Any business today needs fast reliable internet in order to operate. Retail business needs a website which can take orders, do social media marketing, run card machines while businesses which provide hospitality need all that and free Wi-Fi for all their customers too.

During the lockdowns a lot of businesses survived, some even flourished, by shifting their Business models from high street sales to online ordering plus delivery. First and foremost among them are take-aways and supermarket deliveries, but lets not forget the people who weren’t able to keep doing their regular jobs so made side-hussles and hobbies their new careers.

In order to be able to do so, and to keep in touch with colleagues, friends and family, reliable, fast, unlimited Broadband was key. The need to be able to advertise and market products on Etsy, Facebook, Instagram, etc. and to Zoom, hold Teams meetings and call internationally for free.

As we move forward, putting lockdowns behind us, how can established businesses adapt to the ‘new normal’ and how can small businesses, start-ups and individuals turning hobbies into money making schemes ensure they find the best broadband service providers?

Broadband Speed and Unlimited Data

Start-ups and small businesses always have tight margins. You don’t want to be spending money on anything that you’re not using, so, depending on your business, you need to identify the slowest broadband you can live with, and the fastest internet that you can afford.

If your business relies on sending large amounts of data, regular online meetings with several people in one office at one time, uploading videos and renderings then you’re going to need a much faster internet speed than a company which just relies on social media, emails and online orders.

A flexible broadband provider offers you the opportunity to adjust the package you receive without penalties. So if you find that your downloads and uploads are taking too long, Zoom and Teams meetings are dropping out or freezing you can just switch to a faster package immediately.

Reliability

Unreliable broadband service provision is frustrating, stressful and can be costly. Whatever your business, how big it is or what you trade, not having access to internet will certainly cost you money.

Anyone looking for a new broadband provider should bear that in mind when deciding who to go with. Is their customer service located in an office far away, or is it a local company with engineers a mere stone’s throw away who can come and fix any problems you experience immediately, and not when they can schedule you in.

Broadband Availability and Technology

If your business is located in or near Worthing it’s likely that you have Full Fibre available already. If not, it could be possible to get wireless broadband instead. Either of these options is likely to be considerably faster than internet delivered via your phone line, meaning that you can run several different devices at the same time. So if you have Smart CCTV, alarms, a chip and pin or contactless payment machine they can all work concurrently and quickly. No more staring anxiously at a card machine waiting forever for payment to go through!

Look into what each broadband provider offer, and don’t be tricked by too-good-to-be-true offers, as they’ll often tie you into contracts which aren’t so special once the introductory special offer is over, or they’re very long contracts which you can’t get out of no matter how tempting new offers are.

Prices

Your best option for a reliable ISP is one who offers great prices for the speeds you get, and offers flexibility too. If you underestimate the amount of data you need when you sign up the best companies will make faster options available to you at competitive prices and without admin fees. Similarly, if your business is on a tight budget you need to have the flexibility built in that will allow you to choose a more economical package, but again, without being penalised for doing so.

Choosing Full Fibre will let you choose Gigabit internet speeds (up to 900 Mbps) without having to pay line rental as there is no copper phone line in use. However, your business may rely on a landline phone, or a number of phones throughout your office or guests’ rooms. If that’s the case you should see about getting VoIP added to your package. VoIP offers cheaper calls to local, domestic and international numbers, free calls to other VoIP numbers, and you can keep your old number if your number is established or well known.

Staying Safe Online

You might not think that staying safe online is that much of a big deal if you mainly deal in cash or don’t handle a lot of people’s personal details or sensitive information. However, if your network is open for your customers to use they are going to want to feel assured that their details are safe, and it’s sensible to keep visitors and non-key staff on a different network from that which your office computers or Smart security devices are on. Setting up a guest network is quick, easy, and should ideally be done at home as well as the office to keep potential hackers away from your privileged information.

In summation, it’s important for any business looking for a new internet service provider, be they established, start-up or Hobby turned Hussle on Etsie to choose one who’s going to be adaptable to their needs, flexible enough to change plans, provide a friendly, expert customer service with reliability and immediate response to maintenance and repairs when called upon. For that kind of service in Worthing and Adur, there is only one ISP: Briant Broadband. Call us on 01903 221999 or email us at [email protected] to find out what we can do to help your business thrive.

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