In businesses, the trend seems to be going paperless for everything because everything has to be instant and efficient. The convenience of getting an e-mail saves a lot of time. Registration is simple and free, and delivery is in real-time. No more worries if the message has actually been sent or if there was a change of address.

In recent years, service providers have taken the concept of e-mails and started offering fax services. Similar to the e-mail service, you have to sign-up for an account use free Internet fax services.

On the registration page, you are required to give a unique user name and password. You can also optionally specify your real name, mailing address, zip code, phone number and e-mail address. Similar to any other online account, the user name you provide must not be the same as another existing account. If the user name does not exist in the database and the password passes minimum requirements, you will then be given an account and fax number. A welcome e-mail will be sent to you validating your registration, providing you with your unique PIN number.

Whenever someone calls your fax number, they will be greeted automatically by pre-recorded introductions informing them that they have reached your fax. You may replace this recording and record your own introduction to greet any customers that may call. You simply need to type in your PIN number to validate yourself as the owner of the account. Once your identity has been confirmed, you can record your personalized welcome message.

Free Internet fax numbers work very similarly to e-mail addresses. The difference is that the source of your message comes from a fax. The fax is sent to your account, but when the message reaches your server, it is broken down into data that allows you to retrieve it through via e-mail.