A Messy MyFax Confession

I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to the Messy Office Contest submissions. I'm not talking about a small addiction where I check them once a day, smile and move onto something else. No, I mean really addicted, like "considering getting a sponsor" addicted.

Have you seen these? (If not, you can view the weekly winners here and all of the submissions at the MyFax Messy Office Facebook Group). I know that some of them are probably staged in hopes of a better chance at winning the $10,000, but I'm sure some of them are real or at least pretty close and that's where my addiction comes in.

I'm a bit of a neat freak, (translation: "outrageous control issues and mild OCD") and the thought that there are actually places like those in the pictures and videos we have received, and people actually spend time in them, has me both horrified and fascinated at once. It's like driving by an accident, or watching that operation show on TV.

And I can't stop myself, I have an alert set up so that I know the instant anyone posts to us. I know it's not good for me, I know I should bow out of the judging. I literally get itchy looking at some of them, I stare at the pictures trying to figure out ways to clean them up. Yesterday I was halfway through an email to one of our weekly winners, asking her "if I could stop by and just straighten up a little", when I realized what I was doing.

It's not just my work that's suffering, I've been going home and doing extra cleaning at my place, hoping to create some sort of "tidy balance" in the world. Now do you see why I say I need a sponsor?

I can't be the only person like this can I? If you're reading this and can relate, make me feel better with one of your own neat freak issues. Of course, if you're one of the "others" and don't have a problem working in chaos, you should take a picture or video of your own mess and send it over to torture me. Here's a link to the entry form.

Only three weeks left to submit, not sure if I'll be relieved or sad to see it end...

$10,000.00 Prize in the MyFax Messy Office Contest!

This week we launched a pretty cool contest, you can check it out at http://www.myfax.com/messyofficecontest/index.asp

We have a pretty good mix of neat freaks and absolute slobs here and the debates over which is the better work environment can get pretty heated. Of course both sides are adamant they're in the right.

I keep out of it since I've yet to hear anyone give an argument that swayed someone over to the other side. Sure, some of the clean desks get a little cluttered when we're ramping up to a new release, but before long it's back to the status quo.

When we started planning this contest the messier group insisted we don't make trying to change them a part of the prize, and I think this really sets our contest apart. You're not going to win a prize package worth $10,000.00 that's made up of gift certificates to all kinds of office supply and organization stores, you're actually going to win $10,000.00 in cash. It's like a reward for being a slob!

There are also 10 weekly prizes, and some runner up prizes as well, so if you or someone you know has a messy office, you should enter and pass the link on. Really, who couldn't use $10,000.00?

Oh -- check out the rules though, as with most contests there are some places we can't accept entrants from.

http://www.myfax.com/messyofficecontest/index.asp

Real People work on MyFax

This week we're featured in a Wall Street Journal article on employee retention (particularly, how it's improved over the years). It follows on our Employer of Distinction award earlier this month, recognizing Protus (the parent of MyFax) as a great place to work.

What's our secret? We put a lot of effort into hiring, and hire people who care - care about our customers, our services, and each other. I think that shows in the way we work with our customers and each other, and makes coming to work much more enjoyable.

The 'Distinction' award was based on an employee survey (anonymous of course). Here's one of my favorite comments.

We put our customers and their needs ahead of the immediate needs of the corporation - that's an unselfish environment to work in. The company and its executive leadership make room for the initiative of the employees. It's not just a corporate value on paper. We're encouraged to use our strengths creatively and collectively - internally, to meet the challenges of a growing business, as well as externally,” giving back" to our community in a way that makes a difference.

Online Fax - the Greening of Fax Machines

MyFax has been featured recently by two journalists that focus on environmentally friendly technologies. GreenTech Pastures "Considering the Green Profile (or lack thereof) of Common Fax Machines" and Eco-logic "Nixing the Fax" (it's a TV profile - scroll down to find the segment).

Compared to using a regular, plain-old fax machine, an internet fax service like MyFax is much more 'green'. Fax machines are always on, waiting for an incoming fax - and wasting power while they wait. They also, of course, consume lots of paper because each and every page you receive is printed - this is an obvious waste of paper (and paper production is a major source of greenhouse gases).

So MyFax is very fax- it reduces energy use, paper consumption, greenhouse gases - and saves you money.

MyFax Fall '07 Update

Good news! This weekend, new (and free!) features are being added to MyFax.

If you're already a MyFax customer, you don't need to do anything - all of the new features will be ready for you Monday morning. You can access your account at MyFax Central, and Wendy has put together a quick MyFax tutorial an overview for you.

What I'm really excited about is the way these features have been developed - with your direct involvement.

That's right! We're constantly asking for your feedback - through surveys, this blog, our customer care teams, etc. - and all of the most popular ideas are included in this release.\

What's new:

• Preview your faxes before sending (suggested by Laura)
• Save your sent faxes (Samantha asked for this one...)
• Forward or resend your fax (Judy...)
• Get fax notifications on your cell phone (requested by Brian)
• Share your account by receiving faxes on 5 email addresses (Anil, and many others!)
• Junk fax management (for Jason...)

Plus, there's a handy new wizard that will walk you through key account settings. This is really handy for new customers, and our loyal customers who might not yet be using all of the new features.

We're always looking for ways to make MyFax better meet your neeeds, so please - let me know if you've got feedback!

Steve

Virtual Telephony Webinar - Free!

This week (April 12) I'll be joining Virtual PBX on a web seminar discussing Virtual Telephony services. The event is hosted by PCMagCast, and you can register here.

MyFax Spring '07 Update - New Features, Free!

This weekend (April 15, 2007) MyFax will be automatically updated with some very exciting enhancements.

Exciting, because all of the changes we made are in direct response to your feedback. The result is an easier to use, feature enhanced, streamlined MyFax. And the best part is you don’t have to do anything, your service will be automatically updated for you.

Next week I'll add more details, but some of the key features include 1 year online fax storage; sending faxes from 5 email accounts, control over timezones, and more. You'll find more information here.

Please note: Implementing the Spring '07 Enhancements will cause a short disruption in your MyFax service Sunday April 15, from 12AM -2AM. No faxes will be lost, but there may be some delays, and MyFaxCentral will be unavailable.