Why Are You Still Paying for Analog Fax Lines?
Faxing is one of very few technologies that hasn’t made the switch from an analog to digital format. In fact, there have not been any significant changes in fax communication since the early 1990s. Digital Group 4 platforms were supposed to be introduced but the manufacturers saw the writing on the wall with scanning and email and stopped the R&D. Fax image quality and transmission speeds have not changed in more than 25 years.
Single function fax machines are no longer available and most customers now purchase a fax board along with the MFP. Those fax boards still must connect to an analog phone line. Most companies have digital PBXs or utilize VOIP technology for their phone service. That means that they are paying a separate monthly charge for each active analog line. Depending on the carrier, the base monthly charge ranges from $30-$50 per month. In addition, the fax board itself adds roughly $25 per month to the cost of a lease.
Fax servers have been available for the last 10 years but are cost prohibitive for most small to mid-sized business. NBM now offers an affordable cloud fax solution that can be embedded on the LCD screen of the Sharp MFPs.
With cloud faxing, customers pay a single monthly invoice based on anticipated page volume regardless of the number of devices being used. Current fax numbers can be transferred to the cloud and the service is 100% secure and all documents are encrypted on the server.
Cloud fax ensures that you will never get a busy signal and there are a variety of options for the delivery of inbound documents. Faxes can be directed to print the MFP or can be routed to an email address or a network folder. For customers with multiple fax lines, each existing number can be routed to specific destinations, users or departments.
For outbound faxing, you would enter the number at the MFP exactly like you would on a fax machine. The fax would be sent electronically to the cloud for routing to the receiving fax number and you would get a confirmation. Desktop faxing is also included at no additional charge.
The cloud fax option can be added to most of the Sharp MFPs installed in the past five years and is available on all current models. It’s time to get rid of those costly, unnecessary analog phone lines. For more information, please contact Vern Hydorn at vhydorn@nbminc.com.