Indy Business: Should I Bundle?
People often ask us whether they should bundle their phone service, internet, and/or TV service, so we thought we’d write a little bit about how to decide if it will be best in the long run. Sometimes, bundling can save you money and give you better options, but it can also be a little bit like putting all your eggs in one basket.
Here are some things to consider when you are deciding whether to combine your services with one company.
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LONG-TERM COSTS
The long-term costs of bundling are better than they used to be. It’s pretty rare to be locked into a two-year contract with only one year of savings nowadays, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will save money over the life of your service.
For example: if someone is paying $60 for internet service and $70 for a couple business phone lines with the same company, we can often save them money every month. Unbundling phone and internet service might make the internet costs go up, but the savings that a dedicated VoIP phone service provider can offer usually makes up for that and then some.
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RELIABILITY
Of course, the most reliable, die-hard phone service is still an analog landline; but that is also the most expensive. For this post, we want to focus on phone service that comes bundled from an internet service provider. We have noticed that ISP’s typically behave as if their internet service (and therefore their phone service) will never be knocked offline, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Internet service is not guaranteed, and VoIP providers like us have learned to plan around those failures.
When we take on a new customer, we often walk them through phone service options they have never considered, including what to do when their internet service inevitable goes offline. When that happens, we want the phones to keep ringing, even if that means we have to start dialing cell phones or fax lines. Your internet service provider isn’t going to think about this, because they don’t like to admit their service isn’t 100% reliable!
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STILL UNSURE?
If this post hasn’t completely answered your questions, feel free to contact us anytime. We consult with business and residential customers regularly, and we’re always happy to help!