D’oh! Simpsons show one of the problems with fax machines

So there I am last week, watching The Simpsons 20th season premiere episode, when I hear Homer call out one of the problems with fax machines. After the movie company he’s working for (long story behind that) asks him if he got the changes to the script they sent over, he says “No! My stupid fax machine ran out of ink!”

That is definitely one of the problems with a fax machine. It can run out of ink, or toner, or paper. If that happens, you won’t receive the fax (or your fax to someone else won’t go through) until the problem is taken care of. It’s sort of the “for the want of a nail” scenario. You have an important document that has to get where it’s going right now, but because someone didn’t check on the machine it’s stuck in the nether world between sender and receiver.

That doesn’t happen with MyFax, because there’s no ink, toner or paper involved. Documents are sent and received electronically, so there’s nothing to be out of. About the only thing that can hold it up is if you have the wrong fax number – which is certainly a “D’oh!” moment. Even then, though, you receive a notification that it didn’t go through so you can fix the situation. Ah, if only Homer had known about MyFax.

What’s your fax horror story? Ever had a fax fail to come or go through because of something simple like a lack of toner or paper?

Tips to Help Small Businesses Run In a More Organized and Productive Environment

Susan Ward, of About.com recently wrote about the need for small businesses to be more organized and productive. Her post caught my eye because we often hear from small businesses that there aren’t enough hours in the day!

She says “Do you spend your day in a frenzy of activity and then wonder why you haven't accomplished much? Time management skills are especially important for small business people, who often find themselves performing many different jobs during the course of a single day.”

Some of her good tips include:

1) Realize that time management is a myth.
2) Find out where you're wasting time.
3) Create time management goals.
4) Implement a time management plan.
5) Use time management tools.
6) Prioritize ruthlessly.
7) Learn to delegate and/or outsource.

It seems like we could all use a few more organization and time management tricks up our sleeve. What daily business practices do you employ to keep your head on straight?

Small Businesses Jump on Green Technology Bandwagon

I was perusing the small business conversations on Twitter recently (@MyFax_) when I came across CDW’s new findings on green IT adoption. It looks like small to medium sized businesses will lead the pack in the next six months!According to the findings, 31 percent of small business IT decision makers say their companies plan to implement green IT initiatives in the next two years—more than any other corporate or government sector.

The nice thing about greening your small business technology is that you don’t need a CIO, or even an IT department, to make eco-friendly changes in the office. Are you surprised that small businesses are greening their technology faster than any other sector? What green changes has your business made?

Pro Bono gets the fax straight for non-profit legal professionals

We are happy to announce that we’re now a sponsor of Pro Bono Net, a nonprofit organization that offers online tools to legal aid and pro bono attorneys.

Since transmitting confidential documents is a daily occurrence for legal professionals, we look forward to working with Pro Bono’s members in the legal profession. We hear from lawyers all the time about how internet faxing boosts efficiency, streamlines workflow, improves productivity and saves money with a secure and reliable alternative to fax machines and fax servers.

Non-profits in search of faxing capabilities can visit: http://www.myfax.com/probono/ or http://www.myfax.com/techsoup/.

Need to keep private info private? Use MyFax Central

Not too long ago I was re-reading the case study we did on MyFax customer Ruby Moon Investigations. It’s a private detective agency in Aurora, Colorado that performs a variety of investigations. Some are just interviewing witnesses to crimes on behalf of a lawyer, or tracking down a long-lost relative.

One of the reasons owner and chief investigator Tan Smyth says she uses MyFax to deliver the results is that it’s more secure than email. At first I was a bit confused since most people have their faxes delivered to their email, which means if someone else can view your email they can also view your faxes. Then it hit me – MyFaxCentral!

MyFaxCentral is the online component to the MyFax service. You can send, receive, view and store faxes there for a year without them ever hitting your email inbox. And since there’s no software to download, you can take advantage of MyFaxCentral without anyone else knowing you have an account.

So if you’re expecting some private information and want to be sure it stays private, having it faxed to your MyFax account and viewing it at MyFaxCentral is the way to do it.

What other types of businesses require transmission of sensitive documents?

Small businesses using online tools to boost the bottom line

USA Today’s Byron Acohido wrote an article this week about small businesses turning to online subscription software (also known as software-as-a-service or SaaS) to improve office efficiencies.

Acohido writes, “Scarce credit and soft consumer spending are compelling small-business owners to look more closely at using the Internet to improve the bottom line. AMI-Partners' survey of 3,600 small and midsize business in 11 countries found 44% of U.S. firms were interested in renting software-as-a-service in the second quarter of 2009, double a year earlier.”

Geoffrey Bock, senior analyst at the Gilbane Group, likens the awakening of small business to these online services to the embrace of the telephone as an essential work tool in the 1920s.

The MyFax customer base is made up of these entrepreneurs and small businesses who already value tools accessible online. More than 15,000 new customers subscribe to MyFax each month. Kudos to MyFax users for being ahead of the curve!

What innovative strategies are you considering or using to cut expenses and increase profitability?

Make your small biz appear big

We were pleased to see Lisa Sims’ recent Atlanta Small Business Examiner article “Four Ways to Make Your Small Business Appear Big”. She points out some easy ways SMB’s can avoid looking like a small fish in a big pond.

We advocate the same thing here at Protus. Simple technology modifications can go a long way in making a small business appear like a big player. Forget smudgy faxes and a phone system that doesn’t route calls to the appropriate person. Tools like MyFax and my1voice assure the communications you’re sending and receiving are just as professional and reliable as corporations with IT departments.

What gives you a big company impression on a small company budget?