Business fiber optic internet is not a simple buy anymore.
In the old days, you only had the choice of one or two providers. Today, there's a lot more competition in most cities.
This is both good and bad news.
On one front, with so many choices available, it’s all too easy to end up choosing a provider who isn’t a good fit for your unique business’s needs.
Alternatively, though, you may find a company so well-versed in the newest technology and trends that they blow your expectations out of the water.
In this article, we'll explain your options when it comes to choosing a provider, as well as what you need to know to make the best possible choice for your company.
Getting Business Fiber Optic Internet Service
It’s not uncommon for business owners to sign up for the first big telco provider they can think of because their brand is so well known. The problem is, most of these big telco providers have so many customers that they can’t offer a top-notch customer service experience — leaving you in a bind when things go wrong, and you need assistance.
While local companies serve fewer clients and can offer superior customer service, you still have some things you need to look out for before signing up for service. If you’re not diligent and thorough when researching and comparing options, you might end up choosing the “newcomer on the block.” A new company that's not well established could easily go out of business within the next 12 months — leaving you on the hunt for a new provider again.
These problems only scratch the surface, however. Let’s dive deeper into the downsides of big telco companies and new service providers so you can decide if the pros are an issue for you or not.
Why Big Telco is a Bad Idea
While not guaranteed, going with a big telco company can be a bad idea. If you want to uncover the skeletons in a company’s closet, just read their reviews, because they speak for themselves. Few are pleased - most people are unhappy.
Why? Because they get horrible customer service and the connectivity the big telco company promised isn’t there.
They promised their customers that they would get up to 100 Mbps or up to 1000 Mbps, but they get something less in reality. Then “uptime” comes into play, but because they are such a large corporation, they can get away with it.
“The fact that big telecom giants DON’T provide the speed, bandwidth, uptime, and service that SMBs, banks, colleges, and government agencies in the DC area deserve is the very reason we built Atlantech Online.”
Big telco has a magic formula for success. Their magic formula involves providing the lowest common denominator of service with aging technology — resulting in frustrated clients. Then, they spend millions of dollars on advertising to overcome the attrition of unhappy customers. In essence, their marketing has outrun the product and service.
As they bring new customers in, the unhappy customers see themselves out as soon as their contract finally ends.
This sort of company won't be a good fit for your business if you need reliable customer service to handle issues swiftly. As a business owner, you’re stretched thin already. You don’t have the time to deal with products that don’t live up to their promise or unhelpful customer service that costs you money every time your internet goes down.
Why New Fiber Service Providers May Be a Bad Idea
As bad as big telco providers can be, new service providers aren’t always much better. It happens all the time: a newcomer opens their business with high hopes and promises of superior customer service at much lower prices. Or, they're a newcomer in your area because they purchased someone else's network.
They can get overwhelmed with new customers that they can’t keep up with demand or follow-through on their promises, causing them to go out of business about as fast as they started. Or, the network they bought... they don't really know where it is located and they let go all the employees who knew what was going on at the purchased company.
When they go out of business, they end up selling off their customers' contracts to big telco, and you have the same problem as we mentioned above as your accounts evolve to the big telco pricing — with or without your consent. Then you’re stuck with dealing with their horrible customer service and tied into terrible contracts that you can’t get out of.
What’s the Alternative?
There is an alternative to business fiber internet services. Instead of going with a big telco or a newer company, go with a company that offers the benefits of both.
There are companies who deliver the experience of big telco with rates closer to the newer companies, and customer service that knocks it out of the park. While they can be challenging to find, these companies do exist, and they have a proven track record of over-achieving for their customers.
These companies are growing fast and spreading across the country at a controlled rate. These companies grow fast because their supreme customer service speaks for itself. Word of mouth spreads, but they control their growth, so they don’t over-sell and overload their networks.
How to Find the Best Fiber Optic Internet Provider
When it comes to wired-internet connections, fiber optic is the quickest, and it’s precisely the speed you need for your business. But if you aren’t going to go with big telco providers or a newer company, how do you find the best fiber optic internet service provider for your business?
Do your homework. Take the time to research the companies you’re considering. You don’t want to make rushed decisions only to find yourself locked into a long-term contract you’ll regret signing in a week.
Fiber optic is so essential to your business moving forward that you need to make the right choice. You have to consider the cloud applications adopted in today's remote work environments and the remote teams that need to be connected.
Consider the amount of data you'll use and the need for upload and download speed in video meetings. These are the norms today. So, call around and ask for quotes. Talk to their sales departments. Ask them all of the tough questions.
Don’t just pick any provider and go with them. Take the time to find the one that is going to provide you with what you need long-term.
If you want to start with Atlantech, you can start here and request a quote. We’ll provide you with the answers to all of your tough questions, excellent customer service, stability, and support.
