10 Reasons People Still Fax Documents

It would seem that with the ever-changing, ever-improving advancements in the digital and web technologies that the fax machine would be reverently retired in the business world; and that the familiar dial, whine and screech would be absent from a modern-day office setting. This, however, is surely not the case and the fax machine is certainly as vital an office asset as it has always been. Here’s a few reasons why this tool has retained its value and withstood the competition of the digital, internet rule:

1. Hard Copy – The faxed documents are received and presented in a tangible, physical form and are an exact replica of that which was sent.
2. Safe from Manipulation – Being an exact replica of a physical, tangible form, they cannot be digitally manipulated or altered via the faxing process.
3. Single format – Fax machines understand one another–If you forward digital copies via the internet, the recipient must have the identical software that the sender utilized in the document’s creation. Otherwise, the received copy may be corrupted or unreadable. The fax machines always ‘speak’ a common language, and there is never a threat of corruption.
4. Direct connect – A fax machine utilizes one direct, dedicated source to another direct, dedicated source so the possibility of a communication detour is nil.
5. Secure connection – When sending documents via e-mail (internet) there is always the possibility of a document being hijacked, modified or diverted. Fax machines are dedicated, again, from one single source to the other.
6. Virus proof – E-mails may be confounded with a virus or cookie that is unwanted. A fax machine is the most secure means of sending documents.
7. No data limit – There may be size limitations determined by an e-mail program that prevent an entire document from being transported via the internet. A fax machine is not limited by the size of the document being sent.
8. Time Stamp – The faxed copy possesses a time stamp that cannot be altered or manipulated, thus verifying the precise date and time in which a document was received.
9. Verifiable signatures -While some contracts may only require a ‘digital signature’ the predominance of the business and legal community still require and authentic, hand-scribed signature in order to validate a contract. In such cases, a hard-copy fax is the only acceptable means of communicating and documenting this type of signature.
10. Record of delivery – Unlike some e-mail programs, a fax machine will prompt the user—and record–that the fax had been received by the desired party and that there was no interruption in the communication.

However antiquated this technology may seem to be, in contrast with the digital offerings available today, it still cannot be dethroned as the medium of choice in the business community, where the authenticity and timeliness of documentation is mandated.

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Coleen Torres