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How to improve your operations to support a sustainable future

How to improve your operations to support a sustainable future

Increased focus on sustainable operations

No wonder many organizations are "going green" - because it's good for business. Businesses that reduce their carbon footprints are expected to realize $26 trillion in economic benefits.

Achieving a high level of sustainability can help companies improve operational cost-efficiency, boost reputation, meet consumer expectations, gain competitive advantage, prepare for the future, implement innovative strategies, and improve their bottom line.

However, going green needs to be more than paying lip service or sending your employees to plant trees once a year. How can you incorporate sustainability practices into your everyday business operations to contribute to a greener future? The answer is more obvious than you think.

For many organizations, business travel represents over 50% of their greenhouse gas emissions. Suppose your company offers on-site customer support and sends technicians to client locations to help troubleshoot, repair, install, calibrate, etc. In that case, you may be surprised by the environmental footprint of these business trips.

technician on-site, mobile, facility

A modern gasoline-powered car emits 2–3 metric tons of CO2 annually, while a round-trip flight from Stockholm to Los Angeles emits more than two metric tons per passenger.  

Reduce carbon footprint without compromising customer service

In most customer support scenarios, what needs to be "transported" is the expertise and not the hands that do the job. Let's say your company provides specialized production equipment, and your clients need installation, maintenance, or repair guidance. 

Most of these clients have their production technicians but need to gain the knowledge to perform the work specific to your equipment. All they need is the proper instruction - delivered over a live video call, hands overlay, or other communication technologies - to guide the technician at the clients' end through the process.

With a remote support solution, your clients' in-house staff can solve complex technical problems by receiving instruction from your technicians remotely. This can minimize business travel without compromising the support you can deliver to your customers.

Environmental benefits of using AR technology

You can reduce many of these trips without sending a technician to client sites whenever a customer needs support. Here's how remote guidance technology can improve your operation's environmental sustainability.

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Over 90% of the fuel used for transportation (e.g., cars, trains, and planes) is petroleum-based, and the transportation sector generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions (28 %). Global Workforce Analytics estimated that remote working could reduce these emissions by 54 million tons annually. 

Greenhouse gas is a major cause of global warming, leading to climate changes that have a long-term domino effect on our environment, economies, and societies. By reducing the transportation need of your team, you can lower greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a greener future.

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Improve supply chain efficiency and reduce waste.

Although remote guidance can help reduce the number of trips your employees need to take, there will still be cases when a technician needs to go on-site to help a client. However, you can use remote guidance to diagnose the problem before the visit so you can send a technician with the right skill set, equipment, and spare parts needed.

This allows you to not only keep down the number of trips and people sent but also improve the efficiency of your spare part handling, supporting a more streamlined supply chain that leads to less waste and overproduction.

Implement technologies that promote sustainability.

Many organizations can use modern technologies to improve operational efficiency, reduce waste, and lower environmental impact. However, they sometimes don’t have local access to the specialized knowledge and expertise needed to install and implement these tools. 

Remote visual assistance lowers the price tag of introducing these technologies by eliminating the cost of on-site support. Companies that don't have local expertise and personnel can reap the benefits without adding to their environmental footprint.

Deliver the best remote guidance experience.

Besides the many environmental benefits, leveraging the power of remote support can help you improve cost efficiency, increase productivity, and provide faster responses to customer requests.

However, delivering a top-notch virtual experience has challenges due to the complexity of today's technical solutions. Most communication and collaboration tools, such as video call platforms, aren't built to help technicians remotely troubleshoot, repair, assemble, and calibrate sophisticated technologies.

You need a platform designed for such a purpose to provide effective remote visual assistance. It should support all forms of communication through voice, video, gesticulation, hands overlay, demonstrations, drawing, writing, pointing, screen sharing, and more on any device and platform.

XMReality is an application built specifically to support effective remote support. By using remote visual assistance, organizations can replace travel and contribute to the global transition towards a more sustainable society.

FIeld study: AR video vs. a regular video  XMReality carried out an extensive Field Study to compare which technology is  more effective at giving remote support: XMReality’s AR-enabled solution, or a  standard video call. Download now

Did you know that 76 % of Americans expect companies to take action against climate change, and 73 % would stop purchasing from one that doesn’t care about sustainability?

In this blog post, we dive deeper into one of the largest challenges the industries face and how you can benefit from going greener as a business.

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