For most US companies, going green is a matter of public relations, not government regulation. Yeah, some CEOs might also really, truly want to clean up the environment...but most are more focused on the bottom line.
But here's the good news: Implementing green IT initiatives can save companies money and make them look and feel good. And supporting a virtual workplace--especially one that lets employees work from home--is a great place to start. Doing so allows businesses to use fewer physical resources, and that can save them--and the environment--significantly.
Consider this: Frost & Sullivan’s research indicates that, in the United States alone, buildings account for:
* 65% of electricity consumption
* 36% of energy use
* 30% of greenhouse gas emissions
* 30% of raw materials use
* 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually)
* 12% of potable water consumption
Not all of those savings are associated with hard-dollar costs; but imagine if you could cut your electric bill by 65 percent. Then factor in the cost of the real estate itself, as well as other utilities and the maintenance staff to support it (not to mention "perks" like break-room coffee and bottled water).
Take a recent example from a market insight my colleagues covering the contact center produced: Cox Communications, headquartered in Phoenix, is the third-largest cable provider in the U.S. The company delivers telecommunications, high-speed Internet connectivity and cable TV services to more than 6 million residential and commercial customers. Recently, the Arizona business unit has been experiencing strong growth of more than 20 percent per year due to sharp increases in population, new service offerings and the acquisition of a small cable company. Cox Enterprises, the parent organization, places a high value on environmental responsibility and community involvement.
Although Cox Communications was experiencing enviable growth, the new demands on its call center required about 15 percent more agents every year—and that was causing a space problem. Enlarging the company’s call center would be very expensive, so Cox decided to allow its best performing agents to work from home. In doing so, the company saves more than $3,300 per agent per year in space, equipment and operational costs. Cox was able to meet its business objectives to lower costs, increase productivity and support growth, all while providing excellent customer service and support.
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