The dinosaur lives: Why ` won’t die

Fax machines have been relegated as the dinosaur of office equipment. It’s big, loud, bulky, and most noticeably--OLD. But despite the development of portable and paperless technology, most businesses still can’t part with them.

Some experts would argue that fax is already dead and that it is a redundant technology on the way to becoming obsolete. This statement is only partly true. Fax as we used to know it may have experienced a death, but it has risen from the ashes of its weaknesses and become something much more useful- online faxing.

The digital age has made it easier to migrate office functions online. Everything that used to be done with a click of button, can now be done with a swipe of a screen. But unlike some equipment that have been totally phased out by these changes, the fax has found a way to thrive and benefit from the digital revolution.

The Need for a Paper Trail

Industries with airtight regulation standards are the main reason why this technology simply has not been replaced by email. Businesses that rely heavily on finance, banking, law, and healthcare still have a certain distrust with online communications. Despite the development of online signatures, fear of fraudulent transactions still push entrepreneurs to stick to the trusted hand signature.

Currently, there is no international standard for sending and receiving documents via email while the fax remains to be the most widely accepted method of document transmission around the world. Fax to email services also give you the best of both worlds by replacing the machine itself with your computer or smartphone while allowing the same functions of a traditional fax machine.

A Different Kind of Convenience

In some cases, sales have declined by completely migrating the ordering system to email and online forms. Why? Some customers prefer being able to customize their orders beyond what an online form or email body can allow. There’s just something about a handwritten note or sketch that makes a fax more detailed.

Providing a Sense of Security

Most people are afraid of emailing important documents for fear of them getting lost amidst thousands and thousands of other emails. Online faxing allows you to provide that sense of security that their documents have been received. Having a dedicated email for your online faxes also makes filing and retrieval of these paperwork easier.

A Greener Initiative

Another reason why some technologies become obsolete is because of their wasteful nature. Fax has overcome this hurdle by becoming a tool that aids in creating greener workplaces by reducing the amount of paper used in transactions. Other than that, entrepreneurs save on electricity and costly maintenance costs for these bulky machines.

It would not come as a surprise if the fax outlives this generation, albeit with a few makeovers. After all, change is a good thing. To know more about fax to email/email to fax services, call us up at 1300 ALLTEL or visit us at ALLTEL.