What if you were about to make a costly mistake in your business?
That’s exactly what happens to most businesses that invest in a fax machine. Sure, you may need to send or receive the occasional fax. But for the most part, the machine just sits there as a big waste of time and money.
Are you still thinking you should make the investment? Keep reading to discover the biggest reasons why you don’t need a fax machine for your business!
1. Too Expensive
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. In this case, the elephant is the new fax machine you’re thinking of buying. And the main reason you shouldn’t buy it is that it costs too much!
Many businesses end up spending about $250 on a fax machine. While cheaper models are available, you generally need to spend a bit more money to get some of the “bells and whistles” that a professional business might need.
At first, you might think that $250 isn’t that expensive when it comes to a new piece of complex office machinery. But be honest with yourself: how many times have you had to send or receive a fax in recent years?
The simple truth is that you can always let third parties handle your faxing needs (more on this later). And with third-party fax services, you typically only pay one dollar per fax. Honestly, with a giant fax machine you rarely use, the maintenance costs alone could easily be more than the cost of sending a few faxes each year!
2. Take Up Too Much Room
Remember when we said that most businesses invest in midrange fax machines for added functionality? Well, the primary downside to this is that better fax machines are typically bigger fax machines. And when it comes to the available floor space in your business, “bigger” does not always mean “better!”
A fax machine, especially one with many other functions built-in, tends to be very large and very heavy. In a small office, it can easily cut into your available space to get work done.
Smaller and lighter fax machines are available. But unless you are using a fax machine way more often than the average business, a fax machine of any size is really just an oversized paperweight. You are far better off just relying on reliable fax services for your occasional faxing needs.
3. Won’t Get Much Use
It’s worth repeating: sending and receiving faxes is relatively rare for most businesses. And the simple fact that the machine won’t get much use is a powerful argument against getting a fax machine for your business.
Why are faxes so rare these days? The simple truth is that most individuals and businesses that need to send and receive electronic documents do so through email. It’s easy to digitize and send documents via email, and unlike using fax machines, you can always pull these documents up from anywhere on your smartphone.
In business terms, we want you to think of fax machines in terms of ROI. How much are you going to actually use this versus how much are you going to pay for it? Ultimately, we don’t think you should pay so much for something that you’re going to use so little, which is why many are pushing to rid government offices of fax machines.
4. All That Maintenance Adds Up
You and your business may not have that much experience with fax machines. But for better or for worse, these machines have a lot in common with other complex office machinery. And you know what that means: all the headaches that come with regular maintenance!
You may not need to send faxes that often, but you are likely to encounter fax machine issues at some point. Depending on the issue, this may require that you get a third party to fix the fax machine. And the cost of this maintenance and these repairs can really add up from year to year.
As we said before, this becomes a numbers game after a while. When the cost of maintenance and repairs far exceeds the cost of just using third-party fax services, buying your own fax machine is just downright wasteful.
5. You Can Always Use A Third Party
The good news is that your business has plenty of options when it comes to sending and receiving faxes. Instead of deciding to buy a fax machine or never send another fax, there is a third choice: using a third party for all your fax services.
With the right fax services, you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Whenever you need to send a fax, you can pay a modest fee (usually one dollar per fax), and you can let your local fax experts worry about maintenance, repairs, and troubleshooting. And best of all, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a fax machine that your business will hardly ever use.
As an added bonus, the best third-party services aren’t limited to faxes. Businesses like Goin’ Postal can help you with printing, copying, laminating, and so much more on top of your basic fax needs!
Do You Still Need To Send and Receive Faxes?
So far, we have focused primarily on how you can use third-party fax services instead of buying your own machine. But we should answer one final question: does your business really need to worry about faxes?
The short answer is “maybe.” While most businesses now prefer other forms of electronic communication, other businesses like faxes because they are reliable and leave a friendly paper trail. And a surprising number of businesses still use fax machines.
You never know who will insist on using faxes. And by using services like Goin’ Postal, you can still easily do business without buying your own fax machine.
Your Next Move
Now you know why your own business probably doesn’t need its own fax machine.
Here at Goin’ Postal, we are devoted to helping your business achieve its full potential. To see what we can do for your business, just contact us today!