The importance of connections and your business infrastructure

Even the simplest business model relies on multiple connections. It can often involve reaching out to attract new prospects, communicating with stakeholders to move them to the point of sale, and then coordinating delivery of your product or service.

Your ability to grow your business through these connections relies on the communications solutions you use, and having the right infrastructure in place that evolves alongside changing needs and priorities.

Connections across your business

In order to reach both existing and new business, you will need to engage with prospects across a range of different digital platforms such as your website, social media and email. Access to all these needs to be uninterrupted so you can maintain frequent contact and rapidly respond to any interest. The level of service you demonstrate at this stage is an indication of what future customers can expect, so any downtime can be very detrimental.

Once contact with a prospect has been made, you will need to coordinate your approach across your organisation; if you have a dispersed workforce, this could involve staff who are not physically present in the office. Can you easily reach colleagues when they’re working at home or out in the field? Do you have the ability to collaborate in virtual spaces, and hold online meetings? These are all factors to consider.

Additionally, you might need to consult with external stakeholders as part of supplying the finished product or service. Any orders to be placed with suppliers may have to be raised online, and if this is impeded it could potentially threaten customer delivery dates.

All of this highlights how important connections are; any disruption impacts the sales process and therefore business growth. First impressions are especially important, and it’s unlikely you’ll be given a second chance if this happens with new business.

So, if a business wants to continue to thrive and achieve success, what kind of considerations are necessary to ensure you don’t miss any valuable connections?

The right infrastructure for success

Every business is unique, and therefore the infrastructure you have in place must meet your individual needs. Does it have the right levels of cybersecurity? Since it’s highly likely you will be storing customer data, it’s vital that this is secure. Does it avoid congestion? If your business requires the transfer of large files, there needs to be provision for this to happen in a timely fashion, and without impacting other bandwidth-heavy activities such as video calls.

It’s important to remember that mobile communications are an extension of your infrastructure. With a dispersed workforce operating across different areas, using just one mobile network might mean connectivity is not always reliable. SCG allows you to mix and match both networks and devices to ensure you can provide the very best customer experience, no matter where your staff are.

Resilient communications

The last few years have seen seismic shifts in business communications, first due to the pandemic, and now because of the Big Switch Off.

The Big Switch Off signals the end of ISDN and traditional phonelines, and will also impact your internet connection if you still use ADSL or FTTC. This is an ongoing process of sunsetting legacy technology which completes in January 2027. The national stop sell in September 2023 means that copper-based services cannot be purchased or modified beyond this date. If you don’t have a plan to upgrade, it’s crucial that you start taking steps now; the longer you leave it, the more your business will be affected.

As technology continues to evolve, further changes to communications are inevitable. Your infrastructure needs to be resilient enough to withstand such changes, rather than having to make continuous alterations which cause upheaval and disruption. This resilience also gives you the flexibility to alter priorities as your business continues to develop, and expand it as it grows.

With the right infrastructure in place, you ensure that you never miss a connection. This approach maximises productivity and profit across your business, so it can reach its full potential.

We will help you Be More Connected. Contact us today on 0800 090 1965 or sales@scgconnected.co.uk for a free review of your communications infrastructure enabling you to achieve greater success.