GoFaxer Blog

An Ezine Article by Paton Jackson raises the question: Is fax technology dead? He explains:

“Till now, you had to own a special machine – a fax machine, which was only made to send and receive faxes. Now using internet fax or as some call it email faxing, you need no special device for faxes – You can send and receive faxes via your email.”

The simple fact is that the technology that has been a common necessity in every office setting for every type of business, large or small, is no longer necessary. With Internet fax it’s all as easy as receiving and sending emails. No more standing in line at the fax machine.

The challenge though during this transitional period is that there are still many businesses that are dependent on the older technology. It becomes necessary for all businesses to be able to do both, send faxes and emails. This is where companies like GoFaxer are so amazing. If you’re sending a fax to someone who has email fax, they will receive it in email form. If you’re sending it to a company that has an old-fashioned fax machine, they will receive it on printed paper.

So in a sense, faxing is still alive. It’s just transitioned into an internet form that crosses both technologies and makes both compatible with one another.

I’ve written a lot in the past few weeks about the cost savings available from Internet fax technology. This is of course one of the most obvious ways for your small business to save on overhead.

I found a useful article by Bob Hamilton that points out some other important ways to save money in your small business. This article focuses on shipping costs. He says:

• Always us the absolute smallest box possible. Small boxes cost less. Small boxes require less cushioning materials.
• Continually shop for new packaging suppliers. Even a few cents can have a big impact on current and long term sales.
• Take advantage of USPS offers for Flat Rate and Priority Mail boxes at no cost?
• Always be on the look out for FREE packaging materials.

When all is said and done, you want to make money in your business. The best way to make money is to save money. Whether it’s using an internet fax service or saving some money from getting free packaging peanuts, the costs add up. When you save those costs, that savings adds up to increased profits.

So always be on the lookout for new ways to save your small business a little money, and your small business could be on the track to become a large business.

I’m a firm believer that technology can create a better world for the future. Maybe that sounds a little optimistic, dreamy, or just plain cheesy, but I think it’s true.

For example, I’m so glad that we live in a world with toilets instead of outhouses. The world has become a much better place in my mind from this technology. And a less smelly one.

Another example: 3 years ago I flew to Europe for two weeks. But 100 years ago the voyage by boat to the other continent would have taken longer than the actual trip I took. That trip is priceless in my memory and stands as another perfect example of how the world has become a better place.

Let’s consider Internet technology. The Internet makes my life infinitely easier than it was just 15 years ago. I don’t know how anyone got info before the Internet. I guess they had to go to the library or something.

Even something as easy as fax technology is being replaced by Internet fax technology. Companies like GoFaxer can allow you to send and receive your faxes without the expense and hassle of a fax machine.

So when I hear the pessimists crying gloom and doom about the future of the world, I remind myself that I can receive faxes by email, a small but happy example of progress, and it gives me hope for the big things. Call me cheesy. That’s okay. I’ll be happy to send you more optimistic thoughts if you’d like, by fax or email—your choice.

Recently I read an interesting article on Ezine.com about email fax technology by Sumit Sehghal. The article said that you can send faxes now through the internet with Internet fax software. This caught my eye. GoFaxer provides a wonderful email fax service, without requiring you to download software onto your computer.

As a big fan of GoFaxer’s service, this was very exciting for me to read. Not only is email fax the latest and greatest technology innovation in office communications, but GoFaxer does it better than most other services. They are on the cutting edge of an already cutting edge technology.

The big advantage of not having to download software, is that you can access your GoFaxer account anywhere, from anyone’s computer, as long as they have access to the web. You can simply access your account and send your fax.

So imagine that you’re visiting a friend and you realize that you forgot to send out that fax. You can log on from their home PC and send that fax. Imagine that you’re out of town and away from your computer, and a customer calls you and asks for something to be faxed. You can go to an internet café and send the fax.

As Sehghal points out: “Online faxing is the cheapest way to send or receive faxes via Internet.”

With GoFaxer, it’s the cheapest, and the easiest.

I recently found an article online by Elizabeth Morgan that seemed totally out of date given the popularity of fax to email services.

She answers the question: What is a fax machine? Her answer:

“A fax machine, short for facsimile machine, basically sends and receives reproductions of a document through a telephone line.”

Of course, when this technology first came into use some 30 years ago, it was seen as an amazing new convenience. You could send someone a document across the world in minutes. But now, with the overwhelming dominance of email, fax technology can seem a bit quaint. But as Morgan suggests, “the fax machine is still essential in any office for instantaneous sharing of documents such as proofs, contracts and other documents.”

Consequently, innovative new businesses will want the convenience of their email while also being able to have a fax service. This is why fax to email services like GoFaxer are so popular. They allow you to be an internet based business, while being able to employ older technologies like fax.

Modern companies don’t even need to ask, “What’s a fax machine?” They don’t have to ask themselves whether to buy an inkjet fax machine or invest in a laser fax. The issue becomes mute with Internet fax.

In a recent article about email faxing, I found several pertinent questions you should ask when considering email fax technology.

Answer these questions about your business:

1. Do you communicate daily with suppliers, customers, or colleagues?
2. Do you find yourself (or your employees) standing by the fax machine at least once a week?
3. Is time a dominant factor in your life or business? Do you want to save some of your wasted time?
4. Do you want to save up to hundreds dollars to your business a year?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, internet fax technology is probably right for your business. Of course, anyone in any business will likely answer yes to one of these questions. This is why email fax seems to be here to stay. It represents a major stage in the evolution of communication.

It’s much cheaper to use a fax service like gofaxer than to pay for fax machines, paper, toner, and repairs. Likewise, the convenience in terms of time can be priceless. You can access your fax service anywhere that you have an internet connection. Sending a fax is now as easy as sending an email.