Editor’s Note: This guest column is part of Channel Partners Conference & Expo sponsorship.
Internet outages are an unfortunate reality. In fact, most small businesses said an outage would be detrimental to their business. But wireless failover helps businesses move from reactive to proactive to prevent outages and should be a key component of any business strategy.
Wireless failover is a backup internet connection that can seamlessly and automatically reconnect internet in the event of an outage or slowdown from the primary internet source. It’s a proactive approach to maintain internet connectivity and ensure business continuity no matter where you’re located, from the city to the most rural areas.
Benefits From Using Wireless Failover
- Reduce Downtime. Internet downtime can result in lost productivity, lost revenue and customer dissatisfaction. Wireless failover provides redundancy to ensure that businesses can continue to operate even during an internet outage, reducing the risk of lost productivity and revenue. The cost of wireless failover, as low as $3.50/month from some carriers, is negligible compared to the cost of lost productivity and revenue due to internet downtime, which can be calculated at: hours offline x cost per hour. For example: a merchant with a 4-hour outage costing $2,000 per hour experiences a total outage valued at $8,000.
- Protect Sales. Businesses rely on internet for in-person credit card transactions, and no business can afford to lose these sales because of a traditional wired internet outage. Failover internet protects your business from outages that wreak havoc to your bottom line by ensuring that you always remain connected in order to process sales.
- Minimize Customer Dissatisfaction. Customers expect businesses to be available 24/7 and it’s frustrating for them to be turned away because your internet is down—again. With failover internet, businesses can ensure that their services remain continuously available even during an outage. This increased availability improves customer satisfaction and loyalty — essential for maintaining a competitive edge. Satisfied customers are more likely to return to a business and recommend the business to their peers.
- Ensure Peace of Mind. Investing in wireless failover can provide businesses with peace of mind, knowing that they have a backup plan in case of an internet outage. This can reduce stress and anxiety for owners and employees, allowing them to focus on other important aspects of the business.
How Failover Keeps Small Businesses Running
Business owners rely on internet for everything from processing payments to communicating with customers. Any interruption to these low-data applications can be costly. Here are some use cases for small business owners to consider when adopting failover.
- Point of Sale / Kiosk Connectivity. Go wherever new business opportunities take you and deliver the services your customers count on. Encrypted secure connectivity protects transaction data and helps you achieve PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance. Automatic failover internet service can ensure your revenue stream stays constant, while 9 out of 10 of your competitors may struggle without a backup connection.
- ATM Connectivity. Your customers want access to ATMs even in rural areas, where landline connections might not be an option. Deliver on expectations with signal boosting hardware, designed to serve the highly secure, low-data needs of an ATM. Data security features and remote troubleshooting provide extra peace of mind.
- Vending Connectivity. It’s all about maximizing your revenue stream when it comes to cashless payments. Companies like UScellular power your efforts with secure, reliable, high-performance wireless connectivity that won’t fail during an outage. Keep tabs on maintenance, inventory, loyalty programs and more.
- Digital Signage Connectivity. Your message matters to your customers — if it’s timely, targeted and engaging. Digital signage connectivity can help you deliver the digital content your customers crave. Whether it’s promotions and ads, social media feeds, or weather information, the network powers the digital messaging you create.
Why UScellular. The UScellular wireless failover plan is an affordable option, starting at only $3.50/month. It is backed by reliable internet over a 5G wireless network to keep businesses connected no matter where they operate — even in the most rural areas.
Get started today and stop losing sales from outages. Contact [email protected] today.