GoFaxer Blog

It’s more than a little stunning to think of just how important the internet has become in our lives, one that many couldn’t have begun to imagine the depth and breadth of just thirty years ago.  So much of our lives – business and personal – is done online nowadays.  And we’re  constantly expanding our usage of the internet, too.  Now we’re not just paying your bills or shopping for shoes at 2 a.m. or staying in touch with faraway friends and family anymore, no; now folks are finding new and exciting new ways to get things accomplished, thanks to the internet.We can agree that the businessworld ranks high on the list of folks using the internet for everyday transactions, including using an online fax service.  All too often I know I’ve done the oh-no-I-need-a-fax-machine-now! panic, which has me scrambling to find a fax machine to use, and then inevitably discovering that the machine needs some TLC or to be fed more ink or another one of those laughably bad paper jams, and by the time it’s all over, I am exhausted and wishing there was a better solution.  Now there is and it’s called internet fax.  You won’t soon forget its name.

Not yet convinced of the need to sign up for an online fax service for yourself or your business today? Whether you’re in business for yourself, traveling on business, part of a growing company, or just have the occasional need to send or receive faxes for personal business, an online fax service could be totally ideal for you.  For now you can send and receive all of your important (and on a deadline) fax communications via the internet as easily as checking your email or the online news for a basketball score.  Its easy access is matched by its affordability and effortlessness…how many things can you say that about these days?  Other benefits include increased productivity, access when out of the office and traveling for business, and noteworthy reliability.  Do we really need to continue or are you convinced yet?

With the use of fax to email, it’s easy to forget that the old rules of fax etiquette still apply. For example, it’s easy to forget that one still needs to send a cover sheet. So in that effort, let me remind you of these simple rules to remember the next time you send something out through fax.

Cover sheets should preferably be type written, but handwritten cover sheets are totally acceptable. Clearly delineate your name as the sender. Indicate the name of the person that you are sending the fax to. Your address, phone number, and email address are all very important to include.

This may seem fairly common sense, but make sure that you proofread the cover sheet and the document for typos, misspellings, or anything else that could be inappropriate.

In business, remember to use:

• Official letterhead
• Company stamped fax coversheets
• Well organized and formal email formats
• Well printed business cards with your logo and title

All of these small things communicate the quality of business that you run. God is in the details, and a professionally detailed faxed document can look divine.

Yesterday I was at the doctor’s office. They were doing a series of tests. The nurse jotted down the results of those tests on my paper work. When the doctor came to the waiting room to discuss the results of the tests he couldn’t find where they were written. He looked all over and finally discovered a percentage written and circled on my bill. He started laughing, asked me which nurse had written it on the report. He left the room. I could hear him in his main office outside teasing the nurse. All of the other nurses laughed.

I have no doubt that at some point that form was to be faxed to my insurance company. I’m glad that the doctor noticed this inaccuracy before it got sent. If that had been faxed to my insurance company I would have received a strange bill.

This made me realize the importance of checking all fax cover sheets, and faxed documents carefully before we send them. Even when you use fax to email services, it’s easy to do it quickly and not pay attention to the little details. So if you work in a doctor’s office, or are simply sending important business info, make sure your fax paper work is all inline before you hit the send button.