Selecting the Right ISP for Your Business

For a business going online, selecting an ISP means more than just calling whoever offers the lowest rate.

For a business going online, selecting an ISP means more than just calling whoever offers the lowest rate. It’s good to talk to as many people as you can about their experiences with potential providers, as well as do some basic research on features.

Peter Mackie, president of Vivo Media, an Internet access provider and Web media development firm, advises businesses looking for an ISP to “make a list of questions and call your list of possible providers. Interview them about their services and their prices.” Don’t skimp on this process, as an extra hour or two invested now can pay off big in savings or improved service over the life of your relationship.

How much an ISP charges per month for connections is actually “down on my list,” Mackie says. “There are more important provider selection criteria than the monthly fee, although that certainly is a factor.”

Another mistake to avoid is to look like you know what you’re talking about when you really don’t. Matt Magri, president of Connecticut-based ISP Netmeg Internet LLC , says many prospects ask what an ISP’s “user-to-modem” ratio is, and think they’ve divined something about how often they’ll get busy signals.

“There are ISPs with 15-to-one ratios who never have busy signals, and ones with five-to-one ratios who have them all the time,” Magri says. “It all depends on where you are. The question to ask is, ‘what’s your busy-signal policy?’ What you want to hear is ‘Our policy is we don’t have them.’ But don’t think the user-to-modem ratio will tell you anything.” Mackie advises calling their modem access number from your voice line several times a day and night. “You should always get a modem tone and never a busy signal,” he says.

Magri says if you want a domain for your business, or if you already have one and you want different mailing addresses, make sure your ISP offers virtual mailboxes. “Not all do,” he warns, and “many places won’t even let you use your domain. It seems obvious that if you have a domain you don’t want aol.com appearing instead, but a lot of businesses simply don’t ask.”

Will you be traveling a lot? If so, get either a national or international ISP that lets you call a local number all over the place. “If you’re not traveling all the time, go for a local ISP,” Magri advises, since the service is so much better. “You can build a business relationship with them, which is valuable.” He says you may even want a 50-50 mix, with a local ISP handling day-to-day business and a national ISP for checking e-mails in airports.

Something else to look for in an ISP is a willingness to help you get connection names and passwords right, to help you tweak settings on your computer, or to handle other routine service calls. This usually points to a local ISP, Magri says. Mackie advises calling their service center a couple times before you sign up with them, to make sure they’re friendly, agreeable and willing to help.

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