As a small business owner, you have a lot to manage, and it’s unlikely that you have a dedicated IT specialist, much less a person focused entirely on your WiFi technology. Many small business owners turn to managed WiFi to ensure excellent connectivity and a high level of support, without having to hire an in-house network engineer.
WiFi performance is increasingly important. While it began as a perk, customers and business partners now expect the ability to access your WiFi connection easily. Like many other aspects of good customer service, WiFi connectivity isn’t something anyone notices unless it goes awry. If your customers complain that your connectivity is spotty or that they couldn’t tell which network they should select to access your WiFi, you can assume that there’s an invisible line of customers behind them with the same complaint.
For these reasons, many businesses outsource to managed WiFi. The benefits are numerous, from better coverage and connectivity to reducing your costs related to troubleshooting and maintenance of your hardware. Before you sign a contract for managed WiFi, here are a few areas you should prioritize for your WiFi set-up and ongoing service:
Start by cleaning up infrastructure: If you’ve got a closet door that nobody wants to open because it’s a mess of tangled wires or you are often troubleshooting by turning off your router and starting it up again, you likely need to invest in a bit of infrastructure clean-up.
Prioritize coverage: Nobody wants to come into your business expecting to send a critical email and then have to keep moving seats to find a good WiFi signal. Ensure that your entire property is covered by your managed WiFi service.
Segment traffic: Your customers or business partners should be separated in their WiFi access from your internal business activity. Otherwise, you are vulnerable to the activities of individuals in your waiting room or sales floor who may not be trained in recognizing phishing emails or who may be accessing a site that’s not secure.
Limit guest use: Not only do you not want your customers eating up too much bandwidth with a large file transfer while on your property, but you should also have filters in place so that their activity is in line with your own security policies.
Capture marketing opportunities: Ask your managed WiFi provider about including a splash page when guests access your WiFi. You’ve likely seen this at hotels where you’re greeted with their splash page upon selecting their WiFi network. You can design promotions and advertisements that appear on the page and help you better engage customers.
For more information on what elements you should include in your managed WiFI service, contact us at SimpleWAN. We offer network solutions that support your customer service goals, including a reliable managed WiFi network.
