How To Have A Fax Number Without Having A Fax

Why you no longer need a fax machine for a fax number?

With online faxing, you no longer need a physical fax machine to share documents via fax. While traditional fax machines transmit faxes machine-to-machine via the ISDN and PSTN fax lines, online fax services send faxes over the internet. This flexibility means you can fax from any internet-connected device, including your smartphone, tablet or computer. 

Essentially, online faxing has made traditional faxing obsolete - as online faxing has the same capabilities as traditional faxing but is cheaper and more efficient. While the average cost of a fax machine is over $1,000 per year, online faxing costs as little as $143.55 annually. The reason for this is simple: equipment. You need a machine, toner, paper, fax line connection and maintenance to run a fax machine. Online faxing does not require any special equipment, making it easy for online fax providers like eFax to keep their prices low. 

Naturally, faxing without a machine is more efficient for businesses. While traditional fax machines can process one fax per fax line, online fax systems can process multiple faxes simultaneously. Online fax systems like eFax can also process up to 10 fax files per transmission and files up to 3GB. 

What is a virtual fax?

Virtual fax, or ‘online/ internet fax’, is a form of document sharing that transmits files over the internet. While traditional faxing relies on transmitting documents fax-machine-to-fax-machine via ISDN and PSTN fax lines, virtual faxing shares documents between internet-connected devices. This flexibility means you can send and receive virtual faxes from your computer, smartphone or tablet. 

Virtual faxing is often compared to email, though virtual faxing is more suited to document sharing. While most email providers transmit documents 10MG - 25MG, virtual faxing providers like eFax transmit files up to 3GB with Large File Transfer. Virtual faxing providers have also designed their systems to enhance the document sharing process. For example, eFax’s system allows you to sign your faxes with digital signatures, convert your file to a PDF, fax via email and save your faxes with cloud-based storage.

While virtual fax technology is popular among small and large businesses today, it’s been around for a long time. Virtual fax providers like eFax have been helping customers fax online since 1997. There are currently over 11 million customers worldwide using eFax, which transmits over 1 billion faxes per month.

What is an online fax number?

An online fax number looks just like a regular fax number and works virtually the same way. When you send a fax via online faxing, you address the fax to your recipient using their full fax number, plus “@efaxsend.com”. For example, you might address your fax to ‘61298270139@efaxsend.com’. 

Like a regular fax number, this fax number includes three key parts. First, your fax number has your country code (i.e. ‘61’ for Australia). Then, the number consists of an area or city code (i.e. ‘2’ for Sydney) and a local fax number (i.e. ‘98270139’). Online fax numbers generally include 10 - 15 digits, depending on the country and area you live in. 

There are two ways to acquire an online fax number. You can simply select a new number when signing up for an online faxing service like eFax. Alternatively, you can port your current fax number to eFax if you want to keep it. eFax will complete the porting process with your old telecommunications provider on your behalf - making the porting process seamless. 

How to get a free online fax number?

The best way to get a free online fax number is to sign up for a free trial with online fax provider eFax. You can sign up for eFax in four easy steps. 

1. Call 1800 283 361 or click here.

2. Choose your fax number and select ‘setup account’. 

3. Fill in your personal details. 

4. Activate your fax number and start faxing. 

When you sign up for your free trial, eFax will give you a free fax number, as well as access to their faxing system, up to 400 free faxes and full access to eFax’s features. eFax’s features include email faxing, a PDF converter, digital signature technology and unlimited cloud-based storage. eFax fax numbers aren’t just limited to Australia, either. eFax currently owns numbers in 3,500 cities worldwide. When you select your fax number, you can choose a number from any city (even if you don’t live there). Alternatively, you can port your current faxing number to eFax if you want to keep using it. eFax will complete the porting process for you for free, making it easy to switch to online faxing.

The benefits of online faxing

Online fax enables you to operate in a paperless environment, which then saves resources. You aren't paying out maintenance fees or other costs such as cartridges, toner or phone line rental. Nor are you impacted with the costs of sending long distance faxes as you're operating through the internet.

Finally, your sending time is drastically reduced. You're not held up by jammed phone lines or engaged numbers. Every fax goes through as quickly as an email.

A fax number without a machine brings rewards

There's a clear value to having a fax number. It’s still an effective way of getting vital documents and contracts and files to multiple users and clients. Businesses need fax numbers yet the machines are like dinosaurs in an agile, digital age. So switching to an online fax solution resolves this problem.