Are you getting back to business as usual?
Of course, you’ve never stopped doing business. But with Covid restrictions easing and vaccinations offering the promise of an end to the pandemic, many organisations are starting to think about the future again.
That’s certainly a nice feeling, given that many businesses have been in emergency response mode for a year. The priority has been to survive, keep going and not fall behind. But now, horizons can begin to broaden.
According to some reports, the UK economy is already bouncing back, albeit from a very low base. There’s also some evidence that pent up consumer demand will explode into a ‘roaring twenties’ of spending and opportunity.
The effects of any bounce back are likely to ripple through the wider economy, from retail, hospitality and travel to finance, manufacturing and professional services.
And after a year and more of severe austerity, businesses don’t want to miss out on the opportunities afforded by any post-pandemic boom. But to grasp them, you need to be properly equipped.
The next normal won’t be like the last
What you shouldn't do is assume that everything will eventually go back to how it was before. Consumer behaviour has changed during the pandemic in ways that are probably permanent. Business has changed too.
Most obviously, many of your employees worked from home during lockdown, and many will want to continue to work remotely – at least some of the time – when offices open up fully again.
By all means dig your heels in against this push for semi-remote ‘hybrid’ work, but you may lose experienced staff to competitors who are prepared to offer more flexible working arrangements.
If you do offer hybrid work, you’ll have to equip your workforce appropriately. That will mean more cloud services, like productivity apps and unified communications. Emergency bolt-on services adopted during Covid will no longer be enough. New digital solutions will be expected to come with business-grade security, productivity and efficiency benefits built in.
A new digital dependence
All this will mean a new digital dependence throughout your organisation.
For example, customers who got used to interacting with your business online during the pandemic will continue to do so. E-commerce received a Covid boost that isn’t going anywhere. Cashless payments have taken off, meaning retail and hospitality businesses need systems in place to handle this rising tide of digital commerce.
For many businesses, the pandemic accelerated digital transformation by a rate of knots, producing new urgency around the adoption of ‘digital-first’ and ‘work anywhere’ policies.
That in turn will create new opportunities and new efficiencies, along with one significant new vulnerability. When organisations rely on digital services to operate, their connectivity has to be up to the task.
Business Full Fibre for the back to business era
That’s where Business Full Fibre comes in. As you may know, full fibre connectivity uses fibre optic cables all the way from the internet to your office, which is why it’s also called Fibre to the Premises (FTTP).
The main benefit of Business Full Fibre is that it’s lightning quick, offering speeds up to 900Mbps. It’s also flexible, so if you don’t need the very fastest connection, you can save money with a 100Mbps, 300Mbps or 500Mbps connection, to name just three.
These speeds will easily handle video conferencing, cashless payments and a remote workforce connecting to a range of cloud services. In most cases it will do so with lots of bandwidth to spare, so you can experiment with automation, AI, unified communications or any other new internet technologies, without slowing down your day-to-day operations.
Just as importantly, full fibre connectivity is exceptionally resilient. If you rely on digital services to keep your business running, it’s a great way to minimise downtime and reduce frustration.
Business Full Fibre from TalkTalk Business takes these standard benefits and adds our fantastic service on top. We’re the only tier 1 provider rated ‘Excellent’ by customers on Trustpilot. And right now, you can get our Business Full Fibre for from as little as £29.95 (ex VAT) per month.*
Unfortunately, not everyone can get Business Full Fibre yet, but the good news is that the rollout is speeding up and the Government has said it wants 85% of premises to be able to access a ‘gigabit-capable’ connection by the end of 2025. So, if you can’t get the business-enhancing benefits of full fibre yet, you will be able to soon.
Call us now on 03330 601 113 to check availability in your area or complete the form on this page.
* Price quoted relates to Business Full Fibre 100. Please see our terms and conditions at www.talktalkbusiness.co.uk/terms for full details including terms of use and detailed product price lists.
