With Marissa Mayer’s recent companywide ban on working from home and National Telework Week just having wrapped up, telecommuting has been highly debated by opponents and advocates alike. In the sales and marketing world, the assumption always has been that in-person, face-to-face meetings are best for negotiating deals and forming partnerships. However, core sales technologies have evolved to be designed around the way sales people work—be it from a traditional cubicle or a home office.
Conducting business through cloud-based virtual meeting technologies, such as iMeet and GlobalMeet, gives sales and marketing professionals the freedom to engage with prospects and customers from anywhere, increase productivity, and save their company thousands of dollars in travel expenses. There are also several personal work-life benefits that telecommuters regularly experience.
Let’s take a closer look.
Increased Productivity
In my experience in the sales industry, I’ve found that more often than not, telecommuting makes better workers. One of the by-products of telecommuting is that it
fosters a work ethic from the inside out. Studies have documented time and time again that working from home or in a coworking space at least a few days a week increases a worker’s productivity. In fact, 20-40% of supervisors report that their teleworkers are more productive and take less time to complete tasks at a higher quality.
Happier Sales Team
The sales industry is known for high turnover rates, but the option of conducting a sales meeting virtually allows for a more flexible work schedule and a better work/life balance with less travel days on the road. Employers have touted the benefits, and 72% say telework has a high impact on retention. Creating and maintaining a happier workforce through job flexibility will decrease turnover, saving employers time and money.
Costs Savings
Rising costs for business travel and a decrease in expense budgets have taken a toll on the sales industry. However, the ability to meet with prospects and clients through virtual technologies can decrease company expenses. Nearly 6-out-of-10 employers identify cost savings as a significant benefit from telecommuting programs. Companies can actually realize up to $11,000 in savings for every telecommuter. And the savings in gas from car and air travel is staggering: Two billion gallons of gas would be saved annually by a telecommuting workforce.
At the end of the day, sales is about making a connection. Through the option of teleworking, the sales industry can yield significant benefits and generate unique and exciting choices in the way we work. By providing telecommuting options, we create a building force in corporate environments that is characterized by improved employee productivity, flexibility, creativity, cost-savings and new social priorities.
For a definitive guide to the benefits that come with the telecommuting download PGi’s latest eBook.
[...] Peter Stewart, SVP of Sales for Collaboration Technology Services at PGI, telecommuting results in increased productivity, happier employees, and reduced costs. In order to maximize the advantages of letting insides sales teams telecommute and avoid common [...]