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Why do fax machines still exist?

  • The Pantry said...

    Into year 3 working for a family-owned automotive/Tier 1 OEM. Much of the front office still works like the stoneage. For instance, the purchasing department still hand writes requests for quote (from an Excel bill of materials) and faxes them to our vendors.

    I really need to get out of the place sinking

    Sounds about right.

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    "Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul" - Plato

    MSU734

  • IHateWeberState said...

    What kind of phone do you have? There are a lot of applications that will turn your pictures into pdfs so you can email it right from your phone. Try something like Cam Scanner.

    I think this is the biggest issue that my parent's generation has with technology, they just aren't aware of the tools available to them. For instance, people in this thread are saying that printing and faxing is faster than printing, scanning, then emailing. Easy solution, use a "PDF printer" or converter and then email. You also then have a digital copy for data storage purposes.

    My 15 year old was just telling me about this as we were canoeing the Pere Marquette yesterday. Too funny and you're right, all we need to do is ask you young people. We might decide to keep doing it our way, but some of u's have egos that won't let us ask and we have the technology right in our hands.

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    DWags

  • The Pantry said...

    Into year 3 working for a family-owned automotive/Tier 1 OEM. Much of the front office still works like the stoneage. For instance, the purchasing department still hand writes requests for quote (from an Excel bill of materials) and faxes them to our vendors.

    I really need to get out of the place sinking

    Let me take a guess. Kid of "owner" shows up at 10, leaves for lunch, sometimes comes back but plays a lot of golf.

    Tree Rat

  • Tree Rat said...

    Let me take a guess. Kid of "owner" shows up at 10, leaves for lunch, sometimes comes back but plays a lot of golf.

    That's pretty accurate

    The Pantry ●

  • Tree Rat said...

    Let me take a guess. Kid of "owner" shows up at 10, leaves for lunch, sometimes comes back but plays a lot of golf.

    Not entirely accurate. Depending on my tee time, I occasionally arrive at the office prior to 10. Rarely leave for lunch except on Weds (Ladies Day at the Club) when we dont tee off until 2pm. I rarely play golf after Oct. 1 because most of the club members take off for Florida or AZ. With my hectic schedule, I can't leave for my house in either place until after Thanksgiving. Even then I have to connect with the office via modern technology, often to correct problems the Pantry's of the company have created. Nothing more frustrating than knowing you have to birdie # 18 to win the bet and having your caddie tell you that the office has sent a text.

    Isn't it a bit ironic that this thread is all about the advances in technology, devices and applications to make things faster and more efficient. Pantry gets paid very well to do a specific task, but yet bitches about the very system that provides a very handsome industry.
    Part of the reason we were able to land many of the contracts we have is because we provided our customer with top quality service, personal service.

    Blaykezor

  • JEK said...

    I'm not talking about little mom & pop liquor stores and whatnot. I'm talking about big companies like Auto-Owners Insurance Company. Fucking inexcusable.

    Don't be disparaging Auto Owners. They are actually a good client compared to others.

    Winger ●

  • Blaykezor said...

    Not entirely accurate. Depending on my tee time, I occasionally arrive at the office prior to 10. Rarely leave for lunch except on Weds (Ladies Day at the Club) when we dont tee off until 2pm. I rarely play golf after Oct. 1 because most of the club members take off for Florida or AZ. With my hectic schedule, I can't leave for my house in either place until after Thanksgiving. Even then I have to connect with the office via modern technology, often to correct problems the Pantry's of the company have created. Nothing more frustrating than knowing you have to birdie # 18 to win the bet and having your caddie tell you that the office has sent a text.

    Isn't it a bit ironic that this thread is all about the advances in technology, devices and applications to make things faster and more efficient. Pantry gets paid very well to do a specific task, but yet bitches about the very system that provides a very handsome industry. Part of the reason we were able to land many of the contracts we have is because we provided our customer with top quality service, personal service.

    Please explain why I have quoted and landed $4.5M worth of business this year vs your $1.2M.

    Modern technology...? You mean the legal pad you use to add up numbers you mostly pull out of your butt? Pretty sad the receptionist has to try to read your chicken scratch to type your quotes into Word because you are still trying to learn email.

    Paid very well...? Hardly. You guys are cheapskates...far worse than the last company I worked for. When are you and dad going to pony-up to upgrade the software in the design room? Our customers sorta shake their heads knowing we still use an archaic 3D modeling product that is no longer supported...thank god for 214step files. I know you don't want to pay for the software and training but if you want the place to keep going, you have no choice. You assholes better get your shit together soon.

    Specific task...? Unlike you, I am expected to be there all the time to troubleshoot stuff on the build floor. The only thing I really hate is dealing with the two angry old bitches in the bookkeeping/purchasing office. They're complete twats. I've nicknamed the office they occupy 'the sandbox'. A co-worker has nicknamed the walk to their office 'the perp walk' when paged to go there. They're even rude to our clients. If not for family ties to your dad they would be have been fired at any other company years ago.

    Let's talk margins. Fixed overhead was paid for by March this year. The stuff I quote and win is expected to be 20+% profit. The stuff you quote is cool with your dad if it is 5%. Looking at job cost, your dad's SIL juggles the books to make every job look good...cost transfers are common place.

    The most ridiculous part of the business is that it is ISO certified. I know this because I was the internal audit program manager at my last place. There were 4 of us that went for ISO training. We wrote the company's quality policy and updated it as needed. For the most part I think the ISO game is bullshit, but the systems we put in place were beneficial. Unfortunately, you and your dad pay the guy under the table for certification. The company has no systems in place that are even close to being in compliance. It's all $$$. Go fuck yourselves.

    btw...all that golf and every afternoon Tiger game have given you a nice tan. No homo

    The Pantry ●

  • stlspartan said...

    I recently did a transaction with Nissan involving a recall on our car. The woman started asking me to fax things to her. I feel a little bad for mocking her. Told her "Fax you? Seriously? I couldn't tell you the last time I even saw a fax machine. What year is it where you are? Don't you have email?"

    Should have told her "yea, I'll drive down to the local museum and get started on that."

    A fax, once again, is a least common denominator. The page you send is going to be pretty much exactly what she sees on the other end. Resolution may differ, but it's an image that will look the same.

    The closest thing to that is PDF. But then you have to agree on email addresses. She doesn't want your email address and doesn't want you to have hers. She doesn't want to deal with attachments. She wants a piece of paper to spit out on the printer on her desk soon after she gives you the phone number dedicated to her fax machine.

    Again, there are plenty of Internet to fax gateways out there. You don't need to visit the museum. You can send Word docs or PDFs via the gateway, and they will magically appear on her fax machine. She won't even know how it happened. She'll think it came from a real fax machine. The gateway will provide you with a phone number she can fax to you, and you will get an email with her fax as an attachment.

    It may seem primitive but it works and you seem greatly excited over what really is a minor annoyance for you.

    Wigrich

  • Well this thread is more interesting than anticipated...

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    DITKA 21659

  • DITKA ® said...

    Well this thread is more interesting than anticipated...

    Beat me to it.

    Its funny how some posters like the OP think everyone has the same access to the best technology and their locations always have the same dependable connectivity.

    You always need back up plans and thats what fax offers because pdf's aren't always going to be able to be successfully sent or accepted.

    GRR Spartan ●

  • Wigrich said...

    A fax, once again, is a least common denominator. The page you send is going to be pretty much exactly what she sees on the other end. Resolution may differ, but it's an image that will look the same.

    The closest thing to that is PDF. But then you have to agree on email addresses. She doesn't want your email address and doesn't want you to have hers. She doesn't want to deal with attachments. She wants a piece of paper to spit out on the printer on her desk soon after she gives you the phone number dedicated to her fax machine.

    Again, there are plenty of Internet to fax gateways out there. You don't need to visit the museum. You can send Word docs or PDFs via the gateway, and they will magically appear on her fax machine. She won't even know how it happened. She'll think it came from a real fax machine. The gateway will provide you with a phone number she can fax to you, and you will get an email with her fax as an attachment.

    It may seem primitive but it works and you seem greatly excited over what really is a minor annoyance for you.

    Welcome to the last few years.

    There are many different formats that you can save in that will produce a file with exactly what is seen (PDFs are only one of them - but probably the most common).

    So, then you have to agree on email addresses ... kinda like you have to agree on phone numbers? Wash. You can even use generic email accounts, so you don't need to give out personal email addresses.

    If it is a form or something, those should be web-based, Fax machines shouldn't be used anymore.

    But, I guess, you could also send it via Western Union too. It works.

    bulldogg

  • Gomer ●

  • Boomtown Sparty said...

    What small business doesn't have internet? And can't sign up for a free gmail account?

    I'm late getting back on this but I didn't say anything about small businesses not having internet or email. I said some don't have the resources to have all of their forms in a digital document.

    MSchott

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