What are the most important factors when it comes to choosing a new facility for your new or growing business? The most obvious answer is probably location, layout, square footage and mortgage/purchase price. Some would argue that having the correct logistics in place along with proper fixtures are principal concerns. You might also suggest that tax considerations can’t be ignored and we wouldn’t disagree. However, if you’re not considering how VoIP works and the cost of your company’s telecommunications needs, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves; we’re not suggesting that you move across the country for slightly better connectivity but, the price of dedicated internet access (DIA) within a specific region can fluctuate wildly. DIA is a crucial part of any company in today’s business world. Don’t believe me? Consider these points:
- DIA is the only way to guarantee a specific, consistent level of bandwidth.
- The alternative is actually called “best effort” internet service and these services usually oversubscribe or, sell more bandwidth than they have available. This causes congestion which means your (“up to”) 25 mbps internet service sometimes operates at 5 mbps
As a residential customer the second point may peeve you a little, but as a business it’s far more than a minor inconvenience– it directly translates into lost time and revenue. “Best effort” internet service can lead also to jitters or lags in VoIP communication. Dedicated internet access is vital because the available bandwidth directly affects how VoIP works.
Now that we agree dedicated internet access is a necessity for your business, let’s examine how that relates to the geographic location of your facility. Let’s say, hypothetically, we have two buildings which are carbon copies of one another (same size, layout, fixtures, logistics in place etc.) and both meet your needs perfectly. However, let’s also assume that one of these buildings is located in downtown Cleveland and the other is located in Wellington, OH (a small town, roughly 45-50 minutes southwest of downtown Cleveland). Which would you be inclined to choose? The building in Cleveland does have all the benefits of being in a metropolitan area but that also means it will likely cost more and have higher property tax. If cost is the deciding factor it would seem cut and dried, right? Not so fast. Take a look at the costs associated with these two hypothetical buildings in the table below.
In this table, we compared the prices for the same internet and VoIP service delivered to our office (Cleveland) versus an actual government building in Wellington. Keep in mind; these facilities are less than 50 miles apart.
Who could have guessed the facility in metropolitan Cleveland was actually a more fiscally responsible option?!
As you can see, it pays (or at least costs less) to recognize the cost of phone and internet service before you choose your building. Unfortunately, most business owners don’t consider how VoIP works or the variable cost of their company’s telecommunication needs when choosing a facility. There are various reasons for this but the resounding sentiment we hear is people just don’t know where to look. We want you to love your connection, so we’re addressing this here and now.
To Learn more about the benefits of VoIP, click the image below to download our eBook for all the essentials.
