5 Tips to get the Best Business Phone and Broadband Deal
When you are looking for the best business phone and broadband deal, it can be difficult deciding on the best fit for your company. There are different types of phone systems, business broadband packages & the technical support & customer support can vary a lot between providers.
Small Business Broadband and Phone Deals
Small Businesses have very different needs to enterprise companies. For small companies to thrive & grow keeping costs low is the biggest priority which often leads them to buy the cheapest business broadband service available.But this can cost them much more over the year with the downtime they experience from it & poor speeds. No business wants an unreliable broadband connection.
Opinium have done some research on the cost of poor internet to UK businesses. It tells us that a whopping 72% of UK businesses faced internet failures last year & that caused an estimated downtime of 149 million hours. Individually these businesses experienced 43 hours in lost connectivity and suffered losses averaging out at £3,125, translate to £521 per employee.
How do you choose the right fit? Our guide will help with that so simply continue reading.
1.Know your business broadband Speed.
When looking at business broadband deals, before you even get a quote you need to know what speed your company requires. Broadband speeds play a big role in the price you will pay so the higher the speed you need the more it will cost you monthly. Traditional DSL broadband typically starts from around £15 per month which is often attractive to small businesses who want to keep costs low.
However, this is not always the most reliable internet connection you can get for your business. Fibre optic broadband will give you better speeds and reliability but also comes with a higher price tag. This is usually in teirs based on speed. The top end fibre broadband in 2019 can give you up to 500Mb which is unheard of previously with UK based providers.
2. Know your business phone and broadband needs.
There’s quite a few options when picking out a business phone & broadband deal & the its important to know exactly what you need so you are comparing like for like & don’t end up with a product that doesn’t work for you. A few questions worth knowing the answer to are:
- How many handsets do you need?
- What type of phone service is best for your business? If you are unsure of this you can read about the different types here.
- If you decide on an IP based phone system, they are cheaper but you do need a stable & reliable internet connection so ask yourself how good your internet is?
- Do you need to upgrade your internet to be able to run the business phone line?
- Do you need fibre business broadband or a dedicated leased line?
- What is your budget & timescales?
- Are there any other services you can bring in to negotiate a better deal for your company?
These will all play a part in helping you secure the best deal possible but we would also suggest using what you can to negotiate with providers. Contrary to popular belief there is often room for negotiation so if you could sign within a short timescale, have other services to add in or have had a good quote elsewhere use it to your advantage!
Us Brits often get caught up being too polite, but this is business – yours was probably built on great negotiations so do what you do best. Worst they can do is say they can’t change the price. But as my mum always says if you don’t ask you don’t get.
3. Understand business broadband is not the same as home broadband.
Business Broadband is different to your home broadband for a few reasons. Firstly, its not shared with as many other customers. This means that a business line in the same area as home broadband line will be more reliable & have less buffering.
Business broadband will also usually come with a static IP address, whereas your home broadband will usually give you a dynamic IP address. Most businesses prefer a static IP address as it is more secure & can enable you to do a range of technical things like host your own website.
You will also get better customer service with business broadband so if anything does every go wrong you get quicker responses & queue priority with most providers.
4. Do not just go with BT Business phone and broadband.
BT business broadband has dominated the UK since business broadband began. Its the name we all think of when it comes to telecoms & with good reason. They are the biggest brand in the UK & have dominated their industry for years.
However, much like the big 6 in energy have been disrupted, so have BT when it comes to business phone & broadband. They are often one of the most expensive providers despite having the ability to sell cheaper than anyone. If they had a superior product or customer service it might be worth paying but the fact is they don’t. In fact BT business customer service reviews can be found with a quick google search & they paint a picture.
BT rely on people knowing them & staying with them because they don’t want the hassle of switching providers. But this has all been made simpler than ever. Read the next point to find out how.
5. Compare business phone and broadband deals.
Comparing the prices to get the best deal doesn’t mean all meercats & chubby Oprah singers. They have done a great job at showing how much consumers can save. But for business services you are better using a business comparison, like us!
You can save hundreds per year by switching to a better business broadband and phone provider & it couldn’t be an easier process:
- Fill out the quote request form
- Let us do all the work & find the cheapest suppliers in your area
- Sit back & wait for the quotes to come in.
