For most people, the workday starts with a cup of tea or coffee. It’s usually drunk at a desk while catching up on emails. After that, the day progresses with all kinds of activities that depend on a reliable, fast internet connection. This means that when the broadband slows down, productivity follows.
Here, David Hanley, Director of The Red Penguin Group, shares his quick guide on broadband and productivity.
Why your employees need fast broadband
There are many reasons why your employees need fast broadband. The main ones are communication, internet research and network/cloud storage and services.
Communication
You are probably already conducting the vast majority of your communication through digital network connections, especially the internet. If you’re not, you soon will be. The traditional landline service is due to be discontinued in 2025. When that process is complete, network connections will be the only option.
Internet research
A lot of employees use the internet for legitimate work-relevant research. Some may need to access social media and/or review sites as part of their role. For example, marketers and customer service staff often interact with the public this way.
Network/cloud storage and services
A lot of businesses already do most, if not all, of their work in the cloud. Even if your business isn’t one of them, you almost certainly use network storage and services. Either way, you need reliable, fast broadband.
Why your customers need you to have fast broadband
It isn’t just your employees who end up frustrated if your broadband is slow. There is a strong chance it will impact your customers too. Your broadband will play a major role in the speed of your external communications and your website. If you’re using cloud services for customer-facing activities then slow broadband will slow them down.
In the short term, this can create even more issues for your employees. For example, it may lead to longer call queues. This can lead to customers being frustrated when they are finally connected. In the long term, it can have a significant, negative impact on your business and its bottom line.
How you can maximise your broadband speed
Fast broadband is massively important to many businesses. It, therefore, makes sense to do whatever you reasonably can to maximise your broadband speed. Here are some tips to help.
Choose a provider with good coverage in your area
Never just assume that all providers are the same. Research what providers have a good reputation in your local area. These are the ones you generally want to use even if they do cost more
Get the right package for your needs
Business users need business packages. That applies even if you’re running your business from home.
Make sure that your package is suitable for the maximum number of users you intend to have. This includes accounting for temporary staff at peak times.
Also, check what service level guarantees a provider offers and what happens if those guarantees are breached.
Invest in high-quality equipment
High-quality equipment probably won’t be enough to compensate for a poor broadband connection. It will, however, enable you to make the best of what you have. By contrast, low-quality equipment can lead to issues with even high-quality internet connections. In short, if you’re going to invest in fast broadband, invest in the best network hardware.
Prioritise your network traffic
Use your network settings to ensure that traffic that needs to be processed quickly is prioritised over less urgent traffic. For example, videocalls should be prioritised over emails. Emails should generally be prioritised over messages to network printers.
Implement fair-use rules
Most businesses are fine with employees making some personal use of the internet. You do, however, need to ensure that it doesn’t interfere with work-related network traffic. It can therefore be helpful to set some fair-use rules.
