Broadband has revolutionized the way small businesses provide services to their customers. Majority of the population in developed countries has access to broadband. With the ability to combine voice, data, television into once affordable package broadband providers can provide a compelling value proposition to small business owners as well as individuals. Those who do not take advantage of this are at a disadvantage. With broader access and ever decreasing price there is no excuse for a small business owner to not jump on the broadband train.
The challenge many small business owners face is deciding what type of service to select. If you look at the website of virgin media broadband, for example, they have numerous options to choose from. To begin with you can select pre-paid or post-paid option. You can have unlimited data plan or number of other tiered data options. You can sign up for 30 regular channels or subscribe to premium channels. The number of available options is enough to make someone dizzy. If you are not sure what you want it may become nearly impossible to find a plan that works for you. You can also compare tv packages. So how do you choose the broadband plan? Here are some tips to help you navigate the maze.
In general, there are three parameters that a user needs to decide to come up with a plan – amount of data, speed and contract length. Majority of options are dependent of these parameters. In addition, there are few other secondary parameters that can help you narrow your choice further. Before choosing a provider you need to look into their customer support and reliability. Even thought I call them secondary they are no less important than the primary ones. Just imagine subscribing to a service provider that not very reliable and losing you internet connection in the middle of important online transaction. If you can’t reach their customer service department quickly and get it fixed you stand to lose significant business.
Below you will find a series of questions that will help you come to a decision that will meet your needs.
- How fast internet connection do you need?
Not all businesses require superfast internet connection. If you are running an online retail store you probably need the fastest connection possible, but if all you are doing on internet is place orders with some vendors you can afford to go with lower speed. Higher the connection speed, the more money you will be charged.
- How much data will you use per month?
This is a somewhat tricky question to answer. Most broadband providers now provide many tiers of data that you can use per month. If you go over that limit you are charged at a much higher rate. You can go with unlimited data plan, but if you do not use lot of data you may end wasting money on the extra plan you don’t need. If you are not sure call the broadband provider for advice. They will be happy to discuss your needs and provide recommendation.
- Are you willing to sign up for long-term contract?
Many service providers give you a discount or some free set-up equipments if you are willing to sign up for long-term contracts. Of course, you will be locked up in a contract for few years as a result. If you are not sure of long-term commitment it’s better to sign up for short-term contract or no contract at all.
- What other service do you need?
As mentioned earlier majority of providers now provide bundled services that include voice, data, television and other services. If you need all the services you can save significant amount, however, if you only need selected services it is better to sign up only for what you need.
As you can see there are number of factors that go into decision making regarding broadband services. If you are not sure it is better to start with flexible service and tweak it as you learn what services you need.
What other factors would you consider to come up with a broadband plan?
