines. By capitalizing on the impressive capabilities of smartphone cameras, these cutting-edge apps empower users to capture images of physical documents or import digital files stored within their device’s repository. Once the paper is primed for transmission, the app employs sophisticated image processing algorithms to optimize the quality and legibility of the scanned image. This meticulous process ensures that the final faxed document retains its pristine clarity and remarkable readability, irrespective of the source material from which it originated.
How Does It Operate?
The process of dispatching faxes through a smartphone app is exquisitely straightforward and exudes a user-friendly aura. Users can effortlessly input the recipient’s fax number or peruse their extensive contacts list, optionally append a subject or cover page, and witness the magic unfold with a mere tap of the send button. The app then securely transmits the document over the vast expanse of the internet, converting it into a fax format that can be received by the archaic yet prevalent traditional fax machines.
The seamless experience of receiving faxes on a smartphone mirrors the effortlessness of sending them. The app bestows users a dedicated fax number, which empowers others to transmit faxes directly to their handheld devices. Incoming faxes gracefully descend into the app’s meticulously organized inbox, allowing users to view, safeguard, and manage their vital documents.
Unsurprisingly, security stands atop the hierarchy of priorities for faxing apps on smartphones. Employing the powerful shield of encryption protocols, these apps safeguard sensitive information during transmission, effectively thwarting the sinister advances of unauthorized access. Moreover, many apps elevate their security measures by implementing password protection, fingerprint recognition, or even facial recognition, thus ensuring that only authorized users can access the app and its valuable content.
Faxing apps tailored for smartphones seamlessly integrate with cloud storage services, thus allowing users to store and effortlessly access their treasure trove of faxed documents with utmost confidence and security. This seamless integration with cloud storage services serves as a beacon of convenience, providing users with a streamlined means to organize, archive, and retrieve faxes at their whim and fancy, facilitating swift and hassle-free file sharing whenever needed.
Now that that’s out of the way let’s move on to the different, important considerations you must take when switching to a fax app.
Device Compatibility
Before switching to a fax app, ensure it’s compatible with your devices. Does your operating system support it? Will this impact your other apps? If your smartphone or tablet doesn’t support it, is it possible to upgrade or get a new device? These questions not only will determine the feasibility of using a fax app but will also help you estimate the cost of overhauling your devices if needed.
App Features and Functions:
As previously mentioned, there are numerous online fax providers offering a free fax app (and paid versions) with loads of features. Some come as part of your overall subscription, while others must be added separately. Depending on how your business communications work, some of these features will be useful to you, and others will not. For example, some fax apps offer integrations with other apps while others do not. This is a feature you might not need. Therefore, if an app doesn’t offer it, it is not disqualified from your search. This way, you not only save costs but also prevent you from choosing an app that is too clunky and overstuffed with features you won’t use.
Pricing
Of course, pricing is an important consideration—and your careful selection of features will come in handy when deciding whether to make a purchase. If a fax app compels you to pay for an unnecessary part, it behooves you to question its suitability. Conversely, a vital component necessitates additional payment on one app. At the same time, another offers it free of charge (or as part of a comprehensive package without a substantial hike in price). In that case, the choice between the two becomes unequivocally evident.
Customer Support
Another important consideration before switching to a fax app is the quality of their customer support. Do they reply to customer reviews and complaints? If so, how frequently and how quickly do they respond? Quality customer support can be the difference between being able to receive or missing an important fax. Aside from this, many fax app developers provide proactive resources to assist users. This may include comprehensive documentation, user guides, FAQs, and video tutorials that empower users to troubleshoot common issues independently. By offering these self-help resources, developers enable users to resolve minor problems and maximize the app’s functionality quickly.
Better Business Communication with the Right Fax App:
Make sure customer support is available when you need it most. Better Business Communication with the Right Fax App When switching to a fax app, you’re no longer tethered to and reliant on a traditional fax machine. You can begin a new journey of digital fax exploration. Therefore, it’s important to select the right vehicle (or fax app) to take you on this journey. Fax apps come in all shapes and sizes, but with these and other considerations in mind, you can make an informed decision and select an option that best meets your company’s needs.
