4 Reasons the Fax Machine is Here to Stay

There are few pieces of hardware which seem to be comically outdated like the fax machine. Many of us imagine that such an antiquated piece of technology would have few uses and little purpose in this day and age, yet the humble fax machine still has a secure place in the world of business. It remains the go-to communications device for certain situations and is still used extensively in many business, government, and academic contexts. If you are interested in getting a fax machine then you should check out something like this best online fax system here.

Here we look at some of the key indicators that the fax machine is here to stay and is not going anywhere.

Fax Machine Usage is Growing, Not Slowing

Believe it or not, usage of the fax machine is going up, not down. The latest research from the International Data Group (IDG) shows that 82% of businesses that were surveyed had seen their fax machine usage increase in the last year. Many of the companies that saw their fax usage increase in the last year were also predicting for greater increases over the next financial year.

The IDG surveyed a number of companies who had more than 500 employees and annual revenue of between $100 and $1 billion. They found that the manufacturing sector saw the biggest increase in fax machine usage, with an average increase of 16% of communications now taking place via fax.

The IT Sector Still Loves it

Spiceworks, a website with over half a million information technology professionals as users, conducted a poll last year to ascertain how many IT professionals were still using fax machines. You might assume that IT professionals would be equipped with the very latest technology and would have long since abandoned the fax machine, however, they found that a whopping 62% of IT professionals were still relying on fax in some form to handle their day-to-day communications.

Older Users are Used to Them

One of the biggest challenges, whenever any new piece of technology is introduced, is convincing users of the previous technology to make the switch. Many older workers are used to the fax machine and, therefore, still prefer to use it today whenever they can. Most of us have moved onto e-mail, but there is still a small, yet significant subset of people who prefer to use the fax machine because it is what they are used to.

If there are still people in your business clamoring for a fax machine, then check out this guide from Today Best Reviews of the 10 best fax machines.

Customers Still Use Them

Any business worth its salt wants to keep its customers happy. Part of achieving this is ensuring that they find every interaction they have with your business as simple and straightforward as possible.

The ability to communicate easily with your business is incredibly important, whether customers want to complain or to compliment you. If your customers are still using fax, then you need to as well!

Despite being outdated hardware, the fax machine is still in use in a variety of different contexts. These are just some of the reasons that the fax machine has stubbornly refused to disappear from use as a communications tool.