In our fast-paced economy, one of the biggest pet peeves most of us face is slow internet, especially when we are doing business.
I would call this a first-world problem, but if you think about it, a slow internet speed might really bring down your revenue by hampering your productivity and efficiency. Have you ever tried to have a video call interview or render a sales video with bad internet? It is absolutely terrible! If 5 minutes already makes you want to blow your head, imagine trying to SURVIVE on it. Fortunately for us, internet connections can now be purchased as a commercial or a residential plan. Let’s take a look at all the pros and cons of using a business plan as compared to a residential plan.
Dedicated Internet
When you are working from home or online, one of the bare necessities for overall productivity is a dedicated internet. This means it is not only fast, it is also stable and always consistent.
With its boost in power as compared to its residential counterpart, dedicated internet has a symmetrical upload and download speed. Meaning even if you were to share the connection, you won’t feel any difference at all. A dedicated internet has the additional horsepower you need to constantly be speedy and available on the go.
However, you might not need a dedicated internet if you are working by yourself, staying home alone or running an eCommerce store with only a few remote employees. In such situations, a residential connection might just be enough.
With its boost in power as compared to its residential counterpart, dedicated internet has a symmetrical upload and download speed.
Need for speed
Internet speed is essentially measured by how much bits of information you can transfer and receive in a period of time. There are many factors as to why your internet speed goes up and down. More often than not, it is because there is so much information being transferred it “jams” up the bandwidth, sharing the speed and thus overall slowing each other down. For example, if two people are downloading something at the same time, both of their download speeds are essentially cut in half.
Ideally, you would not want this to happen. The slower your downloading and uploading speed, the less information is being transferred. As mentioned previously, this can really hinder your overall productivity and performance. Slow internet might cause you to be backlogged on work, and further delay you by taking hours to schedule a backup.
With fast internet, this is a thing of the past. When you are able to send and receive information almost instantaneously, your productivity and by extension, revenue, greatly increases.
If two people are downloading something at the same time, both of their download speeds are essentially cut in half.
Customer Service
Sometimes, residential internet connection can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you are looking for help. Time is money. As I mentioned, you will be wasting a lot of time waiting for a slow internet and losing out on money. Your customer service will be poor not by choice, but because your customers are forced to wait for YOU, which can cause a lot of problems.
With a business internet, you can enjoy a dedicated 24/7 service with guaranteed speed and zero downtime. Of course, before you jump right into investing in a business internet connection, remember to plan it out ahead. Consider whether you work solo or with a large team, how much bandwidth does your business require and what are the steps you need to take to optimize your business.
Service level agreements
A service level agreement is, as the namesake, an agreement between you and the client. You are essentially promising your clients quality, commitment and time efficiency. Even with the premium price of a business internet connection, a grade A service level agreement is definitely worth it as it heavily contributes to the prestige of your brand, and by extension, your sales and revenue. With a residential connection, this can be a little bit more ambiguous.
Even with the premium price of a business internet connection, a grade A service level agreement is definitely worth it
What internet speed should I get?
It depends on what your intentions are, either business or not. And even so, it depends on the size of your business and the amount of bandwidth you need. Eg, someone in film making and video editing might need a lot more bandwidth than a copywriter. It eventually boils down to your personal and professional needs.
Residential Vs Business Internet, what should I get?
