FAXING FOR DATA:
NEW FAX FORM APPLICATIONS
As we await the reality of a totally wired world, certain entrepreneurs are placing
their bets on the ubiquitous nature of fax technology and its ease of use. Data on fax
forms can be converted into electronic data. All it takes is faxing the form to a computer
with specially configured software, making the digital realm only a fax away. This link
from hard copy to instant massageable data opens up vast new opportunities to anyone near
a fax. MWT reports on two such applications:
A massive fax poll involving a single page fax sent to more than 830,000 fax machines
in the UK has generated around 70,000 votes, the organizers have reported.
The poll on the Referendum on Europe was conducted by fax broadcasting using a form
that asked recipients to respond by checking either a box marked "Stay In" or
one marked "Get Out" and to fax the page to a premium rate phone number costing
UKP 1 (US$ 1.65) a minute.
The faxed forms were within the letter of the rules surrounding the use of premium rate
numbers, and detailed the cost of the call on the form. It’s estimated that the poll
generated around UKP 40,000 for the operators, Fax Polling Associates (FPA). Total
broadcast time was 330 hours. With each fax costing 3.0 pence, the total phone call cost
of the fax broadcast around the UKP 36,000 mark.
Connaught Factsline, the company that supplied the fax hardware to FPA, claims that the
premium rate fax poll "demonstrates the power of fax technology," with
"70,000 votes polled automatically by fax over a five-week period."
According to a spokesperson for Connaught, FPA has just completed what it claims was
the first major market research exercises ever to be conducted in the UK using
computer-based fax systems.
Nearly 1.2 million faxes in total, including reminder faxes, were sent. The result, FPA
claims, gives the largest and arguably the most accurate indication of the democratic
wishes of the British people on European union in a decade.
According to Gordon Ritchie, FPA’s CEO, the aim of the poll was simple — to
show the power and flexibility of fax as a method of opinion polling. "No way could
any other method of opinion polling produce such a massive response so economically,"
he said.
"One day it may be possible to conduct a similar poll via the Internet, but until
most people have access to the Internet , it is not yet a viable method of collecting a
large amount of unbiased data. I hope that many professionals in market research will now
sit up and take note of what we have achieved," he added.
Provigo Inc. officially approved an innovative commercial service today that lets its
small and medium-sized suppliers easily exchange vital business documents electronically
with the grocery chain.
"Suppliers can now simply hand-fill a form and fax it to Faxinating Solutions
Inc.’s EXACT® service center to gain instant access to Provigo’s electronic
order entry and invoice system, which centralizes restocking of 1,550 stores,’’
explained Provigo’s vice-president, Technology and Information Systems, Jean-Yves
Poirier. "Giving all suppliers the option of equal access — without having to
invest in computers, software or training — maximizes the variety of products Provigo
can offer consumers.’’
According to Bill Courey whose seafood firm, Tataris Canada Inc., is one of nearly
2,000 Provigo suppliers now eligible to use EXACT® FAX-to-EDI and EDI-to-FAX service,
"Faxinating Solutions gives us an alternative. We can now trade electronically
without acquiring an expensive electronic commerce system of our own.’’
"Provigo is redefining trading relationships by making it easier for large and
small corporations to do business together,’’ noted Faxinating Solutions
president and CEO Steve Hatajlo, "by allowing suppliers to choose the electronic
commerce option best-suited to their technical needs.’’
Provigo, a retail and food distribution leader in Canada, has made the EXACT® service
available to its entire network of suppliers. The introduction follows months of
exhaustive testing during a commercial trial that involved direct store deliveries and
in-store deliveries to its Maxi chain.
(Contact: Connaught Factsline +44-181-893 3884; Fax +44-181-898 0536; Steve
Hatajlo, President and CEO, Faxinating Solutions, 514-735-9121; Jean-Yves Poirier,
Vice-President, Technology and Information Systems, Provigo inc., 514-383-8680)
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