In the old days, a contract was mailed to a customer, signed and then mailed back. It could take weeks to get started on something depending on the distance between Point A and Point B.  With the invention of the fax machine, the time was cut down to mere minutes. You could fax over a contract, wait for it to be signed and faxed back and be off and running immediately. The fax machine revolutionized the way that business was done for a lot of people; however it may be reaching the end of its usefulness. We do not haul around huge phones in great big bags anymore. We do not have great hulking, boxy computers on our desks anymore. And most of us do not send or receive faxes anymore. There are other options available and many of them simply make a lot more sense.

 The Cost of a Keeping a Fax Machine Up and Running

The fax machine was great when it was the only option; however it makes little sense when it is stacked up against any realistic and viable competitors. The fax machine itself is either a purchased item or it is a rental. When a company makes an option to pay for an item and own it, it tends to do so with the knowledge that the item may not live long enough to recoup its own cost. The company also knows that if something goes wrong with it, it will be their own responsibility to have it fixed or replaced. In addition to this cost though, there is the cost of having the fax service, an additional cost in your telecom budget. If you get two maybe three faxes per month, then you are paying for a service that is not really necessary.

A fax machine needs to have ink cartridges to print out what is received as well as paper. Once a fax machine type is discontinued or is changed by the company, the ink cartridges can become difficult if not impossible to find. It is at this point that most business owners start exploring the options that they have for replacing the fax machine. They could buy or rent a new model, but how long until the same thing happens?

Using Email/Scanner Instead

Paying for service that you use twice a month does not make sense. Most companies use their email account at least once a day- instead of faxing a document; you can scan it into your computer and attach it to an email. It can be read and signed and emailed back with the document stored in a file on the computer. There never needs to be additional paper wasted, no ink cartridge is used and best of all, the company can drop an expense that does not make sense any longer.

EFax and other Services

 Some files or documents can be faxed via another company using their eFax system. The cost of switching should be compared to the cost of keeping the system that you already have in place, including rental/purchase, upkeep and the service charges.