Video Conferencing: Save Money and the Planet, too

Many companies, especially those with dispersed workforces or client bases, have discovered the economic benefits of video conferencing, also called telepresence. Those that haven’t might want to consider the environmental benefit of this valuable business tool, as well. Although each company’s reduction in carbon footprint from video conferencing might not be much (especially if it is a small or medium-sized business), cumulatively, the effect is profound.

A report commissioned by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and sponsored by AT&T provides solid support for the benefits of this technology. The study, which included an in-depth analysis of 15 corporations, each with four telepresence-enabled conference rooms, developed benefit scenarios for the business community as a whole that are pretty impressive. Specifically:

• Telepresence can eliminate the creation of millions of metric tons of CO2
• An individual business implementing four telepresence rooms can reduce its CO2 emissions by 2,271 metric tons over five years. That’s an amount equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from more than 400 passenger vehicles.
• US firms could potentially reduce CO2 by nearly 4.6 million metric tons (cumulatively) over a 10-year period. Such a reduction would be equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from nearly 880,000 passenger vehicles.

Add to these benefits the proven economic value of video conferencing, and the argument in favor of this tool becomes even more compelling:

• US firms (cumulatively) could save more than $15 billion over a 10-year period.
• Average payback on a telepresence unit is as little as 15 months.

Furthermore, not requiring employees to travel reduces stress, increases productivity and improves work-life balance.

Here’s the best news: telepresence systems have become affordable to implement. Companies that deploy them save money, have happier employees and have a great environmental story to share with their clients. For a demonstration of how telepresence can work for your firm, give me a call at 678.218.1769.