Death of the fax?
June 25, 2019
The modern fax, developed by Xerox more than fifty years ago is still with us, but let me share a secret with you.
We have not had a fax machine in The Recycler office for eight years. We switched to an eFax service that converts your fax into a PDF attachment and ends up in our shared office inbox. Secret number two: We haven’t sent a fax in five years, and we haven’t received a fax in three years.
The modern fax machine, once as essential as the office kettle and the coffee machine, is in decline as it transitions from the status of utter necessity to the new interns “what is a fax?” status. Replaced by the use of scanners, email and e-signature services.
Secure faxing has been the reliable tool of doctors for years, but is not really secure because you don’t know who is reading the fax at the other end. In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) has banned fax machines. From 2020 NHS fax machines will join pagers in the halls of redundant technology, or the local WEEE recycling scheme.
Lawyers use mail and fax because they can use the phone book to get a fax number and they have a transmission receipt. And of course, lawyers love paper, the more they produce, the more they read, and, after all, they bill by the hour.
Marketers suggest that a fax can be an effective way to stand out in an increasingly digital crowd. But it requires the recipient to have a fax machine; otherwise, the fax ends up in an inbox. Either way, it might get a cursory glance on its way to the wastebasket.
Here at The Recycler we are calling time on our fax and will end the fax line at the end of August. In our technology graveyard of printers, computers, monitors, all sorts of gadgets, including six old fax machines that this autumn will visit the local WEEE recycling centre and become something new.
If you are still using a fax machine, let us know why it is still important to you. Fax us on +44 1993 226899, but only until the end of August. Alternatively, email us at news@therecycler.com anytime!
Categories : Around the Industry
Tags : Business Faxing The Recycler
