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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!

Indy Business: Cheaper Home Phone?

Indy Business: Why is Home Phone Service Cheaper?

No matter who you buy phone service from, you’ll likely notice that home or residential service costs less than business phone service. Oddly enough, the reasoning for the price difference has probably swung back around with the rise of voice-over IP (VoIP) phone service. In this post, we’ll learn why that is!

It’s all in the minutes.

The biggest reason business phone service costs more than residential is because, on average, a home user is on the phone less. Perhaps before VoIP service came about, it didn’t matter whether a phone line was in use for five minutes or five hours; but even when phone service is sold as unlimited, the provider is paying more every time the customer is on the phone. To make up for the possibility of a business being on the phone constantly, the price has to be high enough to ensure no money is lost.

Also, the increased cost does not only come from connecting the call to the wider phone network. There are unlimited channels for high-usage phone numbers, but VoIP also requires computing power and bandwidth. Both of those increase when calls are in progress.

One line, multiple people.

Now you might be wondering why, for example, a single home phone line and a single business line do not cost the same. One line is one line, right? Couldn’t a home phone be used more than a business phone?

Of course it is possible for a home phone to be used more often than a business phone, but businesses typically have more people relying on that phone line. A business with only one employee still has multiple customers. Those customers will need to call or be called, and that means the phone at the business is probably used more.

The exception.

Not every phone service provider does this; but for large businesses or Indianapolis enterprises, the per-line cost could be cheaper than home phone service. We offer huge discounts as the number of lines increase, which can massively decrease the price of phone service for businesses.

To find out just how affordable we can be, feel free to contact us or give us a call. Thanks, and have a great day!

icon-money Indy Business: Should I Bundle?

icon-home Indy Business: Why is Home Phone Service Cheaper?

Indy Business: Should I Bundle?

Indy Business: Why is Home Phone Service Cheaper?