Faxing is still going strong, with the long-proven technology even acting as the default means of communication in a number of thriving industries. Between business-related applications and personal ones, many people find themselves needing to send or receive faxes at least occasionally.
Owning a conventional fax machine could sometimes seem like the only option. In practice, though, digital, internet-based fax platforms quite end up being better in a number of respects. A quick look at five reasons why online fax services often prove superior to the traditional type will make it clear why so many now default to this option.
A Better Way to Fax
Early precursors of the modern fax machine date all the way back to the first half of the nineteenth century. By 1980, faxing had become common and accessible enough that a third version of the best-established standard gained rapid uptake.
Pundits were not shy in predicting, though, that the ascendancy of the personal computer would quickly make fax machines obsolete. Nearly forty years after such devices first achieved mass-market status, though, faxes are still being sent and accepted.
There are quite a few reasons why so many companies and even individuals still depend heavily on this particularly mature technology. With some especially traditional types of business, faxes are still seen as the only acceptable way to place orders and make other important arrangements.
Even in fields where faxes remain common, more and more of them take purely digital forms. Modern internet-based faxed services communicate fluently with old-fashioned machines while enabling a number of significant benefits. Five of these that stand out the most concern:
Reliability.
Conventional fax machines are notoriously finicky, and such temperamentality is rarely enjoyable to deal with. Whether they are getting jammed or running out of consumable supplies, fax machines often seem to fail their owners at the least convenient times. Digital fax services, on the other hand, do away with all the moving mechanical parts and other quirks that make physical machines so troublesome. Faxes sent or received online tend to end up where they are wanted without additional intervention.
Convenience.
Even taking the time to walk over to a fax machine located down the hall can feel like an imposition. Fax services that can be used online are far more widely accessible than the machines they interoperate with. That additional convenience adds up, over many uses, to a lot of time saved.
Digitization.
Many businesses and people have shifted to keeping mostly digital records and documents instead of physical ones. Sending or accepting fax online will mean being able to add it to an easily organized collection of digitized documents that can be searched at will.
Accuracy.
Even high-end fax machines typically do a poor job of capturing or reproducing fine details. The loss of fidelity that results makes many paper faxes difficult to read or even worse. Faxes sent and received online can preserve all the information in the original. Even if only one side of the transfer takes place online, a more legible, informative document will typically result.
Automation.
Although some conventional fax machines can be programmed to a slight degree, the options online are a lot more varied. Being able to automate the sending of faxes appropriately and responsibly can open up interesting new options.
An Improved Take on a Valuable Type of Technology
Experience has already made it clear that faxes will probably be around for quite some time to come. In many cases, though, taking advantage of newer and better, internet-based ways of sending or receiving them will be far better than remaining stuck in the past.
