I must admit that I stumped every time I was being told to quote a ‘super efficient’ fax machine. The usual requirements – the fax machine must be cheap when comes to consumables, preferably refillable ink or availability of refurbished toner. Heck, is email so difficult to be implemented? Known to most of us, a simple email solution is ideal. Yet, most management people have difficulties to adjust to the latter. Why?
Fax Machine
+ simply punch the numbers and hit start (not true, when was the last time you use a fax?)
+ function as photocopier (right – black and white)
+ look more office-gadget (oh my!)
- waste of office space (unless hide under the table?)
- waste of another redundant phone line (although can be shared with voice line)
- waste paper/toner/ink (even refurbished ones do not come free)
- risk being strucked by lightning via phone line (isolator is not full proof by the way)
- junk fax as a result will add to more waste of paper/toner/ink (expensive models have junk filter?)
- maintenance (fax machines do get paper stuck, trap staples/paper clips/hair?)
- line busy syndrome (auto redial and hog the line)
- P&C syndrome (buy individual machine next to each management personnel?)
- out-of-paper (on-board-save-to-memory function does not come free too)
- dark tones, re-fax and re-fax, more paper and ink wasted
Email
+ type and hit send (most documents are typed electronically anyway)
+ need copies, reprint (for hardcopy)
+ need to cc (cc in email)
+ need to bcc (bcc in email – something a fax machine cannot emulate)
+ cost of sending / receiving (bundled with your internet connectivity)
+ read and archieve/delete (no waste of paper/ink)
+ able to access anywhere – smartphone / PC / Cybercafes
+ ability to send documents in actual form – (colour is a yes, pictures and movies too)
- spam (can be rectified by spam filter)
- clients do not have email to receive yours (where are your clients based? Utopia?)
- need to scan forms that are hand-filled (al-cheapo 3-in-1 printer settles it at RM200) or rather construct the form electronically and filled up electronically – any qualified admin should be able to
- attachments are applications specific (use pdf for portability)
- attachments risk being modified and manipulated (use pdf password protect )
Despite all that, most of the time I ended up supplying the email solution and a ‘back-up’ fax machine to be bundled with, the legacy remains…sigh
Should the supplier/client without a proper ‘working’ email
be regarded as similar to the supplier/client without a proper banking account??
Yes, a quick check on my calendar shows Year 2010, isn’t yours too?