MyFax expands local fax number coverage by 78 area codes in the U.S.

While we talk a lot here on the blog and in other places about the value of having a toll-free fax number – especially how it can make a small company look larger – it’s not necessarily right for everybody.

There are lots of good reasons you might want to have a local number instead, such as a small company wanting to emphasize its local ties or a large company wanting to localize its service.

That’s why the fact that MyFax has expanded our local fax number availability in the U.S. is such warm news on an otherwise chilly day. In fact, we now have local numbers available for our Internet fax service in 78 additional area codes throughout the country. That’s a 46 percent increase in total U.S. coverage in just one year!

What that means to you is you can obtain a local number no matter where your office happens to be located – or where you want it to look like it’s located since you don’t have to live in that area code to receive a number for it.

By the way, if you’ve been using a toll-free fax number and want to change it over to a local number, contact MyFax customer service via phone, email or online chat and they’ll take care of it for you.

So what do you think? Do you prefer to use a toll-free or local fax number? And why?

Faxing saves the day for vacationer

Saw this story this morning and just had to pass it along. It’s one I think we can all relate to – that sinking feeling when you realize you’re in deep trouble and you’re not sure how you’re going to get out of it.

The story involves a journalist who was taking an international vacation over the holidays, traveling from Marin County, California to the island of Malta. Potentially a dream vacation, right? Well it was, until she got to the airport and was told her tickets listed her married name but her passport listed her maiden name. In these days of heightened security that wasn’t going to work.

She needed proof that both identities were the same and was told by British Airways that a copy of her marriage license would work. That’s not something you normally carry with you on vacation. Fortunately, though, she was able to have someone fax a copy of it to the airport, it was accepted, and her vacation went off as planned. So basically the fax saved the day!

You may never face that issue, but at some point we all forget something of importance – usually at the most inconvenient time. Maybe it’s your notes for a presentation. Maybe it’s a contract for an important client. Whatever it is, it’s good to know you can have it delivered quickly and right to you computer or smartphone with MyFax. It’s a good little safety net.

Yet another article on obsolete technologies

If you want to raise some controversy, trying telling users that the technologies they know and love are obsolete and ought to be retired.

That’s what happened recently with an article by Computerworld’s Mike Elgan called 10 obsolete technologies to kill in 2010. In it, he takes on everything from the 12 volt DC port (once called the cigarette lighter) in cars to business cards to home entertainment remotes. And of course, #1 on the list is the fax machine.

In Mike’s world, everything should be emailed. Of course, MyFax users know better. There are plenty of good reasons to fax documents, such as:

- They need signatures
- They contain handwritten notes or amendments
- The law requires it (pretty much any medical record)
- You want the document encrypted during transmission
- The person on the other end doesn’t like or use email
- That’s just how your industry works (construction comes immediately to mind)

The one thing he did get right is there’s no real need for a fax machine anymore. An Internet fax service will do whatever you need done with faxes while helping you save money and make your office a little greener.

Say what you will – faxing is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. And until those fancy smart phones become a lot cheaper to own, program and use, I doubt we’ll be getting rid of our home entertainment remotes anytime soon either.

Faxing in a VoIP World

Many businesses are looking at moving to Voice over IP (VoIP) phone service as a way of adding capabilities while reducing costs. What they may not realize, though, is that a gain in one area could cause a serious issue in another. In this case, adding VoIP means you could lose your ability to send and receive faxes.

If you’ve been using a fax machine, you probably had a dedicated phone line for it. When you make the move to VoIP, the “additional” phone line will be removed along with the others.

There is an alternative, however, that fits your intentions much better: an Internet fax service. As VoIP does for voice, an Internet fax service allows you to send and receive faxes anywhere you can get an Internet connection – your office, your home, a customer’s location, a truck stop, the airport or even your favorite fast food restaurant or purveyor of fine coffee.

When you receive an Internet fax, it appears as an attachment in your email account. Everything is handled electronically, making faxes easy to store, carry with you, search and even back up so you don’t lose an important document as can happen with a paper fax.
If you’re thinking of upgrade your phone service to VoIP, it’s the perfect time to reconsider your fax options as well. An Internet fax service will allow you to not only maintain your faxing capabilities but improve on them.