Boost business results — by boosting your Internet service

When you run a small business, a slow Internet connection or disruption in service is more than just an inconvenience. It can cost you time, money and customers.

The flipside, however, is that when you increase your speed, you may see benefits in five key areas.

1. Better customer experience

Customers are the backbone of every small business, and it pays to keep them happy:

• *92% of customers who say they are satisfied are likely or very likely to continue purchasing products and services
• *91% are likely or very likely to recommend you to others

So what keeps customers happy? It’s being able to check email, IM friends, maybe even shop online on their smartphone while waiting for service at a salon. It’s having health insurance claims sent through for approval while they’re checking out at the dentist’s office. It’s being able to keep their kids quiet and happy watching movies on demand while they wait to see the pediatrician.

All these activities require high-speed Internet. If your connection is slow, it’s likely to affect how your customers feel about your business and what they tell their friends and family.

2. Faster check-ins/checkouts

As a small-business owner, you want to give every customer the attention they deserve. At the same time, however, the faster you move people in and out, the more you can see and the more revenue you’ll generate. So the last thing you want is customers waiting in line for minutes on end because the POS terminal is slow. Or employees lounging in the back because they don’t realize their 3 p.m. appointment has been sitting in the waiting area for the past 10 minutes.

To keep customers moving through a single POS terminal you need bandwidth of about 1.5 mbps. Add about 750 kbps for every additional terminal. For example, a busy restaurant with 10+ handheld POS terminals would require download speed of 15 to 20 mbps.

And to get customers in faster, consider setting up digital sign-in at reception. When visitors arrive, they simply enter their last name on-screen and the person they’re scheduled to see is alerted of their arrival.

3. Greater staff productivity

You’ve worked hard to find your team and are proud of their dedication and hard work. Without their support, your business wouldn’t be what it is today. Just think how much happier — and productive — they could be if:

• They could upload and download files in seconds instead of having to walk away from their desk and go get a coffee while an icon spins on their screen. 1 diagnostic medical image: 5.2 Gbps
• They could conduct research, compare products and services, and purchase business supplies online in half the time (or less) it takes them now. Online vendor portals: 500 Kbps
• They could set up video conferences so clear and crisp that it was just as productive as having everyone in the same room. HD video conferencing: 4 Mbps

4. Higher brand profile

You could serve the best food in the city, have the best hair stylists or book the hottest live bands, but if no one knows about your establishment, you’re not going to be very busy. Consider making your business more visible with these strategies:

• Digital signage in your front window, above your door and inside your establishment drawing attention to the products and services you offer.
• An attractive and easy-to navigate website featuring curated content that you keep fresh with regular updates.
  • **59% of Canadian small businesses don’t have a website
• Social media — invite customers to tag your business, post reviews on Yelp, “like” your Facebook page or share selfies from your business on Instagram.

5. Greater profitability

Better customer experience, faster check-ins and checkouts, greater productivity and a higher profile for your business all add up to the best result of all: a healthier bottom line.

*Marketing Sherpa, Customer Satisfaction Research Study 2016

**GoDaddy & Redshift Research Small Business Survey 2015

Original Post https://businessforum.rogers.com/small-business/posts/boost-business-results-by-boosting-your-internet-service-13776489