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It’s 4:30 p.m. and you forgot you must fax a time-sensitive document by 5 p.m. You run around the office looking for a fax machine before finding the ancient relic in the storage closet. Racing against the clock, you have to get it hooked up and set up properly. Once that’s done, you grab your document, punch in the fax number, and mash the send button right at 4:59 p.m.
A few minutes later, a fax comes in from someone letting you know you sent the fax to the wrong number. Wouldn’t it have been much easier if you could have just faxed the document from your computer? Then you would have had time to send a test fax online and confirm you had the correct number in the first place.
Before faxing an important document to a new number or one you haven’t used lately, send a test fax first. You can avoid many pitfalls this way. In this article, we’ll look at why sending a test fax is essential and provide a step-by-step guide to help you make this process as smooth as possible.
Why It's a Good Idea To Send a Text Fax Online First
Sending documents by fax is still one of the most common options for quickly sharing documents. Even in the age of digital communication, faxing remains an integral part of doing business.
You should always test your faxes before sending any critical documents for a number of reasons:
- Fax numbers may become inactive or reassigned, so it’s important to keep your contact list updated.
- Company employees often change their phone and fax numbers, which requires keeping contact information up-to-date.
- Sending a test fax is a simple way to check that your system is set up correctly and functioning properly.
- It’s important to regularly check your fax system for errors and ensure that it is functioning properly to avoid any potential issues.
Unless you’ve confirmed the number with the receiving party, it’s hard to be certain of who you’re actually faxing to unless you send an online test fax first. But even if you’ve confirmed the fax number verbally, sending a test fax is still highly recommended in case they accidentally gave you the wrong number or you entered it incorrectly.
When you send a test fax online, you’re simply using fax protocols over the internet instead of a fax machine. When your test fax comes back, it will show you at what part in the process the fax failed to send so that you can troubleshoot any issues.
If you’ve recently set up a new fax system, there are likely many people, machines, and fax numbers involved. All of this comes with a higher chance of faxing errors, especially if you frequently send sensitive documents by fax. Things will go much more smoothly with a user-friendly and easy-to-use platform such as eFax to streamline the process.
Test Your Online Faxing Functions Using These 3 Steps
eFax is an incredibly simple platform for sending and receiving faxes online. Once you experience the benefits of online faxing, you’re unlikely to go back to old fax machines.
Sending a fax through eFax is more like sending an email than a fax. This concept can seem a little confusing for those used to a traditional machine, but once you send your first test fax, you’ll be good to go.
Below, we’ll go through the steps of testing a fax online with eFax.
1. Open a New Email Message and Enter Your Fax Number as the Recipient
First, navigate to your email client and compose a new email. In the space where you’d typically enter an email address, you’ll enter the number 1 followed by the receiving party’s fax number. Then type “@efaxsend” at the end. This lets eFax know you want to send a document to the fax number you just typed in.
For example, if your recipient’s fax number is 1-123-456-7890, you would enter [email protected] in your email’s “To” field. For this example, just put in your own fax number.
Once you’ve entered the address correctly, you can proceed with the next step.
2. Attach the Document You Wish To Send, Including the Cover Sheet
Next, you will attach the document to the email. For this example, you can open a Word or Google document and type “Test.” Then save it as “Test” as a PDF.
Then, create another document and type your name, contact information, and the receiver’s info. Name this one “Cover Letter” and save it as a PDF as well.
Attach both of these documents to the email you composed in Step 1.
3. Click Send and Wait for the Fax To Come In
Now that you’ve filled out your sender information and attached the appropriate files, send the document. As mentioned above, the copy will be sent over the internet to eFax’s servers which will process and forward your email attachments as fax messages to the number you provided.
Within a minute or so, you’ll receive an email confirmation that your fax was successfully sent to the right place. If you’re logged into your eFax account, you’ll be able to see the transmission process. Soon, you’ll receive the fax you sent to yourself.
Review the documents to ensure the correct information was sent and that everything is formatted correctly.
Also read: How to send and receive faxes from Gmail?
Get Started With eFax's Online Fax Services
Sending a test fax online doesn’t have to be a hassle. eFax is a straightforward platform for sending documents without the need for a fax machine. We make it easy to get a fax number and start faxing within minutes of setting up your account.
What’s more, with eFax, you don’t have to run to a computer every time you need to fax something. You can send a fax from your smartphone, tablet, or any device with access to the internet. Get started with eFax today and explore a whole new side to faxing.
