The Story of the Fax

Yes, you read it right!

Let me offer some context. Several years ago in Boston, I said to a friend about an incident, “This is like The Story of the Fox.” He burst out laughing. I really meant “This is like the story of The Boy who cried Wolf,” but ever since, “The Story of the Fox” has stuck with us.

After I moved to India two years ago, I continued to correspond with service providers back in the U.S. through email, apps, or by phone. Recently I had to send a document to a U.S.-based company. Believe it or not, even in this digital age, the only way to send them the document was by snail mail or Fax.

What I didn’t realize was how difficult it would be to find a fax machine in India. After checking several print shops which typically used fax machines in the past, none were to be found in this new digital India. In fact, my family and friends were in disbelief that I was seeking an obsolete method at all in this day and age to send information to an advanced country like the U.S.

The health adversities I have faced in the last few years have taught me to keep trying different things till I succeed. I called neighbors and friends in the hope of finding a fax machine. My search was futile.

Eventually I found a new solution on my phone – an app one can use to send a fax. It’s easy – take a photo of the document, upload to the app, and send!

In my 30 years living in the U.S., I worked in and consulted with several global companies. My roles focused on helping those companies to be client-centric, maximize performance, improve processes, manage knowledge effectively, and to drive innovation primarily through technology.

The fax machine was ubiquitous in early 90s corporations and offices but since the advent of the Internet, it has faded as a form of communication. So the fact that a company still uses this archaic method was indeed eye-opening if not frustrating.

In my career, I’ve always practiced ways to improve corporate efficiency and effectiveness, keeping clients front and center. I told my teams “Do what is right for the client, not what is easy for you to do,” – This was certainly not that.

Even though I can no longer work due to my health, I try to practice what I learned in my corporate life – focus on clients – the people around me – improve the processes I use to make me effective and efficient, manage the information I use and share and use technology to make my life easier

The Fax is not one of those tools!

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