There are still 46.3 million active fax machines in the world. Even though many of us associate fax machines with old technology, sending faxes is still a great way to send documents securely and quickly. However, there are several common faxing mistakes many people make when receiving, sending, and dialing that can lead to significant delays in receiving or sending important documents.
Most of the time, people think you can just set up your fax machine and send documents immediately. Before you start using a fax machine, you need to consider a few things, such as whether or not you know how to use one properly and what to do when things go wrong.
To ensure you can send and receive faxes smoothly, here are some common faxing mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. Dialing the Wrong Number
Before dialing a fax number, make sure you have the recipient’s fax number written down. If dialing manually, double-check that you dialed the number correctly and confirm with the recipient that they provided you with the right fax number before sending. It may also help to dial the number slowly, especially if there are a lot of digits.
2. Overloading the Fax Machine
Another common mistake is overloading the machine with several faxes at one time. Even though one benefit of fax machines is sending documents to many people, you need to be careful not to send too many documents as this can overwhelm the machine.
You could create a schedule for sending your faxes and space out the timing of each message if you have a backlog. This is also important so you can receive transmissions that could be urgent.
3. Use a Cover Sheet
When preparing a fax document, you need to ensure that you attach a cover sheet with the contact information of the sender and receiver, to make sure that your message gets to the right person. It’s also important to include a brief description of what you are sending as this will help ensure efficient delivery.
4. Bad Phone Connection
When your phone line’s connection is unstable, your fax machine will not function properly. Water can get into your phone line and make conversations sound fuzzy. Other electronics can also cause connectivity issues. These are just some of the reasons why your fax failed.
A good rule of thumb is that if a conversation sounds bad on a phone line, then it’s also not going to work for faxing.
If you use a fax machine regularly on a bad phone line, you should contact your phone company to see if they offer a repair service.
5. Don’t Know How to Use a Fax Machine
Many people don’t understand how to use a fax machine properly. You should know what busy signals, dial tones, and transmissions sound like so you can troubleshoot any problems that come up.
Read the manual carefully and make sure that you go through all of the settings before sending or receiving documents. This will help ensure that you have set everything up correctly and avoid any easily avoided missteps.
6. Picking the Wrong Faxing Service Provider
Maybe you don’t want to be responsible for maintaining a phone line or fax machine. That’s where a professional faxing service provider comes in. Your choice of provider is just as important as dialing the correct number.
Picking the wrong service provider can make sending faxes a lot harder than it has to be. To avoid picking the wrong service provider, you should research online and ask friends for recommendations.
If you’re a business, this will save you time and money instead of setting up a fax machine in your office. It will also save you the time needed to learn about fax machines.
Don’t Make Common Faxing Mistakes With a Fax Provider
Fax machines are a time-tested method of sending documents to other businesses and friends. As long as you have the right equipment and know-how, fax machines are quick and easy to use.
One other way to avoid these common faxing mistakes is to rely on a reliable faxing service to help you find a solution.
Our team can help you receive and send important faxes for just $1 a page! So you don’t need to worry about making a mistake. Just use our fax services and start sending documents fast at one of our stores in Roseburg, OR.