Why Small & Medium Sized Businesses Should Consider Offering Better WiFi
With so many smartphone devices on the move with customers everywhere with a desire to always be connected, Business WiFi has become a top priority for many organizations across the country.
With WiFi here to stay, now is the time to evaluate how to best use it to create great customer, employee and vendor experiences while boosting productivity.
Most of the customers who come into your business have a mobile device, which is likely a smartphone that can connect to WiFi, presenting you with a great opportunity to interact and deliver an excellent customer experience.
Did you know that not all WiFi networks offer the same features and capabilities? In fact, there are ways that every small and medium-sized business can improve the WiFi experience at their business.
Customers want to be connected whether it is to check their email, shop and compare products, review online customer feedback, share an experience, or be entertained while spending time in your business. Offering quality WiFi can be a differentiator that helps your business stand out from your competition.
In addition to the benefits for customers, WiFi can also help with your business efficiency when it comes to your operation. A quality WiFi signal is fundamentally important to many businesses across many industries, including maintaining a level of security for your own data and that of your customers.
Business WiFi provides workspace flexibility, a channel to help increase sales, new ways to engage with your customer, and a new marketing channel for in-store promotions. It can also provide key insights like how many visitors have passed by your business, are your customers new or repeat, how long do they stay in your business, and how are they using the WiFi service being provided. This valuable data can be used to make changes to your business approach and ultimately drive results.
Business WiFi also adds to your employees work experience and job satisfaction. In a study conducted by The Economist, employees who rated their organizations as “pioneers”, with respect to mobile enablement, reported 16% higher scores in productivity, as well as 18% higher in creativity, 23% higher in satisfaction and 21% higher in loyalty.
The numbers speak volumes. An investment in WiFi is an investment in your operations and in your ability to make employees, visitors, customers and business partners happy.
How Business WiFi Can Improve Operations
In this article, we’ll explore the value of offering better WiFi both from an operations perspective and a customer satisfaction and retention perspective. We’ll look in-depth at our Managed WiFi service and the productivity enhancements it can bring to your business including operational efficiencies.
WiFi has redefined the way organizations operate and the way employees do their jobs. As a result of the global adoption of WiFi, organizations have adjusted their approach to business as a whole, from embracing more mobile and WiFi-operated technologies to implementing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies.
Increase Employee Productivity
Thanks to WiFi, office employees are no longer tied to their desk and in front of their computer, they have the flexibility to work away from their desks, enroute to meetings, or find that quiet space that allows clear thinking. This level of flexibility allows your team to be more collaborative while also providing team building opportunities.
Applying Technology to Drive New Behaviours
Applying technology in a new way is a win-win for your business and your customers. For example, restaurants with WiFi no longer have to rely on a fixed point-of-sale location that forces customers to wait in a queue to pay their bill. WiFi enables wireless POS systems, allowing staff to transmit orders and process payments at the table, which means they can spend more time serving customers. In a professional office, people are more accepting of a longer wait time if they are able to continue to be connected for work tasks or entertainment.
Efficient Access to Data
Save Money on Employee Data Usage
The rise of technology has changed the way people work. Whether it’s listening to music, participating in a webinar or watching educational videos – wouldn’t you rather your team has access to your WiFi network rather than using the corporate data plans linked with the employee’s wireless device? We all know that exceeding your data limit can be costly. So it’s a smart move for organizations to offer WiFi to their employees and avoid any unpleasant surprises when it comes time to pay the cell phone bill.
Sometimes Control is Good for Business
If you would like to restrict the sites your employees can access during the work day, you can use our Managed WiFi features to decide the level of access you are willing to provide to your employees or customers including what, where and when. If you are concerned that someone might be accessing Netflix during the day, you have the ability to block this site during work hours. Did I say control was a good thing? These changes are easy to manage and update.
Our Managed WiFi services also give you control over the amount of access your customers or business applications have depending on the most critical business needs at any given time. For instance, if you complete a data transfer every day from 3pm-5pm you may need to take control of the WiFi bandwidth at that time and reallocate more to your operational needs.
Optimize your Security settings for Business and Customer Experience
A WiFi network needs to be flexible and easy to access for your customers while offering a level of security that will protect your sensitive information on your computers and servers. In addition, your employees will be more efficient as they are not spending precious time helping people connect.
A secure business WiFi service, like our Managed WiFi, offers a higher level of security by separating how your employees access the network versus your customers. It offers a second level of authenticity for employees to confirm their identity before accessing your corporate network. This means more control and a higher level of security for sensitive data like credit card transactions or your own financial documents. Whether you are a small, medium or an enterprise company, protecting your data is critical.
Automated Updates Mean You’re Always Up-to-date
LinkBermuda’s Managed WiFi service includes automatic software and firmware updates, all through the cloud. These firmware and software updates are a great benefit for any business as it allows you to focus on operations rather than your WiFi technology. You never need to worry if you are working with the latest version of the software. We know the importance of saving time, which is why updates that happen through the cloud are consistently one of the most popular benefits that our Managed WiFi customers rave about.
A new Marketing Channel
Imagine using your WiFi network as part of your marketing strategy to welcome and present visitors at your business with social, retail, time-limited offers, exclusive deals etc. Whether you are trying to increase your likes or followers on your social platforms, promote ways for customers to share their experience, or connect with you on email to hear about future changes, sales, specials, Managed WiFi can be a great way to keep your customers connected to the message you want to share when you want to share it.
How Business WiFi Can Improve your Customer Experience
Today, businesses need to start thinking about their WiFi as an integral piece of the customer experience; a new channel that can help spread their story further and encourage customers to use their voice to share great experiences.
According to a recent study from Deloitte, smartphone users are looking at their devices approximately 47 times per day. In fact, it’s very likely that a smartphone is within an arm’s reach of you right now as you read this piece. As more and more people adopt smartphones, and take them everywhere, there is a higher demand to find WiFi access.
Offering quality WiFi to your customers is a great way to increase customer satisfaction and increase the likelihood that they share positive messages online.
When you walked into the coffee shop this morning, you probably saw people active on their devices. Maybe they had access to free WiFi at that location. Whether you are sitting in the coffee shop, waiting for your dentist or doctor appointment, shopping at the mall, or dining at a restaurant, accessing WiFi improves your customer experience satisfaction score.
Be sure that customers are sharing their experience everywhere. Not only on their social networks but also with Google by submitting photos, reviews etc. of your business. These reviews can positively impact other aspects of your digital marketing presence.
To Sum it All Up
Organizations that unlock the power of a great WiFi solution for their customers and employees will reap the benefits of improved customer experiences and operational efficiencies. If you’re looking for a business WiFi service that is customized to your organization’s needs, get in touch with us to learn about our Managed WiFi solution. We’d love to chat. We can be reached at 441-497-7000 or email [email protected]
