Negosentro.com | 6 Drawbacks of Using a Traditional Fax Machine: Here’s What to Do Instead | Considering all the technology now at the world’s fingertips, certain devices are largely considered out of date. Rotary phones, manually operated washing machines and cassette players are among them. As far as a number of people are concerned, fax machines should top the list as well. Contrary to popular belief, though, the latter is actually still widely used today.
While the standard fax machine first introduced nearly 180 years ago hasn’t been completely phased out by new developments, those relying on versions of the past may be missing out on a number of newly created benefits. Many of the issues businesses face these days were nonexistent just a few decades ago, so the original norm isn’t equipped to overcome them. Because of this, there are certain drawbacks to using traditional fax machines as opposed to more current alternatives.
1) Limited Functionality
Fax machines of yesteryear are extremely restrictive when compared to some modern options. They only allow one fax or page to be sent at a time to a single recipient, and incoming faxes can’t be received until outgoing ones have been sent. Should something go wrong during the process, you have to start all over again from the beginning. All this makes for a time-consuming and labor-intensive form of communication.
2) Lack of Flexibility
Standard fax machines must be connected to a landline in order to function. These days, landlines are rare and elusive creatures. Some newer buildings aren’t even equipped with them, so setting up a conventional fax machine could require extensive retrofitting and other measures. At the same time, recipients must have either their own landlines or FoIP capabilities designed to convert hard-copy faxes into digital form for this to be a two-way communique.
3) Extensive Maintenance
All office equipment is bound to require ongoing maintenance and repairs from time to time, but physical devices like fax machines have more extensive needs than virtual ones. They can’t be repaired remotely, either. Technicians have to perform these tasks in person. This could amount to lengthy downtime and more expenses to name a couple potential issues.
4) Lack of Security
Security measures are becoming stricter with every passing year and with good reason. Higher volumes of sensitive data are being sent and received than ever before, and prying eyes now have far more ways of maliciously using this information. With a traditional fax machine, almost any passerby could see the information coming through and use it inappropriately. Businesses as well as their clients could certainly lose a great deal because of all this.
5) Poor-Quality Documents
Some documents come through no worse for wear when being sent via fax, but not all fare so well. When sending pictures, diagrams and other images, they often turn out dark, grainy and difficult to discern. This could certainly cause confusion and misunderstandings.
6) Environmentally Unfriendly
Last, but not least, standard faxes are printed out on paper. With at least 16 million faxes being sent and received annually, an estimated two million trees need to be cut down each year just to create enough paper to cover them. More efficient and environmentally friendly solutions are certainly available.
How to Circumvent Those Issues
Technology has certainly advanced since those first widely used fax machines made their way into businesses across the globe. One of the most renowned is the cloud fax. It relies on the virtual storage and communication solutions so many businesses and individuals are turning to these days, and it helps overcome many of the problems associated with the outdated, inefficient alternative.
Bottom Line
Faxing hasn’t been replaced by any means. In fact, reports show it’s just as popular as ever if no more so. Still, environmental consciousness, security concerns, a growing need for flexibility and numerous other aspects have brought about higher expectations than the traditional fax machines can fulfill. Fortunately, the old norm is no longer the only option available.
