eFax

eFax: internet faxing for UK businesses without a fax machine

eFax is a cloud faxing service marketed in the United Kingdom that lets users send and receive faxes over the internet rather than through a traditional hardwired fax machine. Documents can be handled from a PC or Mac, a tablet or an Android or iOS smartphone, either through the eFax mobile app, an email account or the online account in a browser. The company presents the service as a way to keep fax in a modern IT setup, since an ordinary email cannot reach a fax machine unless an online fax provider is used.

New customers can keep their existing fax number or obtain a new one, which the company frames as a way to set up a virtual office. The sign-up is described as quick, with the account ready to use within minutes.

Number porting ahead of the PSTN/ISDN switch-off

The site highlights the forthcoming PSTN/ISDN switch-off and invites businesses to port their existing fax number to eFax. This is presented as the way to preserve a current number when traditional telephone networks are retired.

Core faxing features

• Fax by email: the service links to the user's email address so sending and receiving a fax works like handling ordinary email.
• Fax online: sending and receiving from any browser, on a computer or a mobile device, after signing into the eFax account.
• Mobile faxing: iOS and Android apps allow faxes to be sent from a smartphone or tablet at any time.
• Archive and receipts: sent and received faxes can be looked up and located, with confirmation receipts carrying time and date stamps.
• Multiple recipients: one fax can be sent to several fax numbers at once, with a confirmation for each transmission.
• Multiple users: up to five individual users with separate email addresses can share the same fax number on one account without an extra charge.

Contract terms and trial conditions

eFax UK works with rolling monthly business contracts, which the company says can be cancelled at any time. The free trial must be cancelled within 14 days to avoid fees, and it includes a credit for sending up to 200 fax pages and receiving up to 200 pages; the number of free send pages varies with the send rate to a given destination. The company states that the trial carries no obligation, no set-up fees and no risk.

Security and cost arguments

According to the company, faxes sent through the service arrive directly in the recipient's email inbox, which it presents as a way to maintain confidentiality, security and privacy in online business transactions. It also argues that switching from a traditional fax machine can reduce spending on fixed line rental, machine maintenance and paper, ink and toner, and that managing faxes from a computer avoids paper jams, toner replacements and lost faxes.

Wider product range

Beyond the personal and business fax service, the site lists several products aimed at larger organisations:

• eFax All Access, a web-based platform for healthcare organisations to manage patient data, support downtime operations and improve care coordination.
• eFax Clarity, which automates data extraction and document handling using AI and NLP tools.
• Managed Services, expert-led IT support intended to optimise technology return on investment and address staffing shortages.
• ECFax by eFax, cloud faxing for government agencies on a platform described as FedRAMP Class D (High) certified.
• eFax API, a RESTful connector for integrating fax capabilities into existing systems.
• eFax Conductor, an integration platform supporting connectivity and data formats such as API/FHIR and web services.
• eFax Corporate, an enterprise cloud fax solution that the company says has been relied on by Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years.

Feature areas listed for the service include security, number management across different countries, compliance functions, administration tools and integrations with other applications and systems.

Customer feedback cited on the site

The site quotes reviewer Lee Clarke of PortWise, Inc., who describes eFax as a viable low-cost alternative to traditional fax options and recommends it for companies of any size. The service is operated under Consensus Cloud Solutions Inc. or its subsidiaries, and eFax is a trademark or registered trademark of Consensus.