Skip to content
Technology — Finance — Business

The majority (four out of five) of businesses have discontinued the use of fax machines.

Majority of businesses have phased out the use of fax machines.

,   and  Administrator
2 min read
Sharp decrease in the usage of fax machines (Symbolic image) Picture shows lack of fax usage)
Sharp decrease in the usage of fax machines (Symbolic image) Picture shows lack of fax usage)

Cutting Edge: Fax Machines Fading Away as Communication Tools Among German Corporations, Bitkom Report Suggests

  • *

Majority of corporations have discontinued the use of fax machines. - The majority (four out of five) of businesses have discontinued the use of fax machines.

Bid farewell to the obsolete fax machine, as only a fifth of major German corporations (18%) continue to keep the old-school communication device in active use for internal or external communication. This revelation springs from a comprehensive survey conducted by the prominent digital association, Bitkom, featuring 603 companies in Germany with a minimum of twenty employees.

The demise of the fax machine is apparent, given the steep decline in its usage: Last year, 30% of the surveyed corporations acknowledged that they often used the fax machine. In 2023, the figure was even lower at 33%. "The fax machine is on its way out," stated Bernhard Rohleder, Bitkom's Chief Executive Officer, demoting the fax machine to a symbol of antiquated persistence.

Despite the dying popularity of the fax, the reign of the digital communication behemoth, email, solidifies its presence in every office. The previous year's survey indicated that all companies (100%) relied heavily on email. Such reliance thickens as smartphone communication also garners the support of 94% of the corporations.

With the classic landline telephone wobbling at 93% and two-thirds of corporations (67%) embracing video conferencing, it is messaging services that have experienced an all-out surge in popularity. The majority (66%) of these German corporations now regularly use messaging services for internal or external communication.

However, Bitkom identifies a reluctant acceptance of artificial intelligence among German companies, which raises several pressing issues:

  1. Employee resistance: In more than half of the companies surveyed, personnel with decision-making power report that employees exhibit skepticism towards AI (53%).
  2. Wait-and-see behavior: Three-quarters of the companies (75%) are unconvinced by other companies' experiences with AI and remain skeptical about its benefits.
  3. Perceived disvalue: Shockingly, half of the surveyed companies (50%) believe that AI adoption in business and administrative processes is not financially worthwhile.

In response, Rohleder urged caution in this matter, asserting that "being overly cautious with a technology like AI can lead companies to fall behind. Businesses must now actively begin integrating AI solutions and adequately train their staff."

  • Bitkom
  • Germany
  • Employee resistance
  • Wait-and-see behavior
  • Perceived disvalue
  • Regulation and standards for AI use in German corporations
  • Digitalization momentum in Germany
  • Skilled workforce demands
  • Financial constraints impacting AI adoption
  1. In light of the dwindling popularity of fax machines, Bitkom, a digital association, has highlighted several areas of concern regarding the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in German corporations, such as employee resistance, wait-and-see behavior, and perceived disvalue.
  2. Despite the widespread use of email, smartphones, landline telephones, and video conferencing in German corporations, there appears to be a hesitance in fully embracing AI technology, with half of the surveyed companies questioning its financial worth and three-quarters demonstrating skepticism based on other companies' experiences.

Read also:

    Related

    Latest