Fax cover sheets are still relevant even though fax is not a popular means of communication. If you work in certain industries like healthcare or government, fax is still a tool that's part of daily life due to the perception of high-security as well as processes that have been used for decades that include fax as a part of a workflow.
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What is a Fax Cover Sheet
A fax cover sheet is a one-page sheet that is sent along as the first page of a fax transmission which provides all the information about the sender, recipient, and the purpose of the fax. Most notably, the fax cover sheet acts as a protective cover for the interior pages of the fax and provides essential information about the contents of the fax.
Why Fax Cover Sheets were Used
Faxes have been in use since the late 1960s. Faxes were a revolution and when faxes were starting to be adopted, the fax machine became a common mode of communication for businesses. You have to remember this was revolutionary at the time and sped up the office dramatically. the fax cover sheet became popular because fax machines were often used to send confidential information, and a cover sheet helped to ensure that the intended recipient was receiving the correct information. In the old days there would be one fax machine in an office. A transmission would come through and pieces of paper would just be sitting there for anyone to read. Not secure by any means. The cover sheet was an attempt to hid the information and let anyone passing by know who this transmission was supposed to be for. The cover sheet also provided the recipient with important information such as the sender's name, company name, and contact information. So anyone going by knows exactly who the fax is for, and who the fax is from. Logical, right?
Why Fax Cover Sheets are Still Useful
Knowing what we know about the history of cover sheets, it actually makes sense for anyone still sending faxes to include it. You can look at any document and have a systemitized way of knowing who documents are from, when you received it, and who it was sent to. The cover sheet acts as a guide, when you have a bunch of papers or PDFS the purpose of the fax and what information it contains is easy to find. The fax cover sheet also helps to maintain confidentiality by providing the recipient with only the necessary information and keeping the contents of the fax secure. So if people come by your desk, or you open something on the computer. Its easy to keep information confidential.
Sometimes you may even get spam in your fax machine. This feature built into fax services help combat that, even just a bit. If you get spam and need to unsubscribe you can check out our unsubscribe a fax number article here.
Whats Included in a Fax Cover Sheet
So when you send a fax, and you want to keep things standard for everyone, here are the things you included on your cover sheet a lot of this is pre-generated by the fax machine / service so you just need to worry about making it look professional and adding in your custom notes:
- sender's name
- company name
- address
- telephone number
- recipient's name
- company name
- company address
- company telephone number
- date and time of the fax are also included
- number of pages in the fax
- special instructions
Some fax cover sheets may also include a subject line or a brief message, providing additional information about the purpose of the fax.
Still the Standard When Sending a Fax
So if you are still sending faxes at your office, cover sheets are still important and now you know why. People aren't using faxes like they did before, but there is a reason behind everything. Even though fax machines are becoming less common, the use of fax cover sheets remains the standard. As we mentioned before, many businesses still rely on fax machines to send sensitive information. This is a requirement in the industry and their operating manuals. The use fax cover sheets to protect their information and maintain confidentiality is sometimes even written as a requirement!
