Online fax services were bound to develop, given the benefits of the Internet generally and the speed of adoption it has enjoyed. There are various low- and no-cost online fax methods that may differ in some particulars, but most will share general attributes. Just check the instructions for yours and adapt it to the following tips.
These tips are in no particular order, and do not concern technical matters or preferences or troubleshooting. Here we are concerned with helping you adopt the online fax service of your choice and make it work for yourself or your business, at the least cost, with the most satisfaction. Here, then, are 10 top tips for using an online fax:
1. Cover sheet or cover section?: It used to be a hard and fast rule that you should use a separate cover sheet, if only to ensure that the fax would reach the intended recipients. However, a well-designed fax form can also have a clearly marked "To, From and Subject" section at the top of a single page. Whether you keep the old cover sheet model or not, you should realize that the most important thing is clarity. If you can make your fax "sheet" easy to understand, and easy for the receiver to route, all will be well.
2. Sheet or section, be consistent: Whatever it is you decide to do about #1 above, do it the same way all the time. If you go with a form that has a top area devoted to addressing, create your form in such a way that the important information is summarized on successive pages, too. This way, your contact info, as well as the specific fax's address info, is available on every page.
3. Use the header and footer: You can also use the header and footer areas, particularly if you design your form with Microsoft Word, to carry the address and return address information. Entering all this just once ensures it appears on all pages.
4. Use a contacts list: You can send faxes to contacts in your address book as long as the fax telephone number your book begins with the country code. Make sure to set up your book correctly in advance.
5. Add fax numbers to your Address Book: If you use Outlook or OutlookExpress, you can add fax recipients from the "To" line of your outbound fax to your contacts list if they are not there already. Simply hover the pointer over the name, click the "down" arrow on the resulting smart tag that pops up and pick Add to Outlook Contacts. You can then include other information you want to save to that new contact, choose Save and then Close. Remember the fax number format-(+ country code)(area code)(telephone number).
6. Keep a fax record in Outlook or OutlookExpress: Online faxes that are sent will be stored in Outlook's Sent Items folder. You can also direct them to be placed into folders you select via Rules or an AutoArchive routine.
7. Send to both fax numbers and e-mail addresses: If some fax recipients prefer to receive the fax in their e-mail, while others have only fax machines, you can combine both of them, e-mail addresses and fax numbers alike, in the "To" field of just about all first-tier applications.
8. Find out how attachments are handled: Depending on your service or program, and how you combine addresses in the "To" field, some e-mail recipients may get a graphic image of attachments, rather than the original documents. As this is handled different ways by different programs and services, make sure to check if you are sending attachments you expect to be edited or modified.
9. Black out personal data: If you want to change personal information or anything else before sending a fax, you can use the annotation tools in Microsoft Office Document Imaging (MODI), particularly the Pen, to black it out. In this case, you will want to send your fax from within the MODI program (via the Internet Fax Service menu) so that any annotations will be visible to the recipients.
10. Get help if you need it: If you have any problems sending faxes, consult the Help files or troubleshooting information that is available from the fax service provider. There are many commonalities among the programs, and you can also figure out many of the issues if you are even an intermediate-level PC user. Remember, the fax programs are meant to be simple and easy to use, so do not "overthink" the problem. There are also any number of user groups and forums that have arisen to help people deal with just these sorts of computer operations. Don't be shy-get help when you need it!
Metro Hi Speed.com is a leader in fax services solutions for any sized business. Less expensive and more reliable than traditional fax services - you'll enjoy the convenience and well as the cost. Visit today for more information on our small business and corporate fax solutions.
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