Frequently Asked Questions

About Alex
Senders
Receivers (help for receivers)
Security
Availability and accessibility
Test drive
Technical information
Getting more information
See also Terminology

About Attaché Alex

What is Attaché Alex?
Attaché Alex is an electronic document delivery and tracking service. Alex caters for the capture, delivery and registration of business documents created in your Attaché system, including Attaché Payroll, or Prophet Business Software. The delivery of documents, which may be emailed or faxed, is tracked from the sender to the receiver. More...

What documents can Attaché Alex deliver?
Attaché Alex delivers business documents created in Attaché and Prophet accounting software such as purchase orders, delivery dockets, invoices and remittance advices. Complete list of documents.

Can documents delivered by Attaché Alex be read into the receiver’s accounting software?
Not yet. Alex currently delivers the equivalent of a printed document. This enables businesses to send documents to private individuals as well as businesses. Businesses have more complex requirements. For example, a business receiving a purchase order from a customer would need to enter it into their accounting system as a customer order. This may require the translation of product codes or the conversion of descriptions into product or service codes and so on. The recipient's accounting software must support this kind of functionality. Future developments to the Attaché Alex service will facilitate the automation of this kind of business transaction.

What does Alex stand for?
Alex is your personal courier for electronic document delivery and tracking. Alex is your courier's name — it is not an acronym.

How does Attaché Alex work?
When the sender's software produces documents, the AlexConnect component captures them in electronic form and sends them to the Attaché Alex server. From there, documents are distributed in the requested format (email or fax). Confirmation of receipt is available via email and on the Alex website. If the delivery method is email, the sender can check when the email was opened by the receiver. If the delivery method is fax, the sender can check when the fax was received. More...

Senders

How does Attaché Alex benefit the sender?
Senders benefit from increased efficiency, timely delivery and confirmation of receipt. The cost of processing and sending a document registered with Attaché Alex is a fraction of the cost of traditional surface mail. Delivery time is reduced from days to minutes. Documents are registered by Alex and can be tracked when they are delivered. Senders can receive notification by email for delivered documents, and track delivery at the Attaché Alex website. As an added bonus, the whole process is seamless with no disruption to normal workflows and minimal requirements for staff training. More...

What savings can I make with Attaché Alex?
Because each Alex document can be sent for around the cost of a postage stamp, you save the cost of printing, packaging and posting each document individually. You will see dramatic reductions in your postage and stationery bills. You also have the security of notification of delivery, thus reducing the cost of follow-up letters, faxes and phone conversations. Calculate possible savings for your business.

What if I do not have all recipients email addresses?
If you do not have a contact's email address, you can have Attaché Alex send documents by fax. So, you can use email for some contacts, fax for others and surface/normal mail for the remainder. Attaché Alex is a service you can introduce step by step, keeping you always in control.

Receivers
Helpful hints for receiving documents

How does Attaché Alex benefit the receiver?
With electronic document delivery, receivers can ensure that business documents are routed to the correct person for processing. Documents can be easily forwarded to internal staff, or back to the sender, for checking or querying. Paperwork can be minimised by printing just the documents you choose to store in hard copy. Older documents can be archived to permanent storage media (disk, tape, CD-ROM), thus reducing handling and storage costs. More...

Do recipients need Attaché or Prophet software to receive documents delivered by Attaché Alex?
No. All they need is an HTML-capable email program (such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express) or a conventional fax machine. The documents simply arrive by email or fax.

Can recipients use Macintosh computers?
Yes. Because Attaché Alex sends emails in a portable HTML format, the documents are not dependent on the operating system.

Security

Is the Attaché Alex site secure?
Yes. The Alex Users site is a secure Internet site. Your contact and account details as well as your electronic documents are safe from illegal browsing and capture.

Are my documents safe to send via Attaché Alex?
Yes. Documents sent via Attaché Alex are less open to tampering or loss than documents forwarded by surface mail. The only third party involved is the Alex service provider. Documents are transmitted directly to the email address or fax number of the receiver without any human intervention.

Are documents sent via Attaché Alex safe to receive?
Yes. Alex sends documents as HTML within the body of an email. Most other document delivery systems send the document as an attachment to an email.

Availability and accessibility

Is Attaché Alex available 24 hours a day?
Yes. One of the big advantages of delivering business documents via email is that the Internet operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Compare this to surface mail which operates during business hours only.

Do I need any particular software?
Yes. You need to have AlexConnect installed on the computer(s) where you create documents. You also need to have an HTML-capable email program and a version 5 (or above) browser. (Most popular email programs, such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, are HTML-capable.) System requirements.

Do I need new computer equipment?
Probably not. You can use Attaché Alex with your current Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP computers. You also need access to the Internet and email via either a dial-up or network Internet connection. System requirements.

Do I have to be online 24 hours a day to send and receive documents via Attaché Alex?
No. You can connect specifically to send and receive documents or manage your account on the Attaché Alex website. However, we suggest that all businesses should be planning for the future and implementing an online strategy that includes permanent Internet connection.

Do receivers need Attaché or Prophet software to receive documents delivered by Attaché Alex?
No. All they need is an HTML-capable email program (such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express) or a conventional fax machine.

Can recipients use Macintosh computers?
Yes. Because Attaché Alex sends emails in a portable HTML format, the messages are not dependent on the operating system.

Test drive

Can I try Attaché Alex before I buy?
Yes. You can download AlexConnect for your Attaché or Prophet software and start using Attaché Alex straight away. You can send an unlimited number of email documents to yourself for 90 days and up to ten free email documents to other email addresses during your first calendar month. Test drive Attaché Alex.

Technical information

Is Alex Internet RFC (Request for Comment) compliant?
Yes. The relevant protocol is RFC2821 – SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). For more information, see ftp://ftp.rfc-editor.org/in-notes/rfc2821.txt

Can I use Alex if my ISP closes Port 25?
Yes. You simply need to change the Service address.
(88k) Configuring AlexConnect when Port 25 is closed

Getting more information

Where can I get more information?
Talk to your authorised Attaché consultant, ring Attaché Sales (within Australia on 13 30 45 or New Zealand on 0800 776 743) or click here to contact Attaché Software.

Can I get help with using Attaché Alex?
Yes. Much of the information you require to use Attaché Alex is available here on the Attaché Alex website including guides and training materials. To ensure that you have the appropriate Internet connection and email, please talk to your technology provider. For assistance with any aspect of using Attaché Alex with your Attaché accounting software, contact your authorised Attaché consultant or ring Attaché Support (Australia only) on 1902 969 002. Please note that calls are charged at AU $33.00 which includes GST.