More and more people, including businesses, are reporting dissatisfaction with their internet providers. Although internet connection is more reliable overall, the main complaint received is in regards to internet speeds or, more specifically, not getting the speeds promised. It’s certainly annoying for households who are trying to stream TV, download media or play online games but it becomes downright disruptive for businesses requiring fast and reliable internet.
Slow broadband is bad for business, so it’s essential for companies to understand their broadband needs and choose a supplier accordingly. It can be confusing to know exactly what broadband speed to go for. Hoppy has created a simple video to explain this in simple terms. Ofcom has found that 83% of small businesses consider communications services essential to their functionality, meaning that any disruption can lead to profit-loss through reduces productivity and brand image.
Businesses relying heavily on fast internet speed must consider what happens to their employees’ productivity when those speeds fail. Waiting around for downloads or online access of files may not seem like much when thinking of one employee but when this happens to dozens, hundreds of employees it becomes a real problem.
As any business grows, the number of people using business broadband will increase. More employees using broadband can put a strain on connection, slowing down internet speed and causing user experience issues for employees, as well as potential customers. Faster internet speeds are specifically designed to support bigger numbers of users – something to keep in mind when choosing business broadband.
Ever-increasing numbers of business’ are hosting their services online thanks to advancements in technology such as the cloud. Documents, databases, and even CRM systems are all making the virtual migration. Easy and quick access through a reliably fast connection is needed to make working with cloud-hosted services as easy as possible.
Good internet connection also means more opportunities for collaboration, which is essential for business growth and effective idea generation. Flexible working and global workforces rely on internet-backed services and video-conferencing to make their jobs possible. It’s a careful balance of constantly uploading, downloading, connecting, and accessing a range of cloud-hosted applications, all of which must be accessible with ease and without delay. Future-thinking companies who want to attract top talent with flexible-working benefits simply cannot afford to have a slow internet connection.
No business should compromise on the quality of internet speeds especially when internet providers are underperforming and not delivering on contractually promised speeds. Good connectivity should then trump costs but that doesn’t mean you can’t still get a good value deal for the speed your businesses requires, simply do some research and don’t be afraid to make the switch if a better value deal pops up.
