Faxing in a Remote Work Environment: The Ultimate Guide

In 2024, over 25% of the workforce in the United States holds a career working from home. While the lack of commute, the ability to nap or work out during breaks and work schedule flexibility are certain benefits to remote work, there are challenges around communication and information sharing.

One way to ensure continuous information sharing while working remotely is to use an online fax solution. Faxing in a remote work environment is similar to sending an email and is easy to accomplish on the go. It’s a secure and reliable communication method for anyone outside a traditional office setting. In this guide, we’ll cover the benefits of online faxing in hybrid work environments, look at tips for integrating online faxing into your workflow and how to choose the right online fax solution for your needs. 

The Evolution of Remote Work and Communication Tools

With the shift in workplace environment from in-office to remote comes an increase in the acceptance and adoption of remote and hybrid work models. Technology industries hold the highest share of remote workers at over 67%, but remote work has been adopted by consulting agencies, real estate, finance and insurance and even education. Other industries that are experiencing growth in remote work are the gig economy and freelance workforce.

Working remotely or in a hybrid schedule significantly impacts workplace culture and employee performance expectations. Communication is more important than ever, with video chats and instant messaging platforms doing the heavy lifting. 

There are challenges to using traditional communication tools for remote teams. Some of the issues that hybrid and work-from-home companies face are:

• The limitations of email, which is an asynchronous communication method that comes with security risks, spam and deliverability issues.
• Challenges with phone systems, including the cost of implementing, the ability to scale as the team grows and limited collaboration features.
• The information silos that can come with hybrid workers, especially conversations that take place off video chat before and after a meeting.

Why Faxing is Highly Relevant in Hybrid & Remote Work Environments

You might not think of faxing right away for hybrid and remote work environments, but faxing is still highly relevant in these workplaces. Healthcare employees represent over 12% of the remote workforce, and healthcare communications are heavily regulated. Online faxing gives remote and hybrid healthcare workers the ability to securely send documents, complying with industry regulations like HIPAA and SOX.

Consulting companies and agencies often work with contracts; some consultants can work for highly restricted clients like the government. These remote workers will need to be able to transmit documents securely and sign contracts. Online faxing allows agency employees to minimize the risk of data breaches and fraud by using encrypted file transmission and storage.

Let’s compare some of the communication methods you can use in a remote work environment:

• Email offers encryption options for sensitive data, spam filters and anti-virus software that can help mitigate risks. Many companies offer phishing and other security training. Email is susceptible to phishing attacks, data breaches and malware. Sensitive emails must be encrypted; they are not inherently protected.
• Message apps give you instant, real-time communication that fosters quick discussions and collaboration. Most professional message apps allow you to share documents. They do come with the potential for distractions and interruptions and may be too informal for some professional settings.
• Faxing acts as a complementary tool to other communication channels. Faxing provides a secure, reliable way to send sensitive documents. Medical and legal industries rely on faxing to maintain audit trails and other document transmission records.  

5 Key Benefits of Online Faxing for Remote Workers

Online faxing has its benefits for remote workers. Here are the top five key benefits of faxing for remote work:

Accessibility and flexibility

When you’re working remotely, you must be able to send and receive faxes from multiple locations. Online faxing allows you to access your faxes anywhere you have an internet-enabled device. With the ability to send documents online, you can avoid traveling to an office or faxing center. This improves your remote work productivity. 

Fax sensitive documents safely with enhanced security

Online faxing offers you security features like data encryption in transit and at rest, audit trails, access control and user authentication. This enhanced security reduces the risk of bad actors breaching your data or intercepting your faxes.

Enhanced team collaboration with document management

Another benefit of online faxing for remote work environments is the document management many online fax solutions offer. The right online fax solution will offer centralized storage and intuitive document organization. This makes it easy for you to search, retrieve and forward fax documents to your colleagues.

Cut costs associated with physical fax machines

Physical fax machines can rake up unnecessary costs, like supplies and maintenance. With online faxing there is no need for a bulky fax machine, and you only pay for the faxing volume you need instead of paying for a phone line and other operational costs. 

Integrate with workflow tools

Online faxing solutions like eFax integrate with the software and tools you’re already using, like Google Drive, Microsoft Outlook, Dropbox and more. Cloud storage and CRM system integration make collaboration a breeze. With the right online faxing tool, you can automate some of your workflow steps and reduce the amount of time you spend manually entering data.

Tips for Integrating Faxing into Your Remote Work Routine

Change can be scary, but integrating faxing into your remote work routine doesn’t have to be. Here are our tips to make the switch from traditional to digital faxing as smooth as possible.

Choose a reliable online fax service

The first step is the most important one – selecting the right online fax solution for your needs. Consider the following when you’re choosing a fax service:

• If you work in a regulated industry or deal with sensitive documents, ensure the faxing service offers encryption and secure data storage.
• Consider whether your online fax 24/7 customer support for companies or individual service offers ls with complex use cases. 
• Compare a few different online fax providers and read their customer reviews. This is a quick way to eliminate products based on existing users’ opinions.

Create clear online faxing policies and procedures

When you have remote employees faxing for business purposes, you’ll want to create a clear policy and procedure that the whole company can follow. These guidelines should include a list of approved or authorized services, the required security measures (like strong passwords, two-factor authentication and role-based access control), and how remote employees should send, receive and store fax documents. 

You can also create a best practices guide that tells your employees how to maintain fax security and compliance, especially for remote workers in regulated industries like finance and healthcare.

Utilize available features

To get the most out of online faxing in a remote work environment, use all of the online solution’s features. These are some of our favorites:

• Digital fax archives:
  • This feature offers centralized document storage that is easy for employees to search. Any remote worker with an internet connection can access stored documents, which enables employees to work more quickly wherever they are located. Team members can easily share faxes with their peers, enhancing collaboration. Digital archives also act as a backup of essential documents during a data loss disaster.
• Fax forwarding and auto-reply:
  • Fax forwarding gives remote workers the flexibility to receive faxes in their email inbox, regardless of where they’re physically working. 
  • Employees can configure auto-reply messages to acknowledge receipt of faxes or provide other instructions or contact information. This can improve customer response time and boost client relations.
• Digital signatures and document annotation:
  • Digital signatures make it straightforward to complete agreements, contracts, orders and other time-sensitive materials. Digital signatures are legally binding and secure, improving document security and authenticity. 
  • Document annotation features give employees the option to collaborate on faxes with their peers, which improves communication and expedites decisions. 

Invest in user training

If online faxing is a new workflow for your employees, consider investing in user training offered by the online fax solution. User training gives your employees the chance to try out the software, see how it works in your specific organization and address common questions. This ensures all of your employees are comfortable using the online fax system. 

How to Choose the Right Online Fax Solution for Your Distributed Workforce?

When you’re evaluating online fax services for your distributed workforce, take the following features into consideration:

• Security features like data encryption at rest and in transit. Consider whether regulations bind your industry, then ensure the online fax solution you’re evaluating offers HIPAA, SOX, GDPR or other applicable laws. 
• Easy to use interface. An intuitive software navigation is essential if your employees are new to online faxing or faxing in general.
• A mobile app option for access to faxing while on the go or in a client meeting and integrations with popular workflow software like Google, Microsoft and Dropbox.
• Scalable usage and flexible pricing plans are essential as your business faxing needs fluctuate. You’ll also want to look for transparent pricing plans without hidden fees.
• Responsive and reliable customer support is a deciding factor, particularly for remote work environments. If your employees are distributed across the world, you’ll want to ensure they have access to customer support for any issues they encounter. Peruse the online documentation and resources for the online faxing solution as well.

eFax: Secure & Efficient Online Faxing Solution for Your Remote Work Needs

eFax is an online faxing solution that meets all of your remote work needs. Here are just some of the features eFax online faxing offers:

• Strong security features, including 256-bit encryption, keep your sensitive documents secure in transmission and at rest.
• A convenient mobile app that gives you the flexibility to send and receive faxes on the go.
• Integrations with popular email clients and cloud services.
• High-quality document transmission with clear and legible faxes.
• Excellent customer support with 24/7 availability.