Today’s businesses face more challenges than those from just 20 years ago. Operating in a hyper-competitive, increasingly global landscape, businesses today must deal with logistical, communication, and system challenges on a daily basis.
VoIP phones and cloud-based applications are just a few of the complex technologies business owners are expected to handle, often with little knowledge. All of these technologies are dependent on a robust internet connectivity. Gartner predicts that in 2018, 40 per cent of enterprises will use WiFi instead of ethernet cables as the default connection for non-mobile devices, such as desktop computers, desk phones, and printers.
But a reliable connection is impossible without a solid network. Here are just some of the potential costs that businesses may suffer and why a reliable internet service is essential.
Cost to sales
Let’s start with the most obvious: your transactions. If you have an online presence where purchases can be made, a fast reliable network is necessary to ensure customers make it to the end of their purchasing journey. When your network drops or even slows down, customers will become wary of buying online.
Poor connectivity in-store can also mean that transactions cannot be processed at all, given that a lot of payments processes rely on a digital network. You may also experience numerous double billings. That’s an accounting nightmare you want to avoid.
Cost to customer service
Your business is only as good as your customers’ perception of it. When customers cannot receive the help they need due to a failed network. This results in a negative experience, often shared out in detail across social media.
Don’t let faulty technology turn your greatest asset into your biggest enemy.
Cost to internal communications
How many times a week do you need to speak with your sales team, a remote office, or one of your suppliers? It’s important to ensure your internal communications are always dependable. Without access to these resources, it can bring your business operations to a halt.
Cost to customer experience
Free WiFi is becoming pervasive as consumers demand to be able to use their mobile devices everywhere, without using up their own data allowance. Today’s consumers simply expect WiFi access, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re in a chain or a small coffee shop down the street.
Complimentary WiFi is becoming an increasingly significant factor in how consumers choose where they go. But keep in mind, shoddy WiFi can be worse than having no WiFi at all. Poor WiFi can hurt your brand’s identity and ultimately the customer experience.
Cost to security
While offering free WiFi can boost the customer experience, there are some hidden dangers that put businesses at potential risk to being exposed to cybercriminals. It’s important to set up two separate wireless networks: a secured business-only network and a guest network. A secured network will help mitigate risks of hackers and keep confidential business information separate, while customers can still benefit from your guest service.
To be successful in today’s business landscape and gain a competitive edge, ensuring a reliable Internet connection is mission-critical.
Seeking expert advice is a key port of call for any networking project, because it means you can leave it to the professionals, while you get on with running your business uninterrupted. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can take that pressure off business owners. They can handle everything from monitoring network traffic volumes, and figuring out the most efficient networking ecosystem for the business, through to securing the network.
James Bergl, Regional Director – ANZ, Datto
