Become a greener business with a little help from your friend…technology

Awareness of climate change and the environment has been steadily increasing over the last few years and grown significantly as a result of the intense media around COP26.

 

There is obviously an imperative for all of us as individuals and businesses to save the planet, but sometimes it all seems so far in the future, or not as urgent as the financial challenges of heating our homes or running our businesses right now.

However, the green agenda has some important issues that every business must consider:

  • Will your customers demand change? Some clothing companies have already seen a backlash to ‘fast fashion’, cheap to produce but environmentally wasteful ‘disposable’ clothing. Coffee shops have been picketed for not providing recyclable cups or offering to refill customers own. Be wary of a shift in your customers’ expectations that might catch you out.
  • Will your customers expect change? If you are a professional advisor in any capacity, clients are often disappointed with having to handle and sign documents running to 20 pages or more. There is an expectation that modern businesses will use technology to simplify processes and reduce paper. How will you compare if a competitor turns up with a hand held device and e-mails documents for electronic signatures, when you turn up with a note pad and post hard copy documents to sign and return?
  • If you ignore the ‘green’ aspect of the question and simply ask… can we reduce waste and inefficiency, then you can probably save the planet and make more money! As the economy adjust to the post pandemic world, the fitter and leaner your business is, the faster and further it will go.
    Many businesses have been forced to use more technology as a result of Covid-19, from Desktops to laptops, Video conferencing, Cloud communication, Webinars, Online chat and online meetings. As we return to some normality there is a temptation to get the sales people back in their cars and on the road again.

 

Whilst there is definitely a benefit to face to face meetings, why not set out your agenda to say “We aim to meet with customers face to face twice a year. All other contacts will be via calls or video meetings. This helps us to increase efficiently and reduce our carbon footprint, and actually increases the time our people can spend working with customers and not clocking up motorway miles. This in turn helps us deliver better value to our customers”.

 

Adopting cloud-based solutions does not just offer scalability and a ‘pay as you grow’ options, it is also greener. On-premise systems that store and processes your data consumes more energy. By moving to a cloud based system your energy consumption is quickly reduced. A study by the National Laboratory estimated that moving business software such as CRM, ERP and email to the cloud would lower the total energy consumption of these applications by 87 per cent. One data center with a thousand servers uses much less than a thousand businesses each with their own.

 

During lockdown we upgraded many systems by moving to paperless options, as we were unable to print and share documents. This didn’t just reduce printing costs, but also saved on confidential waste disposal and the storage needed for paper files. Communication has improved as we all become familiar with how to find, use and share electronic versions of the old paper ones.

 

For all clients that want it, we have access to e-signature solutions such as DocuSign and Docsafe which allows us to securely send documents to clients or contractors to be signed and returned without printing and posting, saving on paper and carbon footprint. Easier to use, easier to store, easier to find, and a lot less expensive.

 

As firms recover from the enforced conditions of lockdown on their business, many may be tempted to revert to old habits and environmentally damaging processes. It is important to see how the business world is moving and ensure that you are keeping pace with change.

 

So whether you want to save the planet, or just save time and money, look hard at your business to see how you can probably do all three.