Author: Bill Wilson

In this six-part series, we're going to explore how technology can and should be used to enhance your ability to provide high levels of quality customer service. We'll look at two areas: traditional technologies such as the telephone, voice mail and fax, then emerging technologies such as email and internet web sites. This article examines faxing.

Faxing information to a customer can be extremely cost-effective when compared to trying to explain something over the telephone. Plus, it gives you documentation of the communication, something your E&O carrier will also appreciate. Here are some tips for sending faxes to customers, followed by a great productivity suggestion….

First, do not send unsolicited faxes to prospects. If it's an existing customer, make sure it's something you know they will want. It is illegal to send unsolicited "junk" faxes…the penalty is a $500 fine per copy with actions fileable in Small Claims Court in most states. Not only that, but you may lose an account if you prolifically send faxes with little or no value to them.

Second, avoid unprofessional cover pages. An IIABA Future One Task Force study indicated that the #1 thing customers want from an agent is professionalism. If your fax cover sheet has a Joe Friday look-alike dog in a trench coat saying, "Nothing but the fax, ma'am," that doesn't engender a sense of professionalism or confidence.

Third, avoid cluttered cover pages with graphics. The more detailed your cover sheet, the longer it will take to transmit the page…if you're faxing long distance, this will drive up your costs. In addition, it will unnecessarily use up ink in your customer's fax machine. Keep your cover sheets simple and to the point, using a lot of white space, particularly at the bottom of the page.

According to a study by AT&T, 20% of all outgoing faxes are incorrectly dialed. Be sure to dial the proper fax number and make sure that the fax goes through. From an E&O standpoint, it is also suggested that you keep a folder of fax transmission logs that your machine automatically produces to verify the date, time and number of sent and received faxes.

Finally, if you want to improve the productivity of your CSR's, equip each of their PC's with fax software. You'll save on time and paper, while maintaining an electronic log of transmissions, thus improving documentation. Chris Burand, a nationally renowned agency management consultant in Colorado says that work station faxing can dramatically improve CSR productivity.