5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR BUSINESS INTERNET PROVIDER

The Internet has transformed the way that we do business and issues with your connection have the power to bring “business as usual” to a screeching halt. In the spirit of hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, here are five questions that you need to ask your Internet provider:

Am I sharing my Internet with businesses around me?

If you’re currently working with a national provider, you’re likely sharing your Internet with neighboring businesses and only getting “up to” the speeds that you’re paying for. During peak usage times, this can lead to slower upload/download speeds, compromised video conferencing, and underperforming websites.

We offer our customers dedicated fiber Internet, the fastest and most reliable connection available. With a dedicated connection, you never have to worry about sharing bandwidth with your neighbors. Our fiber-optic lines run directly from our data centers, across the telephone pole, and into your business.

You’ve likely invested in getting the appropriate amount of bandwidth for your business and deserve to know if the speeds you’re paying for are being delivered. Ask your provider how/if your speeds vary throughout the day or use this website to test your speeds. 

What if my service goes down?

Been there, done that –national companies are a nightmare to get ahold of and national telecom providers are no exception. Loss of connectivity can leave you unable to serve your customers and mean money out of your pocket. You deserve to know your provider’s procedure for dealing with outages and other service issues.

If you’re currently working with a national provider, you’ve probably become well-versed in explaining your service issues to a robot, only to spend hours getting transferred around an overseas call center and days waiting for your issue to be resolved.

Northland’s fiber network is locally owned, maintained, and monitored 24/7. We know the second there’s an outage and are often able to resolve it before our customers even know it’s occurred. The best part? If you need to call us, a real person will answer the phone every time. No call queues or 1-800 numbers.

Do you offer a Service Level Agreement?

Some say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This is why it’s important to ask your Internet provider if they offer a Service Level Agreement. A true business partnership is a two-way street with expectations in both lanes. If you’re paying for a service that isn’t being delivered, it’s only fair to be compensated.

Northland’s Service Level Agreement outlines minimum service level metrics for our Internet such as service availability, network latency, packet loss, and jitter, which we, as the provider, are contractually obligated to maintain. If we don’t, our customers are credited.

What happens when my promotional rate expires?

Did you get into a contract with a national provider on a promotional rate? You’re not alone and all good things come to an end. While it’s great to take advantage of promotions and save money, it’s important to know where you’ll stand once the promotion expires. When it comes to your business’s telecom needs, saving money in the short term isn’t worth compromising quality in the long term.

At Northland, we don’t offer promotional rates and we don’t have a month-to-month relationship with our customers. The price we quote is the price you pay—no surprises.

Do you know my name?

No one likes to feel like they’re just a number, especially when their telecom needs are on the line. When you work with Northland, you work with our local support team and your own personal account manager who knows you by name and is familiar with your business.

If you’re looking for a telecom team that you can count on, accessibility and personability should be near the top of your priority list.  

 Interested in learning more? Get a free quote by calling (315) 624-2216.