The Fax Is Dead, Long Live E-mail

I JUST want to express my concern about how many companies in Namibia still send quotations by fax! Clients should say whether they want to receive quotations by fax or e-mail.

The advantages of sending quotations by e-mail are enormous. E-mail quotations enable managers immediately look at the quotations wherever they are in the world, as opposed to a quote sent by fax that goes to just one fax machine.Just imagine if you are on a business trip, you have no time to stand at fax machines but you can access the Internet even wirelessly and receive a quote or ask for a quote.Another disadvantage of using a fax is for instance if a newspaper wants you to proofread an advert – a fax copy won’t be as clear as one sent via e-mail.I am not sure why those computers used to print out quotes are not linked to the Internet.One is always told: “We can’t e-mail you the quote because our computer is not connected to the Internet”.This excuse is not good enough, because you can still use a scanner to e-mail those quotes to those who do not want fax replies.Matiti Pius, WindhoekE-mail quotations enable managers immediately look at the quotations wherever they are in the world, as opposed to a quote sent by fax that goes to just one fax machine.Just imagine if you are on a business trip, you have no time to stand at fax machines but you can access the Internet even wirelessly and receive a quote or ask for a quote.Another disadvantage of using a fax is for instance if a newspaper wants you to proofread an advert – a fax copy won’t be as clear as one sent via e-mail.I am not sure why those computers used to print out quotes are not linked to the Internet.One is always told: “We can’t e-mail you the quote because our computer is not connected to the Internet”.This excuse is not good enough, because you can still use a scanner to e-mail those quotes to those who do not want fax replies.Matiti Pius, Windhoek