Reprinted with permission from the weBoost blog.
Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the backbone of our economy. Today, effective digital transformation is not only key to survival but also to continued success and growth. Mobile connectivity and communication lies at the center of this digital revolution. Connected technology, real-time data, and always-on communication is the new business standard.
For small businesses, this digital transformation is a matter of keeping your business, devices, employees, and customers online. Access to a reliable mobile network makes all the difference in providing the best-possible customer service and keeping your team connected in a post-pandemic world.
Here’s a look at why your small business needs a strong cellular connection and how you can improve cell signal strength at your business location.
Why Mobile Connectivity Matters to Small Businesses
As mobile devices become ubiquitous in both internal operations and the customer experience, day-to-day business activities rely more and more on cellular connections. Whether in the office, a retail location, or a warehouse, small businesses need a strong cell signal to function at peak efficiency and keep customers and employees happy.
Today, more than ever before, the ability to stay online and connected is what allows small businesses to thrive in a post-pandemic economy.
Adapting to the New Normal
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed many companies to change the way they do business. By extension, these changes had a direct impact on how small businesses accept new orders, collaborate with colleagues, meet with clients, and interact with customers.
As consumers moved dramatically toward online channels, small businesses responded with digitally enhanced services and COVID-safe offerings.
These include:
- Supporting virtual payment options
- Moving their products and services online
- Shifting communications to video chat and conference calls
- Offering curbside pickup for online orders
- Expanding same-day delivery services
- Adopting mobile POS solutions for contactless transactions
- Implementing self-serve ordering and self-checkout stations
- Providing contactless visitor check-in and registration
- Using QR codes to share a digital restaurant menu
To minimize contact and transmission, businesses moved online and implemented touchless technology and services. Connected devices and reliable communication technology helped small businesses maintain safety and efficiency during times of crisis.
Through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, consumers will continue to expect more from businesses today than they did prior to the pandemic. Keeping essential technology online and connected is more important than ever. This is why a strong, reliable network to help get the job done is so necessary for small businesses.
Approximately 30 percent of small businesses experience cell signal issues that cause disruptions. Considering that there are approximately 30.2 million small businesses in the United States, we estimate that at least 7 million of them regularly deal with problems due to their cell signal strength.
Owning a business is hard enough. The last thing you and your employees need to worry about is connecting to the people and devices that keep your business running. If you’ve been struggling to keep up with customer demands and adapt to new technology because of your network, then know that you can take steps today to improve cell signal in your business.
6 Ways to Improve Cellular Signal in Your Business
If you’ve been struggling with poor cell signal, then it’s time to find a solution. Here we outline some quick tips for improving your cell signal quality in a pinch and finish the list with a more permanent solution.
1. Identify Dead Zones
It’s hard for business owners to conduct business when calls are continually being dropped or not connecting in the first place. Dreaded dead zones — areas with little to no cell signal — are often the reason behind dropped calls.
There are different reasons dead zones occur. For offices or shops located right in the heart of a big city, the culprit could be a large concrete or brick building blocking the signal from the nearest cell tower. For those who are located in a rural or sparsely populated area, cell towers are more spaced out, causing areas of low signal.
If there are specific areas where your small business experiences dead zones, try to keep track of where they are. While just knowing the location of these dead zones won’t solve your problems, those are typically the best areas for cell phone signal boosters.
2. Reduce Network Traffic
If you’ve ever tried to surf the web, download a large file, or stream a video during certain times of the day, particularly in well-populated areas (such as arenas or convention centers), you might have noticed slower download speeds or longer loading times. This is generally due to increased network traffic. In other words, many other people are also trying to connect to the same network, and this creates a sort of traffic jam — just like on the freeway.
While you can’t control when other people are using the internet, you may be able to plan your calls, downloads, and streaming around these high-traffic times. While this approach may work in desperate times, it’s not a permanent or ideal solution to cell signal problems. Ultimately, you shouldn’t have to adapt your schedule to network traffic.
3. Go Outside
Building materials like concrete, steel, and energy-efficient glass block cell signals. So to get better reception, just step outside. By reducing the obstructions between your phone and the cell tower, your reception will usually improve.
Again, this will work in a pinch for phone calls, but leaving your desk to take calls is inconvenient and won’t solve the problem across multiple devices and users.
4. Find the Nearest Cell Tower
When you know where the cell tower is located, you know which direction your signal is coming from. Once you know that, you can experiment to locate better signal inside your office or other workspace. For example, move to the side of your building that’s nearest the tower to see if your cell reception is better there.
5. Try WiFi Calling
While this doesn’t do anything to increase your cell signal, it may improve your calling capability. All newer smartphones allow native WiFi calling and texting. If you have solid WiFi coverage in your office or workspace, the WiFi network can help with a spotty cellular network. Again, WiFi calling isn’t a solution for all use cases. WiFi connectivity can suffer when other network traffic competes with internet bandwidth.
6. Invest in a Cell Phone Signal Booster
While there are some free and easy steps you can take to troubleshoot cellular connectivity issues, none of these offer a long-term solution. More importantly, businesses need a robust cellular connectivity solution to adapt to new technologies and customer demands.
Rather than change your business activities to accommodate a poor network, focus on adapting your office building or commercial space to better serve you and your customers. An in-building cell signal booster allows you to enhance the cellular coverage in your building without having to jump through hoops to stay connected.
In an increasingly connected world, weBoost for Business cell signal boosters keep businesses connected, so they can focus more on business and less on connection issues.
As our most powerful business solution, the weBoost Installed | Office 200 is engineered to improve cell signal across 35,000 sq. ft in ideal conditions. Each kit includes an outside antenna, two inside antennas, and a commercial-grade booster. Paired with certified, professional installation, it’s the most cost-effective, turnkey solution for small businesses to fix weak cell signal for good. Because it’s 5G-compatible, it will work beyond the next decade to provide the fastest speeds on every carrier and device.
Your business deserves the best, and the weBoost Installed | Office 200 is our best, most powerful cell signal booster solution for business. If your business is working to meet growing digital demands, then our products can help power your digital transformation.
Reliable Cellular Connections for Business Success
For most businesses, touchless scanners, online ordering, and virtual check-ins are now the new normal. Reliable cellular connections help ensure that businesses achieve better outcomes in maintaining productivity, keeping in contact, and providing customer service.
weBoost for Business signal boosters provide a necessary connectivity solution for small businesses that rely on online services and virtual communications to operate. Your small business deserves every opportunity to thrive, and reliable cellular connectivity contributes to that success.
Ready for a cellular booster solution? Call us at 888-233-7563 or shop at SolidSignal.com.
