A company’s reputation is that intangible asset that can mean the difference between success and failure. This is especially true for small businesses, who must work day in and day out to keep their customers happy in order to maintain a steady, growing business. And while a good reputation is hard to earn, it’s way too easy to lose. It could just take one problem or issue to change how your customers think of you.

And in today’s modern society, it doesn’t matter what type of business you own, if you suffer a network outage your reputation will suffer…putting your business at risk for losing customers. They have expectations: they want quick, reliable service delivered in a timely fashion.

It’s important—and easy—to ensure that your business never has to suffer a network outage.  Having an automatic Internet backup connection will give you peace of mind and help ensure business continuity, keeping your reputation intact and your customers happy.

Customers count on you and your business to have a reliable Internet connection, yet outages still occur, and here is what can happen when they do:

• Retail Stores need an Internet connection in order to check people out and accept payments, as well as looking up inventory that may be stored in the back or offsite.With no Internet, a retail store becomes just a gallery – shoppers can see what they like but have no way of paying. And if a shopper saw something they liked but wanted a different style, you would have no way of knowing if that style was in stock, shipping in within a couple days or just out of stock.
• Doctors’ Offices have become increasingly more dependent on having Internet in their offices. Every patient’s medical records are stored and accessible through the Internet.If there is a network outage, the doctor won’t be able to pull up a patient’s past history, files or be able to look up different medicines and treatment methods, leaving patients waiting – or worse: sent home. And if the patient isn’t sent home, but continuously left waiting, they may decide to just send themselves home and find a new doctor.
• Bars and Restaurants use the Internet to communicate orders from the front of the house to the back of the house. Point of Sale (POS) systems are used by waiters, waitresses and bartenders to communicate the patron’s order to the kitchen, as well as keeping a running check and track of open tables. With no Internet, your POS system won’t work, resulting in slower service and more mistakes. And you better hope they have cash to pay with or the meal may end up being “on the house.”
• Gyms are great because the equipment and weights don’t require the Internet to be used. But gyms still require technology to operate daily. They require memberships, which use an electronic swipe of a card to gain access into the gym. No Internet means the check-in process won’t work, resulting in the Internet-less equipment having no one using them and gym-goers seeking a new place to work out.

Think about what a network outage would mean to your business. If it relies on the Internet at all you have to take precautions. Being out of commission is something your reputation and your bank account, cannot afford. Make sure you have a business continuity plan in place that involves an automatic Internet backup connection, so even if your network goes down, your business can stay connected – keeping your business’s reputation intact and the money coming in.

Keep your business up and running. Learn more about Comcast Business Connection Pro.

If you think you’re experiencing a Comcast Business service interruption, sign in to the Service Status Center to check your connection status, get troubleshooting tips, and learn how to keep your business connected during an outage.