What is eFax
eFax is an online fax service that sends and receives faxes by email instead of a fax machine or phone line. To send a fax, a user emails the document as an attachment to the recipient's fax number at the eFax sending domain, and eFax converts it into a standard fax transmission.
How PracSuite sends email
When emails are sent to eFax using PracSuite's internal email system, some practices may encounter delivery issues on the basic Small Business eFax subscription. This is because eFax ties fax sending to a registered email address, requiring the sending and reply addresses to match on that plan. PracSuite's internal system sends from a PracSuite domain but sets the reply address as the sender's own business or personal email, which differs from the sending address and causes the fax to fail.
The way PracSuite sends email using its internal system is typical of Software as a Service systems and follows best practice for email delivery. There is no need to set up SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records for PracSuite emails, as this has already been configured.
PracSuite also offers the option to send email directly from a practice's own system through the Microsoft Outlook and Gmail integrations.
Options if you are experiencing this issue
If faxes are not sending through eFax's email to fax service when using PracSuite's internal email system, the following options are available.
Upgrade the eFax subscription. eFax's more expensive enterprise plans allow faxes to be sent from multiple email addresses and remove the restriction requiring the sending and reply addresses to match.
Use the Microsoft Outlook or Gmail integration in PracSuite. Moving to one of these integrations means that emails sent through PracSuite are sent through the practice's own business email system rather than PracSuite's internal system, resolving the mismatch.
Move to an alternative email to fax provider without this restriction on their basic subscription. Services such as GoFax authorise senders individually, including the option to authorise an entire email domain, rather than requiring the sending and reply addresses on each email to match. This removes the restriction encountered with eFax's basic plan.
Send the fax manually. A practice can send the email to eFax directly from its own business email system, outside of PracSuite, for faxes affected by this restriction.
If the fax is intended for interpractitioner communication, moving to a secure messaging service such as HealthLink is recommended in place of fax. PracSuite is currently trialling a HealthLink integration with a number of practices and will make this integration available to all users shortly.