Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 22, 2013 -- eFax®, the world’s leading online fax service and a brand of j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: JCOM), announced today the results of the company’s latest small business survey. The report reveals current trends on how businesses are closing deals in today's mobile work environment. The survey results coincide with the release of the new eFax® mobile app, which helps professionals sign documents on their mobile device using eFax's new finger signature feature. Click here to see an infographic of the survey results.
The survey found that 84 percent of small business professionals have closed a recent deal beyond the confines of their office. This data reinforces the fact that vital business communications and document exchange are no longer reliant on the traditional office, given how much can be accomplished virtually anywhere using a mobile device.
Of the more than 1,100 small and medium-sized businesses polled, 32 percent say they have closed at least half of their deals this year from a smartphone or tablet.
When it comes to mobile applications, nearly a third of respondents (31 percent), say the feature most valuable to closing deals on the go is the ability to sign documents on their screen using only their finger, a new feature offered with the launch of the updated eFax® mobile app. In fact, 70 percent say that being able to use their finger to generate a digitized signature for online faxing will help them close more business.
The survey results support the premise that, while email is the top method of business communications, fax continues to be a critical tool for business transactions – those cases that require sending a signed contract or other document with a hand (or "wet") signature or that leverage common back office workflows for invoices, POs, and other process-oriented documents.
There are several reasons why fax remains so integral to transactional business. No contract or purchase order is complete without a signature. Fax, unlike email, time stamps a document on both the sending and receiving ends. For this reason, faxed documents can be considered to have a greater legal standing. Additionally, some online fax solutions such as eFax® offer enhanced security. Faxes are SSL-encrypted and stored in a secure web-based inbox, providing a more secure method of transmission than regular email. Finally, when it comes to signed contracts, expediency counts. Using the eFax® mobile app and phone or tablet camera, one can snap a photo of a contract, add a digitized signature with a swipe of a finger, and transmit the contract via fax – all in a matter of seconds.
Could you pass the fax, please?
Seventy-four percent of eFax survey respondents say they have closed (or have needed to close) a business deal at a restaurant or bar and 23 percent say they’ve done so while in a car or train. Respondents also noted they had inked deals via their mobile devices in a Las Vegas casino, at the dentist’s office, and even while waiting in line at the DMV.
You are now free to move about the cabin (and still close the deal).
More than 30 percent have sent or received a fax at an airport or on a plane, frequent venues for business people on the move. As for the most unusual place they have ever faxed, 20 percent say they’ve sent or received a fax via their mobile device while at a sporting event. One respondent recalled faxing while climbing Yosemite’s El Capitan.
“As a small business owner helping local businesses and residents obtain almost every type of insurance possible, I fax daily to process paperwork under tight deadlines,” said Beth Ann Alitt, owner of Alitt Insurance based in San Marcos, Calif. “Thanks to eFax, I am not tied to my office in order to receive and send important documents. Last year, I faxed on a cruise and even at a Paul McCartney concert in London! The new digitized finger signature feature that lets me and my clients sign directly on my mobile device will help me close even more deals on the go."
Listen to a podcast interview with Beth Ann Alitt.
“This latest eFax survey underscores what we hear from entrepreneurs every day: The mobile device is the office,” says Mike Pugh, Vice President of Marketing for j2 Global. “That means that deals need to get done anywhere. Same with contracts, invoices, expense reports, and any other document that keeps a business moving. Now, with the addition of finger signatures to the eFax® mobile apps, our customers can seal the deal anywhere without pen, paper or hassle.”
Click here for an infographic showing the results of the mobile SMB survey.
Click here to see a summary of the survey results.
About eFax®
eFax is a brand and registered trademark of j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQGS: JCOM) and is online at http://www.efax.com. For more information please visit the eFax blog or watch the videos on the eFax YouTube channel.
About j2
j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQGS:JCOM) and its affiliates provide Internet services through their two divisions: Business Cloud Services and Digital Media. The Business Cloud Services Division offers Internet fax, virtual phone, hosted email, email marketing, online backup, unified communications and CRM solutions. It markets its services principally under the brand names eFax®, eVoice®, FuseMail®, Campaigner®, KeepItSafe® and Onebox® and operates a messaging network spanning 49 countries on six continents. The Digital Media Division consists of Ziff Davis Inc., which offers technology, gaming and lifestyle content through its digital properties which include PCMag.com, IGN.com, AskMen.com, Toolbox.com and others. Ziff Davis also operates NetShelter Powered by BuyerBase, an advanced digital ad targeting platform, and Ziff Davis B2B, a leading provider of research to enterprise buyers and leads to IT vendors. As of December 31, 2012, j2 had achieved 17 consecutive fiscal years of revenue growth. For more information about j2, please visit http://www.j2global.com.
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Bill Threlkeld, j2 Global Communications, Inc., http://www.j2global.com, +1 (323) 386-2382, [email protected]
SOURCE j2 Global Communications, Inc.
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