Slow internet connection at work? You know how it goes.
You sift through your emails from clients and suppliers, it’s mostly routine.
That’s when you see it. You’ve been sent the newest version of your brochure from the designers, it needs to be approved and sent to the printers – today.
So, what do you do?
You press download and pray that no one else in the building is even watching a YouTube video, let alone downloading anything.
Well, there goes ten minutes of productivity.
The good news? You’re not alone. The bad news? You’re not alone.
Britain finds itself in a period of slow economic growth and it’s not getting any help from a slow internet connection. Poor internet speeds are crippling small and medium businesses all over the country and bringing productivity to a screeching halt.
“Technology acts as the bridge to cross any physical boundary. Effective communications will allow businesses across the country to link with potential customers much more efficiently, helping them to grow and succeed.”
Stuart Lynn, CTO, Sage UK & Ireland.
The numbers:
But how much is a broken or slow internet connection costing your business? A study recently conducted by OnePoll found that on average, employees lose 44 minutes every week due to poor broadband speeds and connectivity. So, every year your business is actually losing a week’s worth of work (38 hours) per employee, all because of a poor internet connection. And that’s just the start of it:
- Workers lose 38 hours and £494 worth of productivity every year, due to slow internet
- 39% of employees say the internet at home is faster than at work
- 1 in 10 workers look for other jobs during periods of IT downtime
- Slow IT costing the UK £11billion a year in lost productivity
- On average, employees lose 44 minutes every week due to poor broadband speeds and connectivity – That doesn’t sound like a lot but, if you have 10 employees that are all losing 44 minutes every week, that’s over 7 hours of lost productivity. You’re losing a day’s worth of productivity every week!
- 7% admitted that their internet connection grinds to a halt more than 10 times in any given seven-day period
- 39% said that their home internet connection was ‘much faster’ than the one at work
Rural businesses:
But why would superfast broadband be right for your business? Stuart Lynn, CTO, Sage UK & Ireland says: “Technology acts as the bridge to cross any physical boundary. Effective communications will allow businesses across the country to link with potential customers much more efficiently, helping them to grow and succeed.”
Sadly, according to the Federation of Small Businesses, a lot of businesses have yet to upgrade, with 49% of small rural businesses dissatisfied with the quality of their current internet connection. Perhaps they haven’t upgraded because they think superfast broadband is expensive and their location will stop them from accessing it.
Well, with affordable options such as Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) and Last Mile Wireless, your location needn’t stop you from getting the benefits of superfast broadband.
Slow internet connections at not-so-rural businesses
Rural businesses are not the only ones getting slow internet connections. Unfortunately, even those at the heart of our busiest cities are having problems, with approximately 20% of businesses at the heart of London not having access to superfast broadband. This is worrying news, in a time where a reliable, superfast internet connection is essential to a businesses success.
“When Ofcom was established, access to a reliable internet connection or mobile phone was a ‘nice to have’… Now it is essential to the functioning of the economy, to the way people work and live their lives. It has become a necessity in the same way as gas or electricity or running water.”
– Sharon White, Chief Executive, Ofcom.
Don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom. From Fibre-lines to Last Mile Wireless, superfast broadband is now more accessible than ever. So, when will you get on board?
Want to know more about leased line solutions? Get in touch with one of our team.
