Using digital tools to operate in a circular economy

Digitalisation is the key force driving operational efficiencies and cost reduction across industries. A circular economy, on the other hand, aims to optimise the resource utilisation of these industries. Fortunately, the two trends are compatible and can help businesses build a more sustainable future on this planet.

We live in an age where a growing population and economic activities have become a threat to our biodiversity and the environment that it lives in. Although decades of mechanisation and mass production via previous industrial revolutions have invented valuable products and services, they have also harmed essential ecosystems and put the global climate under stress by exhausting many of the planet's resources.

As digital technologies shape Industry 4.0 development, businesses must focus on sustainable operational strategies to replace the "take-make-waste" linear economy structure with a circular economy model.

Regenerative by design, circular economy practices aim to dissociate growth from the consumption of finite resources progressively. They are also critical to achieving the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to 1.5 °Celsius.¹

Digital transformation for IT companies attuned to circular economy goals

The remarkable growth of digitalisation has changed the way businesses interact with their customers, employees and stakeholders. In the IoT domain, new developments have blended the physical and virtual environments to offer unimagined value to organisations and consumers.

By using such technologies to design bespoke solutions for enterprise applications, data analytics and cybersecurity, many IT companies – including small and medium enterprises – are already helping their customers traverse sustainable growth paths.

If your organisation is a part of the dynamic IT industry, you can meet your circular economy goals even in internal work environments by deploying more as-a-service models and using cloud solutions for team communication and contact centre operations.

As-a-service systems for business workflows and CRM help IT companies in several ways, the chief of which are:

Reduced dependence on hardware and equipment

Your enterprise can reduce its usage of on-premises hardware and make work practices more eco-friendly by adopting software-as-a-service (SaaS), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and data management-as-a-service (DMaaS).

Instead of purchasing, storing, maintaining, discarding and replacing bulky equipment to perform routine tasks, you can leverage custom services via web console for the same functions. As these are cloud-based solutions, your employees can access them from any connected desktop or mobile device.

Lower carbon footprint

When your IT company uses cloud-based document management systems to store work files, it cuts down its energy usage in maintaining office server rooms. The reduction in file-storing equipment also helps to save on energy consumption and the associated bills.

The energy savings benefit of as-a-service models goes even beyond your workplace premises. Such managed solutions help to reduce and consolidate the hardware shipments across cities, which, in turn, brings down total supply chain emissions.

Longer-lasting solutions with access to the latest technology

Circular economy goals require businesses to recover, recycle and reuse. Considering the speed at which digital technology is evolving, hardware and equipment can become obsolete in no time. In such scenarios, your business must either replace them entirely or keep a regular outlay for upgrades wherever feasible.

This challenge is addressed by fully managed digital solutions offered on a subscription basis. By adopting the as-a-service model, you will never have to worry about using outdated technology. Your service provider will present the cloud services’ latest version to ensure that your enterprise stays competitive.

Tata Tele Business Services (TTBS) offers a range of as-a-service communication and data management solutions to its customers. Our SLA-backed solutions help you maintain high operational efficiency standards and save OpEx on infrastructure management while also ensuring environmental sustainability.

The green on the cloud

Besides using as-a-service solutions for effective workplace collaboration, you can take another step towards a circular economy by building or transferring your existing contact centre operations to the cloud.

Some of the top benefits of this approach are:

• A cloud-based contact centre enables you to offer inbound customer services, make outbound calls and run lead generating telemarketing campaigns without maintaining an extensive infrastructure.
• When contact centre operations are based in the cloud, your agents can make and receive calls from anywhere. It allows you to deploy effective work-from-home models and save on the resources consumed in employee transportation services. Understandably, it also reduces your carbon footprint.
• The flexible nature of cloud telephony makes it easier to scale your operations without going awry on your circular economy targets. It saves you from buying complex hardware and devices that consume enormous resources in their manufacturing and shipments.

The hosted cloud telephony solution at TTBS is called Smartflo. It offers a modern and cost-effective way to meet sustainability goals and improve customer experience.

With a host of in-built attributes, including insightful dashboards, intelligent call routing, agent monitoring system, contact management and sticky agent feature, Smartflo helps you deliver fruitful contact centre solutions to your customers, and it cares for the environment.

Ready to adopt these future-ready systems for your IT enterprise?

TTBS is your digital partner in the deployment of sustainable business practices. To know more about our myriad as-a-service systems and Smartflo, visit https://www.tatateleservices.com/business-services/cloud-and-saas.

Source
https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement