When choosing a business internet connection provider, it is important to weigh all factors instead of simply choosing one who is either well-known (such as Comcast) or cheap (like Century link). Here at SBDC TV, this choice is more critical than is true for most businesses because we are 100% Internet based as well as having high requirements for connection speed due to our online training curriculum. In our business – bandwidth is more than a key consideration but more important than every other. Before proceeding with tips and best practices, there are some things we have to get off our chest! First, Comcast, wherever you are located, seems the logical choice. Let’s face it; they have the highest speeds available for both business and home as well as top notch bundling services which may include (but not limited to);
- Internet DSL
- Phone
- Cable
- Voice Mail
However and as does any company which enjoys a service sector monopoly, Comcast is a BULLY and will punish any customer, through painful infliction of higher prices, who refuses to bundle. Some time ago, we very nearly chose another provider because Comcast attempted, with the threat of much higher prices, to force SBDC TV to keep cable television as well as voice mail service. What’s the issue with receiving more services for a lower price? CHOICE! To begin with, TV is DEAD and we have no need of this service when free streaming is available online. Further, there is little need to put forth benefits of freely available entertainment, no commercials (as is true of television), customized preferences as well as many other pros of choosing online entertainment over more traditional media. Next and something most may find surprising, we have no office telephones. Existing as a 100% online based, why would we? Email, chat, SKYPE, Google Hangout and other direct contact software make telephones irrelevant to our business model. Although these needs were important to us, all Comcast cared about as with any monopolistic tyrant (hello Microsoft), was their own needs and if not in word, by action, truly brought alive a company culture which screams “the hell with what the customer wants”.
So blind is Comcast in pursuit of such undignified goals, we offered to pay higher rate(s) without unneeded services and continue on with them as our ISP (Internet Service Provider) and, well, they balked! We’ll spare you the rest of this sorted story but offer this; we discovered organizational confusion which is obviously part of their culture, isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Like any behemoth, receiving the services your small business requires is a matter of WHO you contact and WHEN. To finish up, we finally spoke to a Comcast representative who, in exchange for SBDC TV signing another 12 month contract, agreed to do what we required; discontinue unwanted services and instead provide something we always have need of; more bandwidth and higher upload/download speeds.
Where is this leading? When choosing a business connection provider, ONLY, without exception, purchase services your company needs no matter how attractive pricing options are for non-useful bundles. Perhaps you require an office telephone with voice mail and unlike us, tons of bandwidth is irrelevant. If this is the case, stick ‘to your guns’ and don’t be seduced by the immediacy of lowering expenses. It is an amazing thing to witness how even mega corporations will ‘bend to your will’ for a simple 12 month contract! Next; there are no pricing options, especially for small business, worth signing more than a 12 month contract. Upfront; the savings for a 24 month (or longer) contract may seem appealing but is any amount worth lack of flexibility for your business? There are very few businesses not based on convenience and signing long term contracts removes it. When your contract runs out, perhaps it is even worth not signing another and remaining a ‘month-to-month’ business class customer to retain flexibility.
For entrepreneurs just starting out, there is another little used tool to not only save money, often called ‘boot-strapping’, but to receive needed Internet services free or not adding additional expense. Before ‘going there’, we will admit this shouldn’t be a long-term solution but perhaps working from home or even going to places and areas where free wireless is available may be an option. Another great idea is to securing executive office space which offers wireless free to all tenants. We guarantee wherever you live, there are free wireless connections in public places readily available such as restaurants, libraries etc. Should this be the choice, you must be disciplined enough not to spend huge amounts of money buying things you would otherwise not just to get free wireless! In demonstrating the fallacy of this mindset – there are many who regularly forego use of nearby gas stations and drive much further, to others, simply because the ‘per-gallon’ price is cheaper at the more distant. Do such people realize when factoring in having to drive further distances and expend more fuel getting there, no savings actually exist?
For those with non-tech related companies, we’d suggest staying away from Comcast in lieu of more local providers such as Century Link or other. One of the best things about more local companies is they are often more personal and may provide flexibility in service plans often not available through monopolistic tyrants such as Comcast. More than anything, assess your business needs and only select services plans which provide what your company requires most to survive and grow; flexibility.
by 