Employees sometimes feel like they spend all their time rushing to get things done. Speed of execution is often at the top of businesses’ priorities. Of course, your company’s growth strategy requires a certain cruising speed. Some of your goals probably need to be achieved quickly to ensure success: establishing yourself in a new market or launching an innovative product, for example.
However, other decisions require longer reflection, especially when it comes to choosing the best Business Internet service based on your company’s needs. Contrary to popular belief, the speed offered by a telecommunications provider is not the main factor to consider in this particular equation. Keep reading for more information on the subject—and take your time!
Business Internet: 5 criteria for making the best choice
1) Precise needs assessment: understand your reality
Organizations need to be able to rely on Internet access to conduct their operations. The 2020 edition of the Survey of Internet Integration into Business Processes by the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ) reveals that 95.6 percent of companies that have one or more employees and do business in Québec have access to an Internet connection. As a comparison, in 2012, only 83.5 percent of such businesses were connected.
Furthermore, according to this same survey, most companies (55.8 percent) that are connected to the Internet but don’t have high-speed access do not feel they need a faster connection. A lower, though still significant percentage considers the cost of a faster connection to be too high (25.6 percent).
So it begs the question: do you really need a super-high-speed connection? It seems that what companies really need is reliable, high-performance access and quality services from an expert. Your trusted provider’s customer service representative should also guide you to ensure your actual needs are adequately assessed.
For example, retailers need to make sure they have end-to-end coverage at their locations, from the store entrance through to the warehouse in the back. Restaurant owners, on the other hand, should be able to handle very large traffic spikes so that all their customers can use the Internet without interruption. No matter what your industry, make sure your Business Internet service is tailored to your specific needs!
This is where the importance of your relationship with your account manager comes in. For the development of Hôtel UVille, Andrew Contofalski, account director for Videotron Business, went out of his way to precisely analyze his client’s needs and create the best possible customized solution. In this case, a Ucrypt device needed to be integrated to provide the kind of experience expected from guests of the hotel and museum. This was just the start of what proved to be a real success story !
2) Reliability: get a solution with a backup
What is one of the biggest frustrations for businesses? Internet outages, of course! Nothing is worse than not having an Internet connection when you really need it. Besides being very costly, Internet outages can have a number of negative consequences. In fact, all organizations now consider the Internet to be an indispensable resource when it comes to their efficiency and operations.
Store owners need a reliable Internet connection to receive payments from their customers through connected points of sale. Hotels, bars, and restaurants use dynamic displays and rely on their Internet connection to easily update menus and offer targeted promotions to customers. Transportation companies that employ connected mobility solutions want to be able to manage their fleet of trucks and improve logistics, without having to wait for network availability.
This means that if your organization is also at the mercy of a reliable Internet connection, you need to plan ahead for any problems that might arise as a result of an outage. Could such a situation potentially be catastrophic? Then now is the time to find the best solution to overcome this issue.
Videotron Business offers Guaranteed Internet, which includes a backup feature. The main access is through a hybrid fibre connection, with a wireless LTE network as a secondary connection. The latter will automatically take over, with no latency, to maintain Internet access in case the primary connection fails. An Internet outage can have multiple causes, and oftentimes, your telecommunications provider has absolutely nothing to do with it!
Guaranteed Internet is therefore a great solution for ensuring business continuity, enhancing the productivity of your teams in case of an outage, and keeping your services, IP telephony, and payment terminals operational by having an alternative connection available.
This hybrid fibre technology can also be deployed faster and for a lower cost than a fibre optic connection. It offers an Internet service that meets the vast majority of business needs. Otherwise, dedicated fibre optic services from Videotron Business are also at your disposal!
Dedicated Optical Fibre Internet: another reliable solution
Videotron Business also offers a Dedicated Optical Fibre Internet service. The difference between optical fibre and hybrid fibre is simply the technology used to connect the customer’s modem to the Internet provider’s network. In the case of hybrid fibre, the last few feet of the network are connected using coaxial cable, right up to the modem installed in the place of business.
The Dedicated Optical Fibre Internet solution is reserved exclusively for business use. Its infrastructure has a customized design and brings a number of advantages, as specified in our service level agreement (or SLA). The dedicated access enables business customers to enjoy fast restoration of their primary connection in case of an outage, thereby reducing the amount of time the backup connection is used.
Deploying this solution requires a lot of planning beforehand. A full team of experts will therefore be dedicated to your project to ensure the implementation meets your needs. Our goal is to simplify everything related to this technology so that your company can focus on getting things done!
3) Performance: combine connectivity with business intelligence
In addition to a reliable connection, companies are also looking for high-performance tools. Would you like to be able to count on a better Wi-Fi network to drive your business? This is exactly what Videotron Business offers with its Wi-Fi Pro (in French only) solution: a Wi-Fi network equipped with increased security to take charge of all the simultaneous connections you need. You can create up to twenty-five different Wi-Fi networks, dividing access between customers and employees, for example, and secure traffic on each them.
Beyond its connectivity capabilities, this robust Wi-Fi solution offers users a powerful, intuitive dashboard. Users can benefit from real-time information on the number of visitors in their stores to analyze trends, innovate, and deploy new sales strategies. You’ll be equipped to make the best possible decisions based on the data you’ve collected.
4) Quality of service: choose a responsive provider
Now you understand that the reliability and performance of a Business Internet service are worth a lot more to a company than simply connection speed, which is all too often employed as a sales pitch. Another important criterion to consider is whether you’ll be able to rely on quality customer service.
A technical malfunction in your Business Internet access requires an immediate response. Poor customer service could have harmful consequences on your operations. Since you go above and beyond to provide unbeatable service to your customers, shouldn’t you expect the same treatment from your telecommunications provider?
In fact, in the Leger 2024 Reputation study, Videotron once again earned the highly coveted title of most admired telecommunications company by Quebecers, for the 18th time since 2006. This honour highlights the importance given by Videotron to its loyal customers. Videotron Business serves some 140,000 companies across Québec, and its goal is to facilitate your technological journey to allow you to focus on what matters most: reaching your objectives!
5) The value proposition: group all your services under one roof
Telecommunications companies are no longer just selling cable! They provide a wide range of evolved business solutions. Your organization can take advantage of the many benefits offered by grouping all your services under one roof.
Our Business customers can also choose us as their contractor for implementing their projects. Our network of partners makes things a lot easier. Instead of working with a panoply of different suppliers, entrust Videotron Business with the management and coordination of all the work.
Now more than ever, companies are interested in having a technological ally to help implement their growth strategies. This relationship often starts with just a simple, reliable, high-performance Internet connection, leaving you free to grow your business!
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