Just a Thought on Professional Service Firms and Others

This is something I've thought about for some time. An article today in the NY Times about some recent criticism airlines have received for their environmental footprint just reminded me that I want to put this out there.

As a former consultant in an IT consulting firm who once flew 112 segments one year, I wonder why more professional services firms and other industries with a similar business model cannot cut down on some of the face-to-face contact. I understand that relationships and client service mean everything to this industry, but I feel that a substantial decrease can occur without a decrease in client service.

The longest project I was a part of lasted over two years. The size of the team I was on varied, but I would guess it averaged 12 people for that time. There were certainly times that we all needed to be there, but more often than not, I think we could have been just as effective had we done a significant portion of the work at our home office.

If these firms can cut down on face-to-face time, they can make a positive environmental impact as well as save their clients a great deal of money. I don't see why this can't occur in many instances - especially when the savings can be quantified to a client or prospective client. If a reputable firm answered an RFP (request for proposal) suggesting this different model, they can show a prospective client that the new model will show them potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars (savings on airfare, hotel rooms, rental cars, meals, energy at the clients site) in savigs while guaranteeing the same results.

Such an idea would obviously have to be flushed out in significantly more detail. I just feel that this could be a strong move that a company can make that can also help the relationship with their clients.