If the bitter experiences have forced you to switch to new services then check out what 5 things to look for when switching your broadband.
If you are thinking to change your broadband service provider for any obvious reason, there are certain important aspects to consider before taking the final decision.
Because, you must ensure that the problems that were faced with the previous service provider should not get repeated with the new vendor.
Unfortunately, in many cases customers end up facing the same problems like the adage “old wine in new bottle!”
Emotions do not lead us anywhere, hence you have to keep away your bitter experiences aside and get into the spadework of assessing the pros and cons of the new service providers that you have shortlisted for consideration. Instead if you settle with some other company instantaneously, you might be recalling the nightmares.
If you are using a single service provider for your telephony and internet services then you need to a conscious decision to switch the broadband alone to another company. You might be enjoying discounts or flexibility in maintenance etc. which would get affected by bringing another player. But if you have two different companies for telephone and internet then check on the following basic aspects:
- Cost: This is the bottom line of any business i.e. yours or others. As a customer you stand chance to do bargain or get some promotional discount etc. So, compare the tariff plans of the new companies, study the benefits like unlimited broadband connection similar to talk talk offers that rocked the market in 2006. Generally there would be some introductory discounts or flat monthly waivers etc. that can ease your payout considerably. Account all such benefits, arrive at an approximate monthly billing and then map it with your budget.
- Broadband Speed & Connectivity: Speed improves the production efficiency and uninterrupted connectivity ensures the sustainability of your online platforms. Thus these two parameters are the actual resultants of your investment and hence you need to study these two parameters very closely by talking to the existing customers of your would-be service providers if need be. These talks would give you the right feedback on the service levels.
- Tech/Breakdown Support: We live in world of uncertainties and so anything can go wrong on any time. Check whether your new service providers have ‘Plan B’ and ‘Plan C’ ready for you! Ask them whether they do preventive maintenance alone or do they have predictive maintenance as well? Any company who are intuitive enough will undertake predictive maintenance regularly.
- Network Security: Internet is a virtual world and dangerous one too. Miscreants would be floating around to confiscate anything i.e. from passwords to millions of dollars. A good security environment can be built up by you, web hosting company and the broadband network provider. If one slips on security, other two need to take the beat. So, ensure that your future broadband service provider is capable of offering state-of-the-art security from his end.
- Limits & Hidden things: Be clear on download limits, number of users, bandwidth caps etc. These things should not become show stoppers at a later date or should not surprise you with huge bills.
There are other parameters that must be considered like customer support, upgrades etc. Once you are done with all these aspects look at the score sheet and chose that company which has fared well against others.
