2014 has been coined the year of the data breach, but something to keep one’s eye on will be how big of a role conference call services play in 2015. The perk of telecommuting has been steadily gaining ground as enterprises of literally all shapes and sizes have become much more flexible about the makeup of teams. The remote workforce is building inertia; productivity is not effected—in many cases it’s higher—and the savings are clear.
One big reason for adoption of telecommuting is cost, and in 2015, adoption will continue to rise for this same reason. We know that through the use of conference call services like Web Conferencing a team member can easily share documents, meet “face-to-face” and in general maintain seamless cohesion but to come are a couple predictions that make joining the remote workforce worthwhile for any enterprise.
A rather large piece to the cost puzzle is travel expenses, and the forecast for 2015 features rate hikes.
Obviously, not having to supply an office workspace saves money but what about business trips, meeting with clients and the like? It is projected that the cost of airplane travel will increase anywhere from 2.5 to 6 percent, depending on destination, according to the American Express (News - Alert) Global Business Travel Forecast 2015. This is somewhat counterintuitive to the fact that airlines are paying 17 percent less for fuel prices than this time last year, but regardless prices are still being increased.
Tim Leffel, author of The World's Cheapest Destinations and editor of the Cheapest Destinations blog, proclaimed “An improving economy and the airlines still operating at full capacity will mean fewer flight bargains." Translation for businesses—especially SMBs—save money and the headache of travel arrangements with conference call services.
Secondly, where do you stay when you reach your destination? The Global Business Travel Association and Carlson Wagonlit Travel project that in 2015 North America to experience a 3.5 percent increase in the cost of hotels. Latin America is expected to see a 6.5 percent increase in cost of hotel rooms in the New Year.
The improvement of collaboration and communication tools offers new levels of freedom for the enterprise, as it means no more superfluous travel. As telecommuting is accepted by more companies, the competency in technology will grow, and more and more it will be realized that the only trip necessary is to a phone or computer.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi