Implementing fax to email

Changing from a traditional fax machine to an online service takes a little getting used to. These are the things our users tell us make the transition to sending and receiving faxes from email a smooth one.

Standard implementation

• Write down your fax address — 61<state><number>@fax.utbox.net — and keep it somewhere easy to reach. You would be surprised how easily it is forgotten the first few times you want to send a fax.
• Record your username and password, and the date your free trial started or your renewal date, somewhere safe.
• If you change your email address, update it on your account. Your email address is the single point we have for communications, billing information and product updates.
• Set up a folder in your email software for faxes sent and received, or file them with your emails by topic. Either works; a consistent filing plan is the point.
• Update your new fax number everywhere it appears: your website and contact pages, business cards, letterheads, email sign-off and any other signage.
• Communicate the new number to your key customers and contacts. A one-off fax broadcast to your client list is a good way to do it.

For larger organisations

• Set timelines for the changeover and communicate them well.
• Run training. It will be short, but demonstrating how online faxing works — however simple — lets staff see the benefit and adapt to the change more easily.
• Phase out the existing fax machines over a defined period, giving users time to adjust.
• Set up a help line, an intranet page or links to this site so users can get support as they need it.
• Distribute cards with simple instructions for sending, and for receiving, a fax.
• Consider your policy on faxes and filing, and whether it needs to change from what is in place.
• Make sure received faxes are distributed correctly, and that this is set up properly from the start. We can help with that.
• Set a target for cost savings and monitor it. The savings come from paper, call costs and fax machine consumables.

A little effort is the difference between a good implementation and a great one. More on how to send and receive faxes, or talk to us about a 30-day trial.