When most people think of the advantages of working virtually, they typically think of things such as avoiding the horrendous traffic that is part of a daily commute, saving money on gas, and the flexibility they receive in both their professional and personal lives. But there is another huge benefit of having a virtual workforce—it’s great for the environment. Yes, virtual work is extremely eco-friendly. With the virtual call center model, we’re doing our part to help the environment.
Last year the Telework Research Network reported that 41 million Americans have telework-compatible jobs. If those 41 million workers worked from home just one day per week, the nation would save $494 million in commuter costs, $185 million from 2.3 million barrels of oil saved, and $93 million from 775 fewer traffic accidents. That is a total savings of $772 million. The Telework Research Network also noted that we would eliminate 423,000 tons of greenhouse gas, which is equal to removing 77,000 cars from the roads.
These amazing numbers are only based on a small segment of the American population teleworking one day a week. Imagine how much more we could help the environment if those 41 million Americans worked virtually every day. Just think of the amazing environmental impact if we were able to turn millions of other jobs into virtual positions.
In our virtual call center model, Working Solutions only requires one physical office (in Plano, Texas), so our energy and paper consumption is reduced, as well as other waste involved in maintaining a fully staffed brick-and-mortar building. With independent agents working from home, they greatly reduce their individual carbon footprint. Agents don’t have to worry about a daily commute, which reduces the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere. They also save on weekly and monthly fuel costs.
Some may consider the environmental impact of a virtual call center or any other virtual workforce insignificant, but every little bit we do to help our environment will add up in the long run.
“It’s all about how agents treat customers and quality service.”
