Even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, the workplace will never be the same. A recent survey from Gartner Inc. found that 74% of employers intend to shift at least some of their staff to remote work permanently.

 

What that means: Your customers, your vendors and your employees likely will continue to demand online solutions that require access to very-high-speed internet, says Bill Haas, owner of Computer Backup Group in Brooklyn, New York. “Whether users are remote or in the office, having download speeds of 200 Mbps [megabytes per second] or greater is critical,” he says.

 

Fast internet lets you log in to your office system remotely and work from anywhere without interruption or delay. You can email large attachments to customers or download important files quickly. And if you’re working from home, you don’t have to worry if your kids are streaming a movie while you’re trying to video chat with a client.

 

But this is just the beginning. Very-fast internet speeds can help you navigate through today’s business disruptions while laying the foundation to drive future growth. Here are four ways that faster internet speeds can help you run your business better:

 

1. Greater productivity

For many businesses, collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Slack have become indispensable during the forced shutdown. Now that these high-efficiency tools—such as video meetings, file sharing and digital chats—have been incorporated into workflows, most users won’t want to give them up after the economy opens back up. Running these systems, though, requires significant bandwidth and super-fast download speeds to maintain peak performance.

 

Of course, smaller businesses with just a few employees might not need these types of online tools—but a slow internet can bring operations to a crawl if two people are, say, trying to download big files at the same time. For retailers, slower speeds can mean slower point-of-sale transactions, which can frustrate customers and hurt sales. Even businesses with just a few employees that need efficient email and file sharing, point-of-sale terminals, regular software updates or video conferencing with staff or clients should consider download speeds of at least 200 Mbps. 

 

2. Reliable communications

Even as online traffic grows, your phone is still your lifeline. Today’s most reliable business phone services are built on digital platforms that require high-speed internet access to maintain their stability and reliability. 

 

“Faster internet speeds also allow you to use Zoom or other types of meetings with cameras and video interactions,” Haas says. “You can show PowerPoint presentations or live videos as part of a presentation without delay or jitter.”

 

3.  Access to cloud-based solutions

Moving core operations to the cloud offers tremendous opportunities for small businesses. You can leverage the newest technology and protect your data with cutting-edge security without a big upfront investment. Backups, routine maintenance and platform upgrades are provided automatically, so you don’t have to worry about your systems becoming obsolete. And because most cloud-hosting platforms charge per user, you can easily scale your system as you grow. 

 

Storing your data in the cloud also means you can access your information and applications from anywhere.

 

But the efficiency of cloud-based systems is directly proportional to your internet speeds. With information constantly moving in and out of the cloud, you need enough bandwidth to manage that flow. Businesses with fewer than 20 employees running cloud-based platforms will typically need download speeds of at least 600 Mbps and an upload speed of 35 Mbps for optimal performance.

 

4. Exceptional customer experience

Faster internet speeds mean more effective and reliable interactions with customers—and the ability to provide better customer service. Several surveys have found that consumers today expect fast customer service. 

 

Whether holding client meetings over Zoom or looking up information for a customer in an internal database, very-high-speed internet virtually ensures that your customer digital interactions won’t be aggravatingly slow.

 

Consumers across every demographic were already shifting their attention to online resources before COVID-19. The pandemic simply accelerated that trend. Businesses of every size and in every industry need more bandwidth and faster internet connections just to keep up.

 

Spectrum Business Internet offers plans starting at 200 Mbps and up through Spectrum Business Internet Gig. Contact us at 855-299-9353, and we can help you determine the internet bandwidth and speed your business needs.

 

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