Finding the right provider service provider (ISP) is like finding the right place to buy a car. Sure, you may find the perfect package, but you may not get a great deal, may end up with bad terms, or have something that doesn’t end up meeting your needs.
When it comes to your business, having the right ISP is critical for the operation and success. You want someone who offers reliable internet access without charging an arm and a leg.
First, you need to figure out what internet speed you need for your business. There are many considerations, such as business fibre and wireless broadband .
The right ISP will help you understand all the different terms and how you could benefit from the different options.
That’s just one of the things the right provider will do. Let’s look at what you need to consider, the research you should do, and what to compare when you select your ISP.
Understanding Your Business Needs and Options
Before you can start looking for your ISP, you need to understand your business needs. You can ask some providers you are considering using for more details – the good ones will actually help you without expecting you to commit to them first.
As you get started, sit down and start a checklist of what you need from your ISP. This is something you will need when you start reviewing your shortlist to determine who you want to choose for your ISP.
Before you start looking into the different options, you need to do an initial assessment of your business:
- The number of employees who will be accessing the connection will determine what bandwidth you need.
- You need to know when the most number of people will be online and using the connection, such as the morning when everyone has arrived and is going through email. When they are likely to be downloading and uploading files is when you are likely to have the most traffic. The early part of the day and toward the end of business when people are preparing to head home is when people are more likely to be online getting started or wrapping up for the day.
- The speed you need is based on these factors, as well as the size of files that people are likely to be downloading and uploading.
Business nbn and nbn enterprise ethernet are examples of a solution that has been gaining in attention because of how reliable it is. While this is certainly something to look into on the nbn co site, it isn’t your only option.
Usually, you have four primary options in terms of connectivity (five if you count dialup, but that is strongly discouraged).
- Digital subscriber line (DSL) – This was the first vastly superior connectivity when dial up was the primary method of connecting. DSL requires a landline to connect, so it isn’t for every business. It is a great option for smaller companies as it is less expensive. However, it does have limitations that make it less than ideal when you have more than a few people connecting over it on a regular basis. The farther you are from the source, the slower the downloads will be as well.
- Satellite – The potential with this one is great, but if you’ve relied on satellites before, you know that it can be problematic. And those problems are out of your control. There are many things that can interfere with the connection, and this is why ground connections are considered more reliable. It also tends to be more expensive than you would expect for something that isn’t entirely reliable. However, if you are in a more open area, you won’t have to compete with other people online
- Cable -This connection is over a coaxial cable, once a popular connection option, but has become less desirable with some of the other options. It can still achieve impressive speeds considering the technology. This is the type of connection that can be affected by other people being online at the same time, so if your business is using it at a high traffic time, it will slow your connection. The other downside is that it can be expensive.
- Fibre – Fibre optic is easily the most reliable, this connection goes through over plastic or glass strands, creating the fastest connectivity. The biggest problem with this method is that it is not available everywhere. The other problem is that it is often the costliest option. For larger companies or places that regularly upload and download files, it is worth the cost.
Using Your Operational Needs to Start Asking Questions
It’s easy to think that small businesses don't need a high speed, but that is far from true. A large part of what determines what kind of service you need is how you use the internet.
Unless your business doesn’t require much internet use (there are a few industries where it is less critical), you need to have a service provider that can guarantee reliable, quick connectivity. Once you understand your business needs, you can start asking the right questions.
The following are the type of questions you should be asking the providers you are considering.
- What is the customer service availability? What about technicians and technical support? Even if your company isn’t operating 24/7, if you provide any services 24/7, you need a provider who can accommodate that kind of schedule. You don’t want to find out after you start with a service that they don’t provide quality customer service.
- Check the downtime and maintenance schedule. You want to work with a company that does regular maintenance on their systems. If you get their schedule, you’ll be able to anticipate potential service interruptions. A good ISP will do maintenance during hours when there is less internet traffic.
- Contracts are sometimes considered the bane of having internet service. Some providers will work without them, but a large number of companies do require you to sign a contract to start service. You want to look at several critical factors:
- How long are their contracts?
- What is included in the contract, especially in terms of customer service?
- What is the cost for the different contract lengths?
- What are the termination fees?
- Do they offer a free trial period?
- A lot of companies have a data cap on their bandwidth. If your business has a high data exchange, you don’t want to have a cap if you can help it. It’s possible that you may be able to get a higher data cap by paying more. If not, it will likely create an unnecessary bottleneck, or require working more outside of regular business hours.
As with anything else, always read the fine print. All of it. Some companies know that people are more likely to sign without paying attention.
There are a few more things to look for when exploring the different providers in your area. Security is easily one of the biggest concerns, and you want a company that offers robust security measures.
Some companies will provide some additional services that could be bundled with your internet service. For example, if you need business phone systems, you may find someone who offers VoIP. Or if you prefer using a cloud, see which companies also have cloud storage service.
Bundles can save you money, as well as making it easier to pay the bills. Here are a few services you may be able to get in addition to an internet connection:
- - VPN
- - Cloud storage
- - IP address that won’t change
- - Email service
- - Equipment for the connection
Take the time to see what else providers offer to see if you can cover multiple services with one provider.
Something you need to consider for your company is expansion and scalability. You want an ISP who can adjust your services based on your needs, both now and going forward. This is especially true if you sign a contract – they need to be able to provide the services you need, not just have you pay the bill for things you don’t need or inadequate services for a growing company.
Creating a Short List and Making a Decision
Once you have found a list of potential providers, it’s time to start narrowing them down to a short list.
Conducting Research
The first place to start is always with customer reviews. You can view what is on their websites – most companies have testimonials. However, it’s much better to look at reviews that weren’t selected by the companies.
There are many places you can go to check reviews, such as Yelp! and Google. Do keep in mind that people are more likely to add a review if they are unhappy than if they are happy. As a result, notice if there are considerably more positive results.
Look for repeat issues in the negative comments. This is usually the best indicator of a problem with a company. Similarly, look for repeat praise of different aspects of the company. This should give you a decent idea of what to expect.
Down the road, if you end up happy with the service, take the time to leave a positive review. You’ll be helping other people in a similar position as you are now, as well as letting your ISP know what it is that makes you want to be a loyal customer.
Local or National?
One of the first things to consider is if you want to go with a local provider or one of the big national providers. Here’s a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of both.
Local ISPs are more likely to listen and tend to have much better customer service. When you contact them for help, they will often have someone available you’ve worked with before who will know a bit about your company and what you need. This can make problem-solving a lot faster.
Choosing a local provider also means that you are supporting your community. This can contribute to growth in your area.
The primary issue is that they have less coverage. If you are planning on expanding outside of a service area, you are probably going to need to find another provider for those other areas, or move to a national provider. That may not be a problem you face now but is something to keep in mind for later.
They may also have fewer available services, and they could have slower speeds. This is something you can quickly find out though, so if they have what you need for a contract period, these are less likely to be an issue.
National ISPs have larger networks, more services, and potentially faster speeds. However, they are less personal, potentially worse customer service, and typically higher costs.
Confirming Services When You Look over Your Short List
Before you make any final decisions, you need to verify that every ISP on your shortlist offers the services you need and expect.
Now is the time to pull out your short-list you created when looking at your options. Make sure you verify that all of those business internet needs are met.
One thing to look for is the ISPs who offer a trial period. If you can test out a provider before signing a contract, that can save you a lot of hassle later. Much like a test drive, you can learn a lot from a trial period.
Negotiate
It’s easy to feel that you need to accept the terms that they offer, but you don’t. A lot of ISPs will be open to negotiations to get your business, especially if they are locking. You into a contract.
Here are a few things to do to get a better service level agreement (SLA).
- Be mindful of the uptime. You want to get a guarantee that meets your needs, so know what your maximum level of downtime is, and get a guarantee that the company will be able to provide the corresponding uptime (at a minimum).
- Negotiate a credit whenever there is a failure of service.
- Price is something you can definitely negotiate, especially if you plan to bundle your internet with other service.s
Final Thoughts
Always start with a checklist of your needs, and it should include everything you need. Any provider who doesn’t tick off all of the boxes should be removed from your list.
If you would like a secondary checklist of things you would like but don’t have to have, make sure to ask about them. If you can settle multiple services at one time, that can save you a lot of time in other areas.
Take a comprehensive approach to what you need. This doesn’t have to be an exercise in just getting a good ISP. A great ISP will be able to offer you great service that will help your company to find success.
This is one of those things where you want to take the time to do your due diligence. You can save yourself a lot of time, money, and aggravation by spending a few days or weeks looking at all of the options and finding out what each of the ISPs have to offer.
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