Small businesses rely on telecommunication services to ensure seamless operations. However, according to the latest 2020 report presented by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), small businesses are faced with various telco problems that often lead to significant financial losses. In line with this, below are some of the top complaints recorded by different telco providers from their small business clients.

Top 10 Complaints from Small Businesses

1. Lack of action or delayed action from the provider.
2. The need to pay for service and equipment fees.
3. No phone or internet service.
4. Delay in connecting, transferring, migrating, or relocating a service as needed.
5. Intermittent service or frequent dropouts.
6. Failure of the provider to implement a resolution to a problem even after an agreement has been made.
7. Misleading information was given by a provider about a service, equipment, or future action.
8. Charging termination fee for ending a contract. 
9. No service because of disconnection error due to the provider's mistake.
10. Problem with phone number because of a connection, disconnection, or transfer.

To resolve the problems listed above, both the small business owners and providers can do something on their part. 

What can small businesses do to resolve telco problems?

Subscribe to products that meet small business needs

One of the primary ways to reduce telco service problems is for a small business to ensure that they are subscribed to a product that meets their needs. This entails the need for them to take the time to consider their budget, as well as the length of time that they are willing to commit before signing up for any contract. 

In addition to this, small businesses must also understand what they are signing by carefully reading through the agreement drafted by the provider. If necessary, they can ask the provider to explain some of the clauses that are unclear before they commit to a contract.

Small businesses must not always rush into their decision when it comes to which provider they will subscribe to. Thus, small businesses must shop for the best deals beforehand. 

Here's how to figure out the right NBN speed for your needs.

Work together with the provider to resolve issues

Another thing that business owners need to do is to work together with their providers to resolve any issues they may face with the service. This means that small businesses need to refer to their service agreements to determine who is responsible for fixing the fault. 

Alongside this, small business representatives also need to make themselves available until the troubleshooting process is completed. Thus, they need to maintain regular contact with their provider and supply necessary information that can help resolve the issue at hand. 

You might want to see here the common NBN issues you can troubleshoot by yourself.

Have a backup plan

To ensure uninterrupted operations, small businesses need to come up with a backup plan that they can implement in case they encounter any fault with their phone or internet provider. This will protect their business from any financial loss that they can incur due to business disruption that stems from telco problems.

In case a small business already incurred financial loss because of telco issues, then they need to be prepared for the claim by showing the steps that they have taken to protect their business.

What can phone and internet providers do to address issues?

Help small businesses in making more informed decisions

Providers need to be able to help their clients understand what they need by assisting them in identifying the relevant service and equipment options that they have. In this case, the sales staff of the providers need to be well-trained to ensure that they provide factual information so as not to mislead their clients.

Thus, providers must give balanced and clear information to their clients by explaining key terms such as the length of the agreement, as well as the various costs that their clients may be charged when it comes to early termination of contract or the like.

Attend to small businesses when they need to resolve issues

To ensure that faults are seamlessly resolved, providers must be able to attend to their clients, working together with them as needed. This entails the need for them to clearly explain what steps need to be taken and how long the process may transpire.

As much as possible, the first level customer service representatives of the providers must escalate issues when necessary to avoid repeated troubleshooting loops. Attending to small businesses also means that providers actively communicate with their subscribers, communicating any updates about the issue being worked on.

Conclusion

While it can be deemed that there is no perfect telco service, a lot can be done to improve the services that small businesses obtain from their providers. However, this entails the need for these small businesses to work together with their telco providers to resolve issues. Rest assured that there are numerous means to reduce phone and internet problems, as long as the providers also do their part in promptly assisting their small business customers.

Do you have unaddressed internet problems? Maybe we can help you. Compare Broadband has connections to Australia’s top Internet Service Providers. Call us at 1300 106 571 so we can recommend the best solutions to fix your telco issues. We promise not to waste your time.