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Articles to Help You Be More Productive

Enjoy these articles? There are many more available:
  • Time Management Article Collection
  • Microsoft Outlook and Email Article Collection
  • Managing Paper Article Collection
  • Computer Tips Article Collection
  • Less-Paper Office Article Collection
  • Computer & Email
  • Get the Most from Microsoft Outlook

  • Beware the Empty Inbox

  • Get the Most from Your Handheld

  • Do Digital Organizers Save Time - Or Waste It?

  • Efficient E-mail Habits

  • Transitioning from Paper to Digital Information Storage

  • Faxing Without Paper Saves Time

  • Working From Two Offices


  • Business & the Office
  • Time Tactics for the Office

  • Keeping Track of Delegated Tasks

  • Controlling Interruptions

  • Keeping Track of Your Customers & Prospects

  • Do Your Employees Really Need Customer Service Training?


  • Paper Management
  • Action Files Prevent Desk Clutter

  • Reclaim Your Desktop with a Tickler File

  • What To Do With All Those Business Cards?

  • Managing Project Folders - A Surprising Tip that Works


  • Time Management & Organizing
  • The Power of Planning Ahead

  • Words of Wisdom You Should Ignore

  • Coping with Information Overload

  • Thirteen Tips for Working Smarter, Not Harder


  • Faxing Without Paper Saves Time
    © Jan Jasper; 2001-2008
    E-mail has mostly replaced the fax machine. But there are times when a fax machine is indispensable, like when you must fax something that doesn't exist in your computer. And occasionally you come across people who prefer receiving faxes to emails.

    There are computerized faxing software programs that use your computer's internet connection. Probably the best known is Symantec's WinFaxPro. This allows you to send a file directly from your computer to the recipient's fax machine. If you often fax information that exists in your computer, this is much faster than printing it out and feeding it into the fax machine, and the image is clearer. Sending the same fax to a large number of recipients (broadcast faxing) is quick and easy. And the fax software keeps a record of what you faxed to whom and when.

    Programs like WinFaxPro work with your contact management software such as Act! or Goldmine, so once you've added a fax number to the contact's record, you never need to type it in again to send a fax. Your software will add the fax event to the contact's history, which is great for keeping track of what you faxed, when, and to whom.

    Why would you want to send a fax when you can email? Because emails can be caught in the recipient's spam filter. And sometimes recipients prefer to receive a fax. Of course, faxing from your computer doesn't work unless you have the document in your computer. For something that exists only on paper, you'll need a fax machine.

    You can also receive faxes with WinFax, but unless you have a very fast computer, whatever you're doing on the computer may be painfully slow while faxes are coming in. And you can't get incoming faxes unless your computer is turned on, which means leaving it on all the time.

    Receiving Faxes via the Internet
    A better option for receiving faxes is to get them via the Internet, with a free service such as eFax. Faxes arrive as email attachments. The only software required is a free, easy-to-use program that you download from efax.com. This allows you to retrieve your faxes anywhere you have access to e-mail. It's invisible to the sender who doesn't know that you're not receiving their fax on an actual fax machine.

    Internet Faxes Are Easier to Handle and Store
    This is a great help when you're traveling or working from more than one office, for 2 reasons: You don't have to give people a different fax number for all your different locations, which is easier on them. And you have less to lug along on business trips -- instead of a briefcase bulging with paper, you just bring your laptop.

    Still another plus of receiving faxes digitally is the ease with which you can share them with others. You simply forward the e-mail attachment, which is much faster than stuffing the paper back into the fax machine, punching the number, getting the usual busy signals, then waiting to make sure your fax goes through.

    A more subtle benefit - but one of the most important - is the reduction of office clutter and the time saved by having less paper around. Receiving faxes electronically and not printing them will save you the time normally spent filing, retrieving, then re-filing.


    *The usual disclaimers apply. My mentioning these products is not a guarantee of any sort. Obviously, you should not change anything until you've completely backed up your files. You already do that, right? This article is available to reprint if you include my copyright notice and identify me as follows: "Jan Jasper, a productivity expert in the New York City area, is the author of Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, & Technology (St. Martin's Press)."
    Learn how the right technology can save you
    tons of time!

    About the Author:
    Productivity coach Jan Jasper has been helping busy people work smarter, not harder since 1988. Her customized approach guides clients to manage time, tasks, and information more effectively. She also provides Microsoft Outlook customization for clients. Jan is the author of Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, & Technology (St. Martin's Press). She recently completed a North American media tour as the national efficiency spokesperson for IKON Office Solutions, Inc. She has appeared on radio and TV all over North America and is quoted regularly in print. Jan is an adjunct instructor at New York University.

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