Texting, fax and meetings
How do I send and receive faxes by email?
With 3CTel online fax, you send a fax by emailing a PDF or document to an address made up of the recipient's fax number, and incoming faxes arrive in your inbox as PDF attachments. There is no fax machine or analogue line. A fax log shows every sent and received fax with its status, and your existing fax number can usually be ported so nothing changes for the people who fax you.
Step by step.
Prepare the document
Save what you want to send as a PDF. Most scanners, Word processors and phone scanning apps can do this. Keep pages upright and clearly legible.
Address the email
From an email address that is authorised on your account, create a new message to the recipient's fax number in the format 3CTel provides to you at setup (the number is written as part of the address).
Attach and send
Attach the PDF and send the email. The subject line, if any, is used for the cover sheet. Leave the body empty unless you want it on the cover page.
Check the confirmation
You receive an email confirming delivery, or telling you the fax failed and why (busy, no answer, wrong number). The same result appears in the fax log.
Receive faxes
Incoming faxes are delivered as PDF attachments to the address or addresses set for your fax number. Nothing has to be printed unless you want it.
Why fax by email instead of a fax machine
Fax still matters in healthcare, legal, insurance, government and real estate, but a physical machine on an analogue line is slow, easy to misfeed and hard to audit. Email fax keeps the number your contacts already use while making sending and receiving as simple as email, with a log to prove delivery.
- No fax machine, toner or dedicated phone line.
- Send from any computer or phone that can send email.
- Received faxes go to a shared mailbox so they are not stuck on one desk.
- Every fax is logged with a timestamp and status.
Keeping your existing fax number
Fax numbers port in the same way as voice numbers. Your specialist includes the fax number in the port request so it moves at the same time as your main number, or separately if you prefer. Until the port completes, your current fax line keeps working.
Sending a fax through a VoIP voice line with an adapter is unreliable. Online fax avoids this by handling the fax entirely on the service side.
Related questions.
Can several people receive faxes from one number?
Yes. Incoming faxes can be delivered to more than one email address, or to a shared mailbox, so a clinic or office can have the whole front desk see them.
Is fax by email secure enough for sensitive documents?
Faxes travel to the recipient over the telephone network as any fax does, and the email leg is delivered to the addresses you set. For sensitive material, use a mailbox with restricted access and discuss your requirements with a specialist during planning.
Do I need a separate fax number?
Usually yes. A fax number needs to be dedicated to fax so incoming calls are answered as faxes. If you do not have one, a new local or toll-free fax number can be added.
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