With more and more businesses going online in addition to having a brick-and-mortar store – or else in place of having one – it’s not surprising that any internet connection problems will lead to complaints. Maybe you just need the internet to make sure you can regularly update your social media accounts and put new information up on your website now and then. Or perhaps you need the internet to communicate with everyone else in the company and your customers.
Regardless of how big or small your business is, and whatever you use the internet for, it’s understandable that you’d want to ensure you have reliable internet. So how can you tell which ones are the best NBN plans for your business?
The Usual Complaints
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, or TIO, published a report stating how small businesses, in particular, are affected by internet issues. According to this report, the usual complaints include constant downtimes or outages leading to intermittent connection or an inability to connect to the internet. There’s also delayed transfer or relocation of service when needed and having to pay a termination fee when ending their contract.
What to Look For in an NBN Plan
Given what businesses usually complain about, you may already have a rough idea of what to look for. First, you’ll want to look for providers that offer contract-free plans. This means you’ll be able to switch plans – or providers – without having to pay a termination fee. Small businesses are especially in need of this since they have limited capital.
After that, you’ll need to narrow the options down to providers with high-speed internet plans that can support your business’s needs.
For example, both TPG and Aussie Broadband offer contract-free plans for businesses at different speed tiers. TPG offers plans with unlimited data at the NBN12, NBN50, and NBN100 speed tiers, ranging from $69.99 to $109.99 a month. Meanwhile, Aussie Broadband has Intermediate, Essential, and Advanced plans at the NBN50, NBN100, and NBN250 speed tiers, respectively – and all with unlimited data. These plans range from $79 to $209 a month.
Once you have a list of your preferred internet service providers and how much each plan costs, you’ll want to check how reliable the connection is, since too many signal drops or NBN outages can affect your business. You can do this by checking their website to see how often outages usually occur, if at all, or looking for customer feedback and seeing if there’s any mention of intermittent or weak signals.
Don’t be discouraged if you find any, though. Any good ISP that takes care of their clients will do everything to ensuree their connection is back up and running, so try to find out how long outages last. Barring that, look for info on how long it usually takes that ISP to get their network working again. You may want to look into how long it takes that ISP to relocate their services, too, if you need to move your business premises.
All in all, looking for and choosing the best NBN plan for your business isn’t that much different from choosing the best home plan. You just have to take one or two more factors into account and keep the abovementioned traits in mind to guide you towards the best possible choice.
