Okay, the fact that half of Canada’s small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling with their business telecom providers actually isn’t great news – except of course if you happen to be us.
First, more on the survey:
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) asked their membership earlier this year and they found that almost half of Canadian businesses say that limited competition and poor customer service among telecommunications providers has negatively impacted their productivity. While most SMEs use internet and wireless technologies more than ever to run their business, current options – or a lack thereof – are a growing cause of concern.
“Small businesses rely on internet and wireless technologies to compete in an ever changing and increasingly interconnected economy,” said Corinne Pohlmann, Senior Vice-President of National Affairs. “With only one provider available in some regions, small businesses have no choice but to contract with them, or do without these services completely. That’s no way to run a business, especially if you want to stay competitive.”
CFIB survey results show that small business satisfaction with high speed internet, wired and wireless telephone service has not improved since 2008. In fact, almost half (47.1%) of small business owners feel there is not enough competition in the wired internet services market, followed by 44.3% for wired telephone service, and 40.9% for wireless telephone service. This means many small business consumers feel they are not being adequately served by the providers in their area.
“Less choice means small business owners face higher prices and lower levels of service,” said Monique Moreau, Director of National Affairs and author of the report. “And that directly affects productivity.” As the industry moves towards connecting Canadians across the country, CFIB encourages providers to ensure they include small business consumers in their plans.
The survey also revealed that customer service continues to be a problem for small business consumers:
“Customers should have the ability to opt out of contracts when customer service issues are not met,” said Peter Anderson, a small business owner from Hamilton, Ontario. “There are (also) many fees charged that are not disclosed on a regular basis… it takes too long to get a warm body to address your issue in customer service to make it worth arguing.”
So – if so many businesses are PO’d at their telecoms, why is this great news for us? First, our customers are the other 50%; those who are satisfied with their telecom provider. NEWT prides itself on its proprietary technology that offers our clients over 80 enterprise features. We also offer award winning customer service and training team that works hand-in-hand with our NEWT customers ensuring that they are getting the most out of their business phone system and Internet.
That’s why we have a nearly 100% customer retention rate – the best in the industry.
Beyond all that, this report indicates that with 50% of the Canadian marketplace dissatisfied with their current provider, and with NEWT expanding into new markets all the time, business for us will remain good.
Very, very good!
For more on what NEWT Business Phone System can do for you and your business, please drop by the NEWT Website or give us a call at 1 (888) 996-6398.
