Low Wi-Fi signal strength is so common that jokes about its frustrations are ingrained in popular culture. Yet second-rate or nonexistent connections from poor Wi-Fi impact more than someone’s video conference call at home. Spotty signals and mediocre coverage affect how businesses function and deliver services. Slow and dropped connections can alter everything from telehealth appointments to hotel reservations and online store purchases.
Customers may experience diminished service quality and walk away with not-so-great experiences. Worse, they may spread the bad news to their family and friends, warning them to stay away from a business.
Keep reading to discover how poor Wi-Fi can affect the services companies provide.
1. It Reduces In-Building Coverage
Public or free Wi-Fi is something many customers expect when they visit a store or business. Whether people are in a fast-food joint, a grocery store, or an office building, they’re pulling out their smartphones. Customers might need to scan a digital coupon, send an email, or find a source of entertainment while they wait. Others will bring laptops and tablets into a business to work while enjoying meals or cups of coffee.
When Wi-Fi signals are weak, coverage throughout a store or office location won’t be up to par. Consumers may rely on free Wi-Fi to complete school assignments and work somewhere other than a home office. A solid Wi-Fi connection might be a driving factor behind these customers’ visits. They could also use the internet to make purchases or book future services while they’re there.
In-building coverage for cellular data connections is often problematic, leaving public Wi-Fi as the go-to solution for many. Customers may already deal with slow speeds and spotty signals from their cellular providers. Weak indoor Wi-Fi coverage at a business will only cause more frustration. A smart Wi-Fi extender can boost signal strength throughout a location, ensuring customers get seamless coverage. It’s a reason for them to stay and come back.
2. It Causes Slow Response Times
Before the internet, customers may have called a business or stopped by to ask a question. Now one of the first places they go is online to a company’s website or mobile app. Their first point of contact may be a chatbot, a live chat session, or a digital form. Slow servers and Wi-Fi connections will make online service painful, if not impossible.
Say a client starts a live chat session but sees they are number 55 in the queue. They may grow irritated and wonder why they have to wait so long. The customer doesn’t know it’s because of a bad internet connection on your end. Since the connection is poor and randomly disconnects conversations in the app, employees can’t keep up with the volume. People keep trying to reconnect, and any responses providing solutions are slow.
Sluggish service and response times will fail to meet customers’ expectations. Research shows that 71% of consumers want their issues to be resolved quickly. About 51% of clients prefer to have one conversation with a rep. They don’t want to repeat their request multiple times. Ensuring servers and internet connections can handle the volume from online service tools will improve response times and customers’ experiences.
3. It Leaves Clients With No Way To Pay
Society may not be 100% cashless yet, but debit and credit cards outpace the use of physical dollars and cents. Research that tracks payment methods reveals consumers complete an average of 35 transactions a month. About 9.8 of those are with a debit card. Around 9.4 are through a credit card, and 6.5 with cash.
But unlike cash, debit and credit card transactions rely on good internet and Wi-Fi connections. Without internet service, POS machines, mobile apps, and online stores can’t put a card payment through. The same goes for digital wallet payments and on-demand credit services that must communicate with different servers and credit agencies. When your business has poor Wi-Fi, it can interrupt, disconnect, or prevent a card transaction.
This situation may leave some customers with no way to pay, even if they’re in one of your locations. These clients may not carry enough cash and rely on debit and credit cards to pay for goods and services. Subpar Wi-Fi connections could also frustrate employees who are now in less-than-ideal situations. They can’t perform their jobs, complete sales, or provide excellent customer service. Steady online connections mean POS machines and staff can process revenue.
4. It Jeopardizes Business Relationships
There are many businesses that focus on renting out their conference room facilities. For example, hotels often host catered conferences and events. Some clients may want to book conference rooms for meetings and presentations that last a few hours. Other businesses operate shared workspaces or provide Wi-Fi service to event centers under sponsorship agreements.
When internet connections in these places don’t work well, it can risk profitable business partnerships. Companies will look for other venues to host their events and meetings. That means a loss of revenue for hotels, conference centers, and offices that provide co-working spaces.
For internet service providers, poor Wi-Fi delivery to event centers can mean the end of a sponsorship agreement. In addition, the provider will create a poor reputation among people who visit these venues. They’ll associate the Wi-Fi provider’s name with less than stellar service and remember not to sign up with that company. Reliable internet that lives up to its promises can save partnerships and reputations.
Wi-Fi and Good Service
Hyperconnectivity influences how businesses deliver services, even when those amenities make up a fraction of what they offer. When internet connections go down and Wi-Fi signals aren’t up to snuff, it affects clients’ perceptions and experiences.
They may go elsewhere and take a company’s revenue with them. Extending your business’s Wi-Fi coverage and boosting capacity can strengthen your service levels and client relationships.
Also read: How To Secure Your Wi-Fi Router and Protect Your Home?
