With average commute times going up we see an emerging trend: telecommuting.
Commuting in America III, a report issued by the Transportation Research Board, a division of the National Academies, states that Atlanta’s average commute rose from 26 minutes to 31.2 minutes from 1990 to 2000. According to the report, which is issued once a decade, this is the highest jump in the nation. This isn’t a distinguished honor for Atlanta. And it may be the reason why so many Atlantans and their suburban neighbors are choosing not to commute at all, but to stay at home and work. In 2000, 3.5 percent of Atlanta workers worked from home according to the same report. All of this leads to another emerging trend: telecommuting.
The traffic problems that Atlanta is facing are not likely to be solved or lessened in the near future even as talks of a beltline excite green companies and fill the newspapers. The fact remains that Atlantans must seek alternate business methods in order to avoid the inefficiency and costly burden of traveling to work or to clients. Telecommuting as a virtual business strategy is the answer for many companies who are seeing their profit margins shrink as the city’s traffic problem expands.
Simple2communicate, an Atlanta-area telecommunications company, is leading the effort for Atlanta-based companies and companies that do business in Atlanta. They offer on-demand, audio conferencing with no reservation required and a 404 number for companies to use, for a single fixed rate. Having a local 404 number is an image enhancer over using those free conferencing services that so many have flocked to, which use out of state numbers in low cost, less populated cities. Using these numbers the company selling the conference call time reduces their costs but the people calling into the number all have to pay long distance fees. This doesn’t promote a good image for the company in the long run. The use of a local number with 800 options for out of area participants also allows them to reduce the cost burden on their clients and customers.
While many businesses have increased the use of conference calls as a way to facilitate team and customer communications virtually, many are not making the best use of this technology. Conference calls can be productive group meetings or pandemonium, if the call is not properly managed.
Using Simple2communicate’s 404 numbers, parties simply pick up the phone and dial into the best quality conferencing at a price that fits their particular budget. Additionally with free online managed software, the moderator can literally see the call on the screen allowing him or her to mute a noisy line or start a queue for questions in order to maintain order.
People who work from home often remark about how much more productive they are able to be without all of the office chit chat. Well organized and managed team meetings via conference call allow these productivity gains to continue by making the best use of technology that enables the virtual team to benefit from the interaction and the ability to call a quick meeting on the fly but also maintain order and focus. Simple2communicate offers unlimited conferencing for one low, flat rate and flexible audio conferencing solutions regardless of the volume. For more information about how your business can benefit by using a 404 conference line and reducing employee travel time, visit Simple2communicate.com or call 770-635-3540.
