10 Ways Internet Service Providers Could Improve their Service

Internet service providers or ISP’s come in several different forms. There are dialup, landline providers, DSL phone line providers, satellite internet providers and cable television internet providers. Each individual service provider decides their own level of service. Some of them may actually provide some of the services listed below, but not all of them.

1. Browser training – Those who are new to using the internet could greatly benefit by receiving training on how to use their browsers to access the information that they are looking for. If an ISP offered free classes to its customers, this additional service my add to their number of new customers.
2. Local help centers – It can be very frustrating to try and communicate with a service technician who is located in another state or country when you are having problems with your internet connection. Having help centers setup at local ISP offices would be a great improvement.
3. Installation appointments – Most internet service providers will not give you an exact time for your installation appointment. This can be a great inconvenience for people who have to take time off of work to be home when the installation takes place. “Sometime between 8am and 5pm” is not an acceptable answer in this day and age.
4. Better virus protection – Most ISP’s do provide some virus protection for their customers, but it does not seem to be near as strong as it could be. Less people would be dealing with computer crashes if the provider’s virus protection was improved.
5. User forums – Many software and hardware providers offer user forums on their websites. This is a great feature for finding out answers to questions without having to call customer service. It is definitely something that more ISP’s should consider adding to their services.
6. VPN assistance – Many service issues might be resolved much quicker if ISP’s would offer to VPN into the customer’s computer, so they could view the issue for themselves. This is something that is used by many tech centers and could be a great advantage in some situations.
7. Replacement modems – Many ISP’s lease their internet modem’s to their customers. These modems usually have a long life, but are seldom replaced, unless the customer can prove that the modem is creating problems. Having a set year of replacement should be considered for modems to avoid the hassle of lost service due to an modem that is getting too old.
8. Wireless routers – Providing wireless routers and the setup of a home wireless network would be a great option to add to an ISP’s standard installation package. Most homes have more than one device connected to the internet at once. Having a wireless router installed as part of your initial installation would seem a practical thing to do.
9. Internet safety training – In addition to simply learning how to find your way around the internet with your browser, safe browsing would be a good training option to offer to internet customers. Learning how to tell the difference between a safe retail site and one that is not; what to do in the event that a warning comes on your screen when browsing, and other similar training would be very beneficial to many customers.
10. Email training – Using email may seem simple to those of us who have been using it for years, but it can actually be quite confusing to someone who tries it for the first time. Training customers how to use their email software and how use online email services would be a great hands-on course to offer to new customers.

There are plenty of ways that internet service providers could improve their services and make themselves just a bit more competitive in today’s fast-paced marketplace.

Taken From Internet Service