If you are running an eco-friendly business, it can be a challenge to make sure that every single aspect of the day-to-day running meets not only the business needs but also the green credentials which inspire the company. When you are looking to improve and upgrade systems, the efficiency of both the business and the environment are important factors to consider and none more so than in communications and IT.
One of the ways which businesses help to become more efficient, and reduce their environmental footprint, is by switching over from general telephone systems to a VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol phone system instead.
VoIP systems can save businesses money and increase mobility for staff, but here are some of the reasons why switching to VoIP communications could be a perfect move for your eco-friendly company in particular.
Using VoIP means employees can be in communication no matter where they are. These systems include video conferencing, mobile apps and find me systems so you can communicate with employees no matter where they are. This cuts down on commuting and traveling, helping to reduce pollution and helping to motivate employees with more flexible work options.
Using a hosted VoIP system means you don’t need anywhere near as much hardware as before. All you need is an internet connection and a computer, so no need for all the old handsets, although it may be possible to adapt these for VoIP use as well, making it even greener.
Without the hardware, you don’t need so much space so your office can be smaller and more efficient, using less light, less power, and less energy. This means you will be lowering your business environmental footprint even more as there is no need for a dedicated, air-conditioned server or hardware room.
If you are upgrading any of your business communication systems, make sure you dispose of any electric or electronic items responsibly, following the recycling regulations. Items like computers, monitors, and phone handsets can be re-used by charities or schools often times, so if you really want to be an eco-friendly business, make sure you look into all of the recycling options when replacing communications equipment.
You might also want to switch over to cloud-based computing as another improvement to your eco-friendly business communications. Again, this helps employees have more flexibility as they can all share the documents and information from anywhere in the world, reducing the need to travel, and also the need to print materials out for people.
Hosting your business on the cloud means you don’t need a huge computer server or dedicated rooms so again, saving energy costs and equipment costs for your business and keeping down that essential carbon footprint.
Improving the communications systems across your business is a big step, but by taking advantage of some of the modern technologies, like VoIP and cloud-based systems, it is relatively easy to do so in a cost-effective and eco-friendly way.
By switching to Internet-based systems, your business no longer needs lots of hardware, dedicated server rooms with air conditioning, and staff commuting to the office every day through traffic, causing more pollution.
As an eco-friendly business, it is entirely possible to run using only mobile phones, VoIP systems, and cloud-based storage, with potentially no need even for computers or even an office at all – obviously depending on what kind of business it is you are running.
But communications have moved on so much in recent years that lowering the cost, improving efficiency and reducing the need for people to commute is now entirely possible and relatively easy to sort out for any eco-conscious business leader.
If you decide to make a move to improve your business communications by installing new systems and then make sure all of the old hardware and unwanted features such as computer monitors and phone handsets are recycled effectively and efficiently.
As a business, you will want to make sure you wipe any confidential data and information from all computers and phones before you send them off for recycling so that you don’t face a data breach by trying to be environmentally friendly. But once they have been wiped clean, all computers can either be re-used by other parties or sent away to specialist recycling centers.