Do Businesses Still Use Fax Machines?
When it comes to business technology, most new business owners worry about things like getting the hosting service or finding a workaround for the cybersecurity shortage. After that, they worry about getting the right desktop systems, laptops, or tablets for their specific needs.
Most of them don’t worry overmuch about things like fax machines. Those are just relics from the 1980s, right? Business owners think that right up until they find out that sending faxes is something they’ll need to do regularly.
Wondering what fax machine uses still exist or why you might need to use one? Keep reading for a quick breakdown on fax machine usage in the modern era.
Faxes Hold Legal Weight
A signed, faxed document like a contract is usually considered as legally valid as a document that was signed in person. For many years, it was the only way you could get a legally signed document other than mailing it back and forth. While the regulations have changed to include electronic signatures in the legally valid ways of signing documents, many businesses set up their procedures before that change.
Change Is Complicated
While some businesses make a conscious effort to stay on the bleeding edge of technology, many prefer that they stick with established and known procedures until new tech and regulations become firmly established.
Let’s say your run a small business out of one location. Switching over from faxed to digital documents isn’t an enormous challenge.
It becomes an enormous challenge if your company has 57 locations or 557 locations spread out across the globe. Making the change then often involves such a big expenditure of resources that many companies don’t see the point. Faxes work, so why change?
It Works When the Internet Is Down
Faxes also enjoy a key advantage of digital communication in that fax machines keep working as long as the power stays on and there is a phone line available. You can still send a fax even if your internet service goes down.
That can mean the difference between getting an order out to a vendor on time or missing your window for the week or month.
It’s Readily Available
Even if you don’t keep a fax machine on-site at your business or typically use digital faxing, you can still find places that will send a fax for you. If you’re not sure what to look for, head over here for some tips on how to choose a provider for your faxing needs.
Fax Machine and You
Fax machines may look like outdated relics from old movies, but they still play a key role in most businesses. They offer an easy way for businesses to exchange legal documents, such as contracts and service agreements.
They’re an established technology that many still businesses use, rather than undertaking massive change management projects to convert over to digital. Fax machines are also a reliable technology that can still work even if your Internet service goes down.
Looking for more tech tips? Check out the other posts in our Lifestyle section.
June Potter wrote this article on behalf of FreeUp. FreeUp is the fastest-growing freelance marketplace in the US. FreeUp only accepts the top 1% of freelance applicants. Click here to get access to the top freelancers in the world.
HTV Native Ad Solutions and Hearst partners may earn revenue when readers click affiliate links in this article.