Is your internet costing you money? The shocking truth about downtime revealed

Could your internet connection be secretly sabotaging your business? While that question may sound dramatic, the answer might surprise you. We’ve all brushed off the occasional dropped Zoom call or momentary disconnection, but did you know that unreliable internet could be costing your business serious money? Downtime can lead to lost productivity, missed opportunities, damage to your reputation, and a real hit to your bottom line.

We recently surveyed 500 small to medium sized businesses (1-249 employees) to reveal the shocking truth: that the average business loses 2 hours of productivity every month due to internet issues. And nearly 10% of businesses reported this figure much higher at 6-12 hours per month.

The potential lost revenue from all that downtime is bad enough. But the damage doesn’t stop there. Unreliable internet can create a ripple effect, disrupting communication, hindering collaboration, and frustrating both employees and customers. So how much is unreliable internet really costing you. Let’s dive into the shocking truth and explore how you can protect your business from this hidden threat.

How much is unreliable internet really costing you?

Let’s crunch the numbers. Picture that average 2 hours of lost productivity per month. That’s a whopping 24 hours per year, which just so happens to be about 68% of the average working week (with us so far?)

Now, we don’t know the average salary of one of your employees, or how big your team is, but imagine an average wage of £500 per week, multiplied by a team of ten. That’s £3,400 per year in lost hours right there. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Because beyond lost productivity, unreliable internet can also have a host of knock-on effects. Missed deadlines can lead to lost contracts, slow websites can deter customers, and glitchy payment systems can put a dent in your sales. In fact, our survey revealed that a staggering 92% of decision makers believe their revenue would take a hit without the internet, with 53% saying the impact would be “significant”. Can your business afford to take that risk?

The domino effect: How internet downtime can disrupt your entire business

And if you thought the effects of unreliable internet stopped there, think of some of the ways you rely on the internet daily:

• Cloud-based tools: 54% of businesses struggle to access essential cloud services like email, file storage, and project management tools during outages.
• Online banking: 47% of businesses face difficulties with online transactions, potentially delaying payments and impacting cash flow.
• Card payments: 39% of businesses struggle to take card payments, leading to lost sales and frustrated customers.
• Customer service: 40% of businesses agreed that internet performance has negatively impacted customer service.

All of these disruptions can trigger a domino effect of problems, from missed deadlines and delayed projects to frustrated employees and dissatisfied customers, each bringing their own negative consequences. And nearly a fifth (19%) of business decision-makers find these issues “very stressful”, highlighting that internet downtime is a problem that can touch many different aspects of your business.

Why reliable internet is crucial for your business

Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of unreliable internet. With limited resources and often tighter margins, even a brief outage can have a disproportionate impact. Unlike larger corporations with dedicated IT teams and backup systems, small businesses often lack the infrastructure to quickly recover from disruptions.

Our survey found that businesses with 50-249 employees are more likely to regularly experience challenges due to internet issues than those with 1-49 employees. As businesses grow their reliance on the internet increases, making reliable connectivity even more critical.

So the picture looks pretty bleak so far. Internet outages seem to affect most businesses at one time or another, and the consequences can be serious.

4G backup: Your safety net for staying connected

But what if there was a way to avoid these costly disruptions? Well, thankfully, there is. Because there is a cost-effective way to keep your business connected even during those occasional outages: 4G backup.

Zen’s 4G backup is designed to seamlessly switch to a 4G mobile network whenever your main broadband connection drops off, which means you can keep on working, taking payments, and serving customers without a hiccup. It’s a simple, affordable solution that can step in and save your business just when you need it.

And while we don’t want to paint a dire picture – for the most part your business broadband will keep you reliably connected - the reality is that even the most robust connections can experience the odd hiccup. However unlikely, unforeseen events can disrupt your service, which is why the savviest businesses have a backup plan in place. 4G backup from Zen isn’t about replacing your primary broadband but adding an extra layer of security to ensure your business stays connected no matter what.

To add Zen 4G backup to your business broadband, call us on 01706 902583 or email businesssales@zen.co.uk.

If you’re not yet a Zen customer check your postcode here to see what packages are available to you and add 4G backup before you check out.