When you’re running a business, there’s nothing better than finding yourself a win-win situation. And there are plenty of those to be found when you start looking at ways to make your organisation more environmentally friendly.
That’s because, for a company, going green means finding less wasteful ways of getting things done. The benefits aren’t just a slightly less polluted planet but a boost to your business’ bottom line.
This is particularly effective for mobile service businesses where small changes can have a major impact. And being able to show your business operates in a sustainable manner is increasingly important when it comes to tenders and competing for clients and contracts.
Ways for mobile businesses to become more environmentally friendly:
- Minimise your mileage
- Pulp the paper
- More efficient workspaces
- Review your vehicles
Minimise your mileage
For any business providing mobile goods or services, the biggest environmental ‘footprint’ is likely to be vehicle emissions. With around 2.4 million work vehicles on UK roads - even the smallest reductions can make a huge difference to the environment.
The lowering of fuel costs is a major reason more companies are now moving over to digital workforce management setups. A system such as MyMobileWorkers provides a way of organising jobs to work out the most efficient route and task order.
The systems provide mobile workers with all the job information they need via a smartphone app, removing the need for wasted journeys to and from workplaces to pick up and drop off paperwork.
Pulp the paper
The main communication method used to manage mobile workers has traditionally been paper. It’s the blizzard of paper schedules, order forms and task sheets which we rely on to keep things on track.
And in the UK, we continue to use around 12.5 million tonnes of paper each year - that’s the equivalent of a forest the size of Wales. But, thanks to digital, companies are now able to virtually eliminate the need for paper processes.
A workforce management system and digital documentation, allows mobile workers to send and receive all the information they need via a smartphone app.
More efficient workspaces
The move from paper-based to digital ways of working means the role of our workplaces is changing. They no longer have to house all the trappings of paper-processes - the filing cabinets, photocopiers, stationery cupboards and mailing rooms.
The ability to communicate digitally also means that mobile workers don’t need the same kind of workspaces - they can operate from wherever they have an online connection.
It allows businesses to reduce energy wastage by minimising the space they need to operate effectively. The savings can be significant when you consider that lighting a typical office overnight wastes enough energy to heat water for 1,000 cups of tea.
Review your vehicles
Diesel is no longer the dominant force when it comes to work vehicles. As the evidence mounts to show the damage that’s caused to air quality by diesel emissions, so do the measures to deter its use.
There are already plans in place to impose a penalty for the use of diesel vehicles in London with more cities expected to follow. So any business providing mobile services needs to review their vehicle fleet - both from an environmental and costs perspective.
Vehicle manufacturers are now producing petrol powered vehicles with similar fuel efficiency to their diesel counterparts. There’s also a whole range of hybrid options that are increasingly viable for business use.
MyMobileWorkers is a digital workforce management system which provides a simpler, smarter and more cost effective way to manage mobile workers. Find out more here.
Thinking of going paper free but not sure where to start? Download our guide, "What to expect when mobile workers go paper free".
Full image credit: Freeimages.com | Thomas Warm