Cutting unnecessary things out of a business budget requires turning over a lot of stones. Take some time to observe your day-to-day operations. Taking big chunks out of the big expenses is a start, but small changes here and there really add up over time.

Eliminate Extra Hardware and Software

Faxing via the Internet uses your computer, not another machine that requires extra maintenance, paper and toner cartridges. Your Internet fax service assigns a number for your incoming faxes, and converts each fax to an email attachment. You can continue to send and receive faxes with your customers and vendors who still use old fax machines.

You and your employees can send and receive faxes anywhere that the Internet is accessible. It is also more secure, because you can designate who receives your incoming faxes, unlike old fax machines where your sensitive documents sit in the open until delivered to the intended recipient. If your business requires a legal signature, it is visible and printable from the email attachment.

Online Faxing Cuts Phone Expenses

An extra phone line and long distance charges add up with a dedicated fax line. The small monthly fee that most online faxing services charge is insignificant in comparison to a dedicated phone line, and you never pay long distance charges to send a fax, no matter what the size of the document.

Online Faxing Reduces Power Consumption

Reducing the amount of power your business uses not only helps your budget, it is beneficial for the environment. Initiating green policies is the right thing to do, but it is also an excellent public relations move. Cutting power consumption in your offices, warehouses and other buildings lowers greenhouse gas emissions and burns less of our finite resources.

According to EnergyStar, the average small business can easily cut 10 to 30 percent of their energy budget without sacrificing the quality or service the business provides at all. Unnecessary business equipment rolls that meter quickly every month.

• Eliminate unnecessary machines. A stand-alone fax machine costs money in power, paper and toner. Using email fax services reduces these costs, as well as eliminating the cost of an additional phone line.
• Computers are turned off each evening when the workday is over, but it is easy for employees (or you) to forget the fax machine and other stand-alone electronics. When you power down your computers each night, the faxes simply wait in the email Inbox until morning.

Online Faxing Reduces Paper Waste

Again, benefits to the environment often translate into cost savings around your business. Many of your day to day operations can be done electronically, eliminating the need for expensive paper and supplies that clutter your office and fill trash cans. Do away with your old fax machine. Use Internet fax services instead. Print only the documents you need, and delete the rest.

These small changes make big cuts in expenses over time.