top stories

Technology isn’t just a nice to have – it’s vital if you want your business to do well. So how do you make sure your broadband delivers the reliability you need?

A recent Harvard Business Review study found that IT investment is vital if you want your business to be competitive. Although the study focused on corporations, this is equally true for smaller businesses.

As Jennifer Irvine, founder of The Pure Package puts it, “Customers want the information now. They’ll call us up with a load of complicated questions. If we send them a brochure it’s going to take a couple of days to arrive.” And, if something is vital to the way you do business, you need to ensure that it’s up and running as much as possible – and that if something does go wrong, you can get help quickly and easily. That’s why it’s important to choose business-grade services, with business-level support, as soon as you can.

Tim King, founder of Matchking, initially used consumer broadband for his company, but found it wasn’t good enough for business use. “When I started my company, I chose the cheapest broadband option because money was at a premium,” he explains. “Due to restrictions imposed by my provider, I also couldn’t send files such as CVs or job descriptions to candidates who use free web-based email services, which was very frustrating.”
These kinds of restrictions are sometimes included in consumer broadband packages, and make them less suitable for business. In Tim’s case, he moved to BT using BT Business Total Broadband, with a dedicated broadband connection instead of a shared local loop – the service he had received from his previous provider.

The option Tim chose also includes 24/7 customer support, which has removed an unwanted burden from his shoulders. “I used to do all my own technical support but now I can just call the BT number and any problems are mostly sorted out within ten minutes,” Tim says. “That means I can concentrate on the business, not the IT.”

For more information go to www.bt.com/insight

Back to top