Look around your desk, and imagine price tags hanging off the items you see.
Right now I’m looking at an external hard drive: $110, scanner: $79, various supplies (pens, tape dispenser, daytimer, scissors, paper clip keeper, etc.): $120-ish, a digital camera: $129, ergonomic chair cushion: $89. I acquired these items because I determined they would help me do my job better. And there’s also the admittedly optional framed photos, books on various topics and decorative items. Suffice to say, it all adds up.
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The corporate world is in such a jarring flux, there are few who’ll dare conjecture about the specifics of long term effects. However, nearly everyone acknowledges that businesses must avoid excesses to secure their longevity and viability in the new order. The winners in the present and future business climate operate efficiently and carefully direct resources and investments to achieve success.
In the old order of business, large offices and sweeping physical spaces were often perceived as status symbols. Today, thanks to innovative alternatives (such as virtual offices, virtual assistants) and amazing technology, we no longer equate square footage with corporate success. As a matter of fact, the opposite is often true. When clients and customers see a company functioning professionally and efficiently through the auspices of a virtual office and the use of technology, they’re assured they’re aligning with a progressive, future-focused organization.
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The corporate world is uniquely positioned to go green unlike ever before. With constantly evolving technologies, the connectivity of the Internet and mobile devices and a burgeoning field of business support services, the corporate world is able to run more efficiently with less paper and minimal physical resources.
Virtual offices are undoubtedly a major component of the greening of the business world, and they’re having a positive impact in this arena.
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Jet Blue has a small corporate office, however the call center of over 300 agents is virtual. What does virtual mean, you ask? Well, in Jet Blue’s case, it means they home source their call center agents. That’s right, over 300 Jet Blue employees work from their home offices with a computer and telephone to handle all the customer service, sales, booking and so on for the entire Jet Blue operation. Isn’t that wild?
So, with a working computer, broadband Internet connection and telephone as the requirements to work as a call center agent, Jet Blue’s agents will never have to walk out their front door. They simply work from home and get a nice pay check at the end of each month. If you think about all of the cost savings Jet Blue gained by employing this business model, the savings are probably astronomical.
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