Is poor internet connectivity affecting your business operations?

In this article we look at poor connectivity – and how this can impact your productivity and efficiency.

Internet downtime is believed to be costing the UK economy billions of pounds a year. Depending on the size of the company affected, tens of thousands – if not hundreds of thousands of pounds – could be lost annually because of a disrupted broadband service.

According to an article by Smallbiztrends.com, if you or your employees spend half of each day online doing research, accessing systems or dealing with customers, that amounts to 4 hours per day – if 5 per cent of that time is wasted due to slow broadband, in a year this is equivalent to 50 hours per employee every year. How much could this cost you?

So, what are the most common problems which occur as a result of slow broadband or disruptions to broadband service…

Missed deadlines

A reliable internet connection is crucial for your business in many ways – one of the most common challenges experienced by businesses due to poor broadband service is being unable to access e-mails, documents and CRM software. This can lead to crucial deadlines and sales orders being missed, potentially hampering your growth. What if you needed to submit a tender through an online portal, only for your internet to fail at the final hurdle? All of that work would have gone to waste and you may have missed out on a huge opportunity.

Reduced level of customer service 

Another aspect of business operations which can be hugely affected by a poor broadband connection is customer service. Bad internet connectivity can have a serious impact on your response time when it comes to important email requests or dealing with complaints through email, web contact forms or over the phone, if your phone system is internet-based.

For e-commerce businesses, broadband disruption could lead to the inability to process orders, conduct sales campaigns and launch new products. It can have an extremely detrimental effect on your operations, customers may be lost and service affected.

Inability to access cloud systems

Many businesses rely on cloud software to store their data, enable staff and teams to collaborate effectively and reduce costs associated with buying hardware and software. If your business is using a cloud software solution but is affected by a poor broadband connection, uploading or downloading files may take longer, or worse – you may not be able to access your files at all.

Dropped calls

If your phone system is internet-based – for instance if you are using a VoIP or SIP-based system – poor broadband connectivity can seriously affect the performance of your phone system and your ability to receive or make calls.

Decreased productivity

Data slowdown, waiting for servers to respond, pages to load, or emails to send is hugely frustrating and can affect the productivity of your employees. This most commonly occurs as a result of poor connectivity – whether that affects your phone calls, internet use or both.

All of these problems can be caused by a broadband system which may not have been installed and set up properly. Also, your business may have simply outgrown the broadband which you have in place or your broadband solution may not be optimised in line with your location’s broadband coverage and availability.

So, what is the solution?

To ensure that your business does not experience the problems generated by poor productivity, and benefits from fast, reliable broadband, you will need to assess:

• How many devices will be connected
• What your capacity requirements are (how many people need to use the internet at different times of the day, week or year)
• Scale-up needs – will increased capacity in the future be required?
• The nature of your business and specific needs
• Broadband availability and speeds in your office location(s)

Cellular Solutions can provide a complete solution to get you better connected. Our experts can visit your business for a consultation and assessment of your broadband needs – and recommend the best broadband and communications packages for your organisation and site locations.

In addition, we will ensure seamless installation and integration into your business. We can help your business to get better connected with business broadband solutions including FTTP broadband, ADSL and FTTC broadband.

Want to get better connected and save your business valuable time and resources? Increase your productivity today – get in touch! We can discuss the best options with you! Call us on 08700 118 000 or email info@celular-solutions.co.uk.