Can I FAX that to you?

[James Burke]

Is it just me, or does the rest of the world seem to be terribly slow to embrace tecnhology these days?

I still have vendors who want to send me documents (rate cards, information, etc...) via fax because they don't know how to use the scanner and email...and the "person who knows how to use them" is out of the office for the afternoon. THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO BE OUT OF THE OFFICE FOR THE AFTERNOON!

C'mon people, get with it. Desktop real estate is at a premium in my office. I pitched out my fax years ago in favor of a printer, scanner, copier.

And even with fax capabilities over the computer, I refuse to run a dedicated phone line or juggle the regular phone line to make it work.


Steppin' down from my soapbox,

JB

 

[TheSnowman]

We still use fax stuff all the time. I prefer email, but it's just as time consuming for me to fax it, so if that's what the other guy uses, no problem for me. I tried sending two today, but something went goofy with it, so we ended up sending them email as PDF...both require the same amount of time.

 

[john1]

Never had or used a fax. I get people asking about faxing things and i'm like "there is email..." lol

 

[James Burke]

We still use fax stuff all the time. I prefer email, but it's just as time consuming for me to fax it, so if that's what the other guy uses, no problem for me. I tried sending two today, but something went goofy with it, so we ended up sending them email as PDF...both require the same amount of time.

Just the reduction in stray papers floating around the office is worth the effort to use email...especially when brief information is required without the need to print.


JB

 

[WildWestDesigns]

We have a fax machine and we will still use it for some things, but as a general rule it's email with us. I really haven't had someone that just had to have it done via fax as far as my customers go. Now getting some supplies for the farm, they are still wanting everything faxed in. There is one vendor that I use at times for thread that still lists fax as a method, but I just use email.

I dunno, but I'm like you and desktop real estate is also at a premium and really with what you can send via email versus fax, I just don't know why people don't just use email.

 

[James Burke]

We still have a fax.....but only because 3 of our biggest customers send repeat orders that way.

Otherwise they're a p.i.t.a......most of the crap that thing spits out the rest of the time is spam.

In reality, it's just another machine to feed, manage and maintain...and curse when it malfunctions. In larger offices, it can even become a bottleneck if there's only one fax and a gazillion people who need to use it.

BTW...I've yet to see a fax come through in COLOR!


JB

 

[TheSnowman]

BTW...I've yet to see a fax come through in COLOR!

I know! We have all this modern technology...and we can now fax in color, and all mine does is gives me an error when the other guy can't receive it in color, and I have to send it again

 

[James Burke]

I know! We have all this modern technology...and we can now fax in color, and all mine does is gives me an error when the other guy can't receive it in color, and I have to send it again

Who's standing in line to buy a color fax?

I guess my biggest gripe here is that most everybody HAS email capabilities, yet they're doing a terribly poor job training their employees how to use such an awesome tool (attaching files, etc...)...just sayin'.





JB

 

[Marlene]

our fax came really handy this morning as a guy from Homeland Security has been trying to send an e-mail to use and it gets kicked back. tried all our addresses and we jsut gave up and he faxed the one page I needed. it was more of a pain trying to get the e-mail version to work, spent way too much time on that and was glad for the fax. for one page, it is more of a pain to scan and send than it is to just fax it.

 

[James Burke]

our fax came really handy this morning as a guy from Homeland Security has been trying to send an e-mail to use and it gets kicked back. tried all our addresses and we jsut gave up and he faxed the one page I needed. it was more of a pain trying to get the e-mail version to work, spent way too much time on that and was glad for the fax. for one page, it is more of a pain to scan and send than it is to just fax it.

I can agree on that.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

I just got rid of our 32 year old fax machine last year, it was getting really hard to find the thermal paper for it, besides I prefer email.

 

[Suz]

I quit faxing about 6 years ago. Mine just died on me and I knew I could live without it. Then, had to buy another fax not long after that, because I realized so many other people did not work that way. I hang onto that thing, but hate the idea of plugging it in and setting it up again.

There have been times though, when I have had to run down to office supply and find a fax (I refuse to set my fax up on my desktop for one fax) because a Company said "we don't" do it that way, or we "can't" do it that way. That happens less these days though as many have caught on to scan and email rather than fax. Like you though, I do wish everyone else would get on board. It's surely a hassle and slows down business transactions when somebody doesn't know how to scan and email.

Soooo.... you just reminded me about the dust collector (fax machine) I should get rid of. Really, I should! LOL That machine is like brand new, but I think it would cost me more to ship it off than I could get for it on Ebay or Craigslist.

 

[Mark S. Adams]

I meet my customers at their level of technology . . . you wanna fax? Go right ahead. You wanna email? That works too. Pony Express?? How ever you want to send me an order, I'll take it!

Mark S. Adams

 

[Suz]

I can agree on that.

Oh yeah, thermal paper. I got a whole box of that on a shelf as well. LOL! Geesh, what a pain faxes were.

 

[James Burke]

Thermal paper...grrrr...ever notice how the words seems to disappear in just a few months? And don't ever leave them in a hot car.

Glad those days are gone....but.....

Most cash register receipts are thermal paper nowadays. That's why I photocopy and scan to a .pdf before tucking them away in the expense file. It's kinda hard to hand a blank receipt to the IRS guy and expect him to believe your write-off.

I know some receipts from certain gas pumps don't last to weeks in my wallet....hot butt?....not really sure.


JB

 

[Gino]

We receive lotsa faxes. They come into my computer and are cued for me to view. If I want it, I click print and it comes out of my printer.

If I don't want it because of it being spam, junk or whatever else I don't need, I just delete it.

 

[ddarlak]

i canned the fax machine and fax line a last year, complete waste of time and money.

if you can't figure how to email something, then i guess i don't want you as a customer...

 

[Sign Up Graphics]

Sign Up Graphics

I got rid of my fax machine long time a go.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I basically use mine to send in OKed proofs to gemini for production - barely ever recieve any

 

[CanuckSigns]

We do a fair amount of work for trades people (electricians especially) who scribble what they need down on a piece of paper on the job site and fax it over, not the most convenient for us, but i'll take it.

 

[Pat Whatley]

I kept our fax up because I had one real estate customer who insisted on faxing everything and he was doing the volume to justify it. Lost that customer in December, fax machine has been out of paper since January.....I've had ONE phone call from someone trying to fax me and unable to get through.

Phone line is now connected to a USB fax/modem ($14) so I can send or receive a fax if the day comes I absolutely have to.