Why Reliable Internet is Crucial for Small Business Success

Fast and reliable internet is a necessity for business success. From hiring employees to bookkeeping, and marketing to customer service, almost all business operations require an internet connection. It’s not enough to just be connected, either. You need a fast connection that you can depend on. 

Fortunately, a high-quality internet service provider (ISP) like WOW! Business can provide you with fast, reliable internet. We’ve built our stellar reputation by delivering powerful internet solutions for small businesses year after year. That includes providing both wired solutions and reliable Wi-Fi coverage for businesses throughout our service area. 

How Important Is the Internet for A Small Business? 

The business world has changed significantly in the past few decades. Twenty years ago, many smaller businesses barely used the internet unless they were more tech-focused. But today, pretty much everything small businesses do requires the internet. 

Small business internet is necessary for: 

Increasing Productivity 

So many business tools utilize the internet to boost productivity. For example, accounting software takes advantage of cloud storage to protect vital financial data and to make it more accessible. Because of the cloud, you don’t have to worry about losing the data if your computer breaks and you can access and update that data from any device with an internet connection. 

Cloud computing also allows employees to collaborate on documents from different devices. They don’t have to be in the same room to chat, update information, and save their work for later use. 

Keeping Customers Satisfied 

A reliable internet connection ensures that your customers can always access your website and get in touch with you when needed. You can keep customer satisfaction high by giving them multiple channels to contact you, including VoIP phone calls, online chat, social media messaging, and email. 

When you don’t have reliable internet, though, you can wind up with very frustrated customers. They expect to be able to reach you or access your services as they normally do. But if they keep trying and failing because your internet is down, they will naturally lose patience. 

Staying Ahead of the Curve 

The technology landscape is changing constantly. If you want to maintain a competitive edge you need to be aware of these changes and strive to adapt as early as possible. Paying attention to industry trends, incorporating the latest digital tools, and learning how to harness data efficiently are all important and all require a fast, reliable internet connection.  

What Are Common Signs That a Business Is Suffering from Inadequate Internet Service? 

Because businesses use the internet in so many different ways, there can be a wide range of signs that the connection is inadequate. Some of these include:  

• Slow loading times: Websites may load slowly or fail to load at all. Text might appear with strange formatting, images might only partially appear and video might fail to play or stutter when it plays. 

• Call quality issues: If the business uses an internet phone, an inadequate connection may drop calls or cause problems with the audio quality of calls, such as stuttering, echoing or voices sounding robotic. 

• Poor Wi-Fi performance: It may be difficult for devices to connect to the Wi-Fi and those that are connected might experience slow performance. 

• Frequent disconnections: If the internet connection is not reliable, it will go out periodically and the lack of internet will be obvious to anyone trying to use the network. Any device using the network will lose access, so web pages will stop loading, videos will stop playing and communications will halt. 

• Lag in video games: Anyone playing online video games on the network will likely notice performance issues, particularly if the game is fast-paced and/or competitive. 

How Do I Know What Internet Speed My Business Actually Needs? 

The perfect small business internet speed makes the internet invisible. Your business operates as intended and everyone forgets that the internet is even there. To determine what that “perfect” speed is requires calculating a few different things, including:  

What are you using the internet for now and in the future? 

While every business uses the internet, there are definitely differences in how they use it. A florist doesn’t require as much bandwidth as a bank, for example. The florist might use the internet for eCommerce, basic customer service, and small business accounting.  In contrast, the bank might use the internet to operate a website for financial disclosures and documentation. It could run a small call center for customer service while also downloading and uploading substantial amounts of data for operations and security. Identify all the different ways you will use the internet to calculate your bandwidth and speed requirements.

How many users and devices are there? 

The more users and devices that access your network at one time, the more bandwidth and speed you need. A tire shop might have a few key employees using computers online and a handful of other employees accessing the Wi-Fi with their personal phones. However a tutoring business might have 10 employees using computers to teach and another 20 or more students accessing the network with personal devices, including watching videos and using online interactive teaching programs. 

How often do you want to upgrade? 

Many small businesses don’t want to recalculate how much internet they need every year. Instead, they choose to future-proof their connection by getting a package that will meet their needs for many years. 

The Go-To Resource for Reliable Internet for Small Businesses 

Take your business to the next level with our reliable and fast internet services. Get customized solutions that fit your needs. Connect with our internet team today for more information on how to get started.