When deciding on an ISP for your business, you may be struggling to decide between some of the larger, big-name brands, and specialist ISPs.

Here are the reasons businesses can benefit from using a specialist ISP…

#1 The network is designed for businesses

The tasks you need to carry out using the internet at home are very different from the requirements you have for your work connection, and a specialist ISP’s network can be tailored to your daily business needs. A specialist business ISP will have built and developed their network purely for top quality business performance to enable businesses, large and small, to operate efficiently without worrying if their network will hold them back.

#2 You receive a curated service

With a big brand ISP, you’ll have to choose from pre-made, one-size-fits-all packages that may not meet all of your business requirements. In comparison, with a specialist ISP, who deals only with businesses, you can expect to discuss your business’s needs both now and into the future – and they can tailor their services specifically to your business’s requirements. This means you should be able to operate exactly how you need to, and you have the flexibility to only pay for services you really need.

#3 Bill consolidation can save you time (and money)

For businesses, time is money. So, you don’t want your accounts team having to waste time assessing which department or site of your business generated which part of your telecoms bill. Some specialist ISPs are able to consolidate your bills for you and bill against cost centres, customised to your business’s requirements.

Read more about Beaming’s billing services here.

#4 SLAs mean you know what you’re getting

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) outline the guarantees made by your ISP in relation to the standard of service you will receive from them, in terms of speeds, downtime, and fault fix times and although these are important to ensure contracts are met, what really matters to businesses is how quickly matters are put right when things go wrong. If you have a problem, with a specialist ISP like Beaming, you can get straight through to a technician who will take ownership of any issues you are experiencing and keep you updated whilst investigating them. We can also take support queries from more than one contact at your organisation (we won’t only talk to a ‘named individual at the address’, unlike other providers) making issues easier to report. However, active monitoring means we may already be dealing with faults that arise, before you contact us.

#5 You benefit from helpdesk expertise

When you contact a specialist ISP, you’ll speak to telecommunications experts, rather than agents in a call centre. The service we are able to provide you is far more personal – our technicians will know you by name, and work with you to resolve issues promptly. At Beaming, we can also deal with problems while on the phone to you – our technicians are able to carry out checks and log directly in to the necessary systems as you’re speaking to them, giving you peace of mind that your business’s connectivity is in safe hands.

#6 We take time to learn about your company

In big brand ISPs, with multiple call centres across different locations globally, it simply isn’t possible to speak to the same person twice – so if you have an issue, you might be explaining the same thing multiple times, with each call centre agent promising to get the issue sorted for you. This means if your issue isn’t sorted straight away, you get stuck in a constant circle of being let down, which wastes your time and costs your business money. In contrast, as a specialist ISP, our customers can ring our helpline, and talk to the same technician that they’ve been dealing with previously. This way, you save time not having to repeat yourself, or explaining the complexities of your business time and time again. You know that the person on the other end of the phone has the skills to get your business back up and running, quickly.

#7 You’re kept in the loop with all provisioning updates

If you place an order with a consumer ISP, you’re likely to get an email confirming your installation date, and that’s usually the last you’ll hear – you have to cross your fingers that it will all go smoothly on installation day. With a business ISP, you’re kept in the loop with every step by the provisioning team who are processing your order, so you’ll never need to chase for updates. This way, you’re not left guessing and hoping that your order is on track – you know it for certain.

Final thoughts

It might initially seem easier to sign up with a household name who you are most familiar with but it’s important to think about what your business really needs from your ISP partner. Specialist ISPs can provide you with better communication, tailor-made services, and support to keep your business connected with ease. With the big brands, you may be paying slightly less per month, but when an issue arises, you could end up spending hours (or days!) on the phone, waiting in queues and being transferred across agents in a call centre – explaining your issue again and again. So, although you might appear to benefit from an initial saving, the time that your business has lost connectivity for, rendering it unable to operate, is likely to be far more valuable to you.