Serving Customers that Use Fax Machines
Online faxing is spreading like wildfire, or kudzu
, or the Internet. Suffice it to say it has become a standard fixture for American businesses that want to ensure that they are in touch with all their customers. Yes, some people have fax machines only, with no Internet, especially in locales where broadband has yet to penetrate. This includes much of Africa and parts of Asia and Eastern Europe, and even some places in the U.S. There are millions upon millions of fax machines being used as an individual's or business's primary communications channel. Serving customers that use fax machines should be on the to-do list of every company.
The main thing to remember is that you need two-way communication with your customers, going beyond phone calls to channels that allow graphic communications. This is because there is always a need to send a flowchart, a device schematic, a sales flyer or a photo of malfunctioning equipment, from the customer to the company or vice versa. To best handle the demand, you need to identify the members of your customer base that are using fax machines instead of e-mail or other communications technologies. For the purposes of this article, we will assume you are using a solid, dependable online faxing service already.
Identify the customers
Most larger firms now use some sort of customer management software, variously called Customer Retention Programs, Contact Management Software or similar names. Whatever it is called, it most likely has powerful tools for describing, identifying, sorting, listing and otherwise organizing your main list into smaller, more defined ones. As an ongoing function of your customer service, you should not only create a field in your customers' records for their fax numbers, but also one to indicate whether fax is their primary means of communication. Although this is likely to be geographically divided (you will see the areas of the world noted above more than others), it will still include customers from all over.
This may not seem so important if you are a small, regional or local firm. However, there are plenty of American businesses that have not computerized to the extent that tech-savvy companies have, and some depend primarily on fax machines. You need to know this in advance of any company promotional efforts, and be prepared to send your outgoing marketing messages in a variety of formats. You will need to do e-mails, faxes, phone calls, Web site postings, printed ads and media placements to reach all the existing customers as well as good prospects. There is no reason that fax machines should be unconquered territory for your sales efforts.
Repurpose the material
This does not mean you have to create a dozen different versions of your message. The components of the message sent over most channels will be copy and graphics, except for phone calls, of course. When you create the copy, it can be laid out in an e-mail blast as easily as in a print ad design, and both of those can be easily converted to use with your online faxing service to send to fax machines. To send a broadcast fax (to a list of addresses, in other words), you can simply create a new e-mail. The e-mail message itself can be configured as the fax cover page, or the fax can have no cover page. Either way, attaching any common file format (a JPEG or a Word document) to the outgoing online fax message will result in its being deciphered and rendered onto a fax page at the receiving end.
There is no duplication of effort when you learn how to repurpose your materials for various uses. It takes little time to do so, and the benefit is that you are able to reach all of your customers right where they are, through the channels that they themselves prefer. You are not doing a thorough job if you are ignoring the customers (and potential ones) that are using fax machines for their digital connection to the world. Perhaps they will begin using broadband, perhaps not, but in the meantime it is essential that your company's message be as broadly broadcast (now there's a nice redundancy!) as possible.
Bottom line
If you have a good online faxing service, make sure you look at it as a two-way, not a one-way, street. You can send messages and graphic materials to the middle of Africa or the South Pole if there are fax machines there, and there are still plenty of places where they outnumber Internet connections. Your online fax service also makes you available to those customers (and, again, potential ones) that need to send you something that they cannot describe in a voice phone call.
Being available to all customers is just good business. One of the distinct advantages of online faxing is that you can interact with people who are (temporarily one hopes) somewhat behind the technology curve. Their business, however, is just as important as anyone else's, so the efforts you make to connect with them are part of a winning business plan.
Serving Customers that Use Fax Machines
By: Chris Haycox
Drawbacks of Article Submission Services Garden Grove Locksmith As A Convenient Service Service Areas Within Opa Locka Locksmith Boundaries What do you need to remember while utilising courier services? 24hour Locksmith Services Customer Service: Who Pushes Your Buttons? Best Web Hosting Service - Factors That You Have To Consider Five ways to make a great first impression with customers Long Island Toyota Dealers Want Customers to Know 600,000 Miles Achievable HostNine Reviews--How Do You Pick the Right Web Hosting Service? Are Customers Hungry For What You Offer? Things to Consider Before Outsourcing Your Payroll Services www.UpoharBD.com and gift delivery service in Bangladesh