Technology defines today’s offices. Whether through state-of-the-art software that automates tasks and increases productivity or a reimagining of the workday thanks to remote work tools like Zoom, the way offices function in the business world is constantly evolving. Another way offices are changing is through the increased adoption of paperless office solutions. 

Companies continue to make progress toward the goal of going paperless. Those who have embraced the paperless office have enjoyed its numerous benefits, so if you’re wondering how to go paperless, let’s explore actions you can take to get the ball rolling. 

What Is a Paperless Office?

As the name suggests, a paperless office is where physical paper documents are minimized or eliminated in favor of digital office systems. An entirely digital office doesn’t use physical paper and instead uses electronic documents for information management, agreement and contract signatures, and all forms of communication.

Some of the benefits of having a paperless office are:

• Cost reduction: Printing, storing, and managing paper documents can be expensive due to the cost of materials, storage space, and time required for managing filing cabinets.
• Increased efficiency: Digital documents are easier to search, access, and share, leading to greater efficiency in workflow. 
• Environmental sustainability: Eliminating paper consumption helps conserve resources and reduces a company’s carbon footprint. 
• Better security: Digital documents can be encrypted, backed up, and safeguarded more effectively than physical documents, offering better data protection. 

7 Tips To Implement a Paperless Business

Transitioning from paper files to digital forms requires a structured approach that involves assessing where your paper usage is and evaluating the best way to digitize your company operations and implement a paperless process with little to no disruption. Here are seven steps to get you started on the path to a paperless office. 

Evaluate Your Current Paper Usage

The first step is to evaluate your organization’s current paper usage. This will serve as the foundation for your paperless strategy. 

Identify the departments or paper processes that consume most of your paper resources. Analyze the types of printed documents and their specific purposes, such as invoices, contracts, internal memos, general office paperwork, or other paper forms. Then, calculate the costs associated with paper usage, including printing, storage, and disposal expenses. This will help you determine where to begin your paper-cutting process.

Digitize Existing Physical Documents

Once you decide which departments will go paperless first, you’ll need to ensure that historical records and documents, such as important faxes, are preserved electronically. This will enable easy access and retrieval in the future.

Invest in high-quality scanning equipment capable of handling various document sizes and types. You can do this by renting or buying the equipment, depending on your needs. Paperless software such as optical character recognition — OCR — can be particularly useful for converting scanned images into a searchable and editable digital format. 

OCR converts documents, such as scanned paper documents, paper forms, PDF files, or images captured by a digital camera, into editable and searchable data. This paperless office software analyzes the shapes and patterns of characters in these documents and translates them into machine-readable text.

Utilize Cloud Services for Document Storage, Sharing, and Collaboration

Cloud technology is essential for any company looking to create a fully digital office. It offers remote access, collaborative capabilities, and data security for paperless document management that streamlines storing, securing, and accessing your digital documents. 

Begin by choosing a reputable cloud storage provider that aligns with your needs. eFax provides free cloud storage for online faxes that lets you use custom tags for easy organization and retrieval. You can also search for faxes using eFax’s mobile app or your favorite web browser. 

Implement Electronic Signature Solutions To Sign Documents Digitally

Digital signatures offer a legally recognized and efficient alternative to traditional pen-and-paper signatures. Companies like DocuSign let you sign, send, and manage signed documents without ever having to print your documents out. 

Train Staff in Digital Tools, Note-Taking Apps, and Online Forms

A successful transition to paperless office solutions requires your staff to have the digital tools and skills to work with your new paperless processes. Here are some tips on how to go about it:

• Conduct training sessions to familiarize employees with document management software, cloud storage, online faxing services, and collaboration tools. Include how to create, edit, and manage documents or forms in the new paperless office software.
• To replace physical notebooks, use note-taking apps during training, like Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, or Notion. 
• Walk your staff through creating, distributing, and collecting data through online forms.
• Develop ongoing training materials, such as user guides, video tutorials, and cheat sheets, that employees can reference after the training sessions.
• Continuously gather employee feedback regarding their experiences with the digital tools and training. Use this feedback to refine your training program and improve the effectiveness of digital tool usage.

Use Online Fax Services and Replace Traditional Fax Machines

Faxing remains popular among businesses and industries that require rock-solid reliability and privacy when transmitting sensitive data. Traditional fax machines send data over a phone line, which isn’t encrypted. Though some data sent over email is encrypted, not all of it is. Data sent using online fax machines is encrypted, making it difficult for hackers to access. 

Moreover, online faxing is emerging as one of the best paperless solutions for businesses that want to send a fax without using a phone line. Online faxing offers the convenience and ease of use of email with the additional benefits of traditional fax machines. 

So, if you want to go paperless without the risk of sensitive information being compromised, use paperless faxing through an online fax service. 

Encourage Sustainability and Reduce Paper Consumption

Promoting sustainability is at the heart of why offices started going paperless in the first place. Setting eco-friendly practices as a core value of why you’re going paperless will help motivate you and your staff and smoothen the transition process.

Set clear sustainability goals for paper reduction, energy conservation, and general waste reduction. These goals should align with your organization’s broader commitment to environmental responsibility. Promote your new digital office systems as a means for reaching those goals. And, above all else, commit to changing your behavior concerning paper use along with your staff — take this ride with them.

Enjoy a Paperless Environment With Digital Technology

Creating a paperless office can seem challenging at first, but with the continual advancements in technology, it’s never been easier. Start with your faxing process.

With eFax, you can make your faxing process paperless and eliminate thousands of sheets of paper waste while also saving on ink, paper, and servicing costs that come with traditional fax machines. eFax offers additional benefits, such as digital signatures, online storage, and free mobile apps that let you send a fax from anywhere.

Start by choosing your fax number and monthly or annual plan, and go paperless today. 

In the 1980s and 1990s, fax machines were all the rage in the business world. Just about every office had one, especially in security-conscious industries like legal and healthcare. 

While fax machines can still be found in many offices, they aren’t as common as they used to be. Many businesses don’t want to spend the time and money it takes to maintain a fax machine — not to mention the physical space it takes up in the office. That can make physical fax machines hard to find when you need them the most. 

Even in the age of digital faxing, there are still traditional fax machines available for public use, if you know where to look. Want to know where to find a fax machine? This guide will point you in the right direction. 

5 Most Common Places Where You Can Find a Fax Machine

Now that traditional fax machines aren’t the common office staples that they used to be, it’s also harder to find them in public spaces. Maintaining a home fax machine — even if it’s a small fax machine — can get expensive very quickly, even beyond the significant up-front fax machine price.

To send paper documents without your own fax machine, you may need to borrow the services of a public fax machine. These machines can be found in convenient locations across the country, from travel agent offices to customer service desks. 

Here are the five most common places where you can find a fax machine. 

Office Supply Stores

Many office supply stores like Staples and Office Depot also offer public fax services for customer use. With affordable rates and self-serve machines, these locations are worth visiting for a quick way to send a fax. 

However, most stores charge a fee of between $1.50 and $10 per page, depending on where you’re sending it. While this is a cheap fax machine option for a one or two-time fax, this can add up if you have more demanding fax needs. 

Shipping Stores

Most post offices and shipping stores provide faxing services, including USPS and other shipping services like FedEx and UPS. These stores often provide a variety of services like printing, copying, and faxing. 

Whether you choose a U.S. post office or an independent courier service, shipping centers can be found almost everywhere. Just like with office supply stores, the faxes typically cost a dollar per page or more. Larger documents with more pages can become expensive, especially when faxing internationally. 

Local Libraries

Local libraries often offer access to their printers and fax machines to the public. Using the fax machine at a library can be very affordable — if not free. Just keep in mind that only toll-free and local numbers can be used to send most faxes at the library. In most libraries, faxes can only be sent and not received. 

Unfortunately, some libraries have discontinued their faxing services. Others may have fax machines for personal use but no longer offer public fax services. 

Banks or Credit Unions 

Many financial institutions like banks or credit unions have their own faxing machine. Some will offer use of this machine to the public, but their services can vary. Some institutions only send faxes on behalf of clients and won’t offer self-service access or send faxes for anyone who isn’t a client of that bank. Other banks offer faxing, but only for VIP customers. 

If you’re not sure whether your local bank offers faxing services, it’s best to check online or call ahead. Even banks that do offer faxing services often have limited options, as they don’t specialize in faxing services. Large file faxes or international faxes may be out of the question. 

Business Centers

Any physical location known as a “business center” should offer faxing services. This can include business hubs, serviced offices, coworking spaces, internet cafes, and convention centers. 

Business centers almost always offer services like printing, scanning, and faxing and often have copy-fax machine combos visitors can use. However, some faxing services may be limited to customers, like those with a membership to a particular coworking space or a ticket to an event at a convention center. The services may also be slightly more expensive than at other locations — usually about $2 to $4 per page. 

Faster and Convenient Alternatives to Fax Machines

These days, you won’t see as many fax machines in the office as you used to. However, that doesn’t mean that faxing itself is obsolete. 

Thanks to the introduction of digital fax machines, faxing is just as important in modern businesses as it was in the past. The only difference is that the most convenient and reliable way to fax is now with an online faxing service, not a traditional fax machine. 

Online faxing combines the reliability of faxing with the convenience of digital communication. With online faxing, you won’t have to ask: “Where can I fax something?” Instead of chasing down a public fax machine with affordable page rates, take the power of faxing into your own hands and start sending faxes without a fax machine. All you need is a compatible device and an internet connection to start faxing from anywhere. 

Cheaper and Easier Faxing With eFax Online Fax Service

Getting hold of a fax machine nowadays is no easy task. If, like most individuals and businesses, you don’t have the capacity to own your own fax machine, you’ll have to turn to public fax machines and other public fax services to send your official documents and other paperwork. 

But what if you could send a fax without a fax machine? Using online faxing means you won’t have to rely on someone else’s office equipment to take care of your personal or business faxing needs. It also means no more traveling to the local Office Depot or signing up for a coworking space just to get access to reliable fax services. 

Now, you can access faxing services with the click of a button. With eFax, you can start faxing with the best fax machine out there — one that’s entirely online. Forget the landline phone and start faxing from anywhere in the world today. 

When you need to send a document to multiple people, a fax broadcast makes it easy, even if you’re sending large files or confidential information. Whether you’re sending annual updates, soliciting proposals, or kicking off a marketing campaign, you can increase your productivity through fax broadcasting software. This step-by-step guide will cover everything you need to know about bulk faxing. 

What Is a Fax Broadcast?

A fax broadcast is a single document sent to multiple recipients simultaneously. It’s similar to a bulk email campaign but done via digital faxing. Rather than tediously sending one fax at a time, you send the same fax to hundreds or even thousands of people. 

Despite the wide availability of other types of digital communication, such as emails and texts, fax broadcasting provides several advantages. First, faxes are more secure than emails, reducing your data breach risk. Second, faxing provides an audit trail — a detailed record of the activities related to a document — which is a must for some businesses that follow data protection regulations. 

Finally, faxing is the standard for document transmission in industries such as healthcare, law, and government, which may not routinely use email for secure document transmission. Cloud-based faxing providers like eFax allow you to send faxes securely through the internet, so you can reach recipients who use both electronic communication and traditional fax machines. With eFax, you can send mass faxes from any device connected to the internet. This lets you take advantage of advanced features like automated scheduling, detailed reporting, and customization, making it easier than ever to integrate fax broadcasting into a multi-channel communication strategy.

Key Steps To Successfully Send a Fax Broadcast

When you’re ready to streamline communications with a fax broadcast, carefully preparing your documents, ensuring you have an accurate recipient list, and thoughtfully customizing your campaign can help make it successful. The following steps will help. 

Select a Reliable Online Fax Broadcast Service

Before you can broadcast your fax, you’ll need to choose the right online faxing service. Not all fax broadcasting services are the same. Look for providers who offer features such as: 

• Security measures: Security should be a top concern when choosing a fax provider. Many people use faxes specifically because of the security protocols, so look for strong encryption protocols for incoming and outgoing faxes, multi-factor authentication, firewall protection, and secure storage. Some bulk faxing providers, such as eFax, offer security protocols that comply with HIPAA, GBLA, and SOX requirements. 
• Uptime and reliability: One of the biggest benefits of online faxing is sending a fax anytime. Your fax provider should have a high uptime percentage — ideally, above 99%. A high uptime means you can send faxes whenever you need to without worrying about service interruptions. 
• User-friendly interface: Sending digital faxes should be as easy and intuitive as sending email. You should be able to upload documents, enter recipient fax numbers, customize settings, and track the progress of your faxes with just a few clicks. If the interface is difficult to use, it can lead to mistakes that negatively impact your fax broadcast campaign. 
• Pricing structure: Although you won’t necessarily choose the cheapest provider, you should clearly understand the pricing structure so you can make an accurate comparison. Some popular broadcast fax services charge per page, and some charge a flat rate based on the volume of faxes. If you send international faxes, include any extra fees for those when you compare solutions. 
• Customer support: No matter how reliable your fax broadcasting service is, there are bound to be times when you need customer support. When that happens, you want a quick response. Look for a service that offers multiple support channels, such as phone, email, and live chat. Companies like eFax that offer 24/7 support won’t leave you floundering when you need to send a fax broadcast outside regular office hours. 

Compile a List of Fax Numbers for All Recipients

It may seem obvious that you need the fax numbers of the recipients for mass faxing, but this step has the most potential for errors if you’re not careful. When you’re sending thousands of faxes, the success of your campaign depends heavily on your fax lists. 

Here’s how you can avoid errors in compiling fax numbers: 

• Choose a reliable source: Whether your fax numbers come from an existing customer database, a purchased list, or a new collection, you need to ensure they’re accurate. 
• Check compliance regulations: Before you send multiple documents through a fax blast, familiarize yourself with regulations such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). These laws forbid you from sending an unsolicited fax advertisement. You can face hefty fines for noncompliance. 
• Use a spreadsheet: Organizing your fax numbers with a spreadsheet lets you include all relevant information in separate columns. It will also make it easy for you to export the fax numbers to your fax broadcasting service. 

Upload Document and Recipient List to the Online Faxing Service

After selecting your service and compiling your recipient list, you’ll need to upload both the fax document and the list to your chosen platform. Check that your document meets the acceptable format and size requirements of the service you are using. Double-check for any errors in the document itself because once the broadcast initiates, stopping it to make corrections could be complicated or even impossible. 

Customize Settings, Including Scheduling, Delivery, and Resolution

Before hitting the “Send” button, you’ll have the opportunity to customize various settings according to your needs. You can schedule the fax broadcast for a specific time if you aren’t ready to send it. You can also adjust the resolution to either economize on data use or improve readability. If you’re sending a visually detailed fax, you’ll want to increase the resolution. If your fax has a lot of white space and can be easily read, you can lower the resolution to conserve resources. 

Some services also allow you to customize cover sheets or insert personalized fields to make the fax more relevant to each recipient. This feature is particularly useful if you’ve segmented your fax list. 

Initiate Broadcast and Monitor Fax Deliveries

After customizing your settings, initiate the broadcast. Look for a button labeled “Broadcast Fax” or something similar. You’ll be prompted to choose a broadcast list from a dropdown menu. Choose the one you uploaded earlier and send your fax. 

Keep an eye on the delivery status through your dashboard. Most online fax services offer real-time reporting that can tell you which faxes were successfully delivered, which failed, and why. Use this information to troubleshoot issues or refine your approach for future fax broadcasts.

Send Mass Faxes With Ease and Efficiency With eFax

eFax is the easiest way to send and receive faxes online using your computer, tablet, or smartphone. With online storage, large file capacity, electronic signature, online file sharing, and HIPAA-compliant plans, eFax has all of the features you need to reliably and securely transmit critical business information. Sign up today to get started.