Monday, November 14, 2016

Verizon Small Business vs. AT&T Small Business: Which One Should You Use?

When you first started your business, maybe you made connections by reaching out to your customers over your personal cell phone and computer, or even knocking on their doors. But as your small business grows, the time will come when you need to separate personal from business and set up a phone and internet system.

When that time comes, which service will you choose—Verizon small business or AT&T small business?

Both companies bring great phone and internet deals to the table. Here’s your ultimate guide to the ins-and-outs of every service that Verizon and AT&T offer for small businesses.

Verizon Small Business: What Do They Have to Offer?

Verizon provides phone and internet services for any type of business—large, medium, and small. They also offer services for the government.

But let’s narrow in on Verizon small business services specifically. What does this massive telephone and internet provider have to offer your small business?

When you wade through all the many Verizon small business deals, you’ll see 3 core offers: phone services, internet services, and packages and bundles of the two.

Here are the details of every Verizon small business offer available.

Verizon Small Business Phone Services

If you only need phone services from Verizon small business, you can focus on these 4 packages.

Verizon Small Business: Unlimited Local Calling Package

The Unlimited Local Calling Package is your most basic Verizon small business phone service. It’s the package that makes sense for the smallest businesses that only connect with local clients and customers. This means that you aren’t making long-distance or international calls.

To take advantage of this service, you’ll have a low monthly fee of $23.99 per line. This doesn’t include what you’ll need to pay in taxes, fees and equipment, any 2 year agreement charges, or automatic renewal fees.

But if you do choose this Verizon small business package, know this: You won’t have any additional features with this service. You’ll have the most basic telephone service that Verizon offers—essentially just local calling.

Also know that you can choose to add extra features—like call forwarding, call waiting, standard voicemail, or caller ID—with an additional charge.

Verizon Small Business: Unlimited Local Package with Features

If you think the Unlimited Local Calling Package is a good fit for your business, then the package you should sign-up for is the Unlimited Local Package with Features from Verizon Small Business.

Why?

Well, for the same price ($23.99 per line, per month) as the most basic local package, you can get the Unlimited Local Package with 13 different free features. You’ll still be connected to your local area and customers, but you can also take advantage of more advanced telephone services—like call forwarding, call hold, 3-way calling, line hunting, call transfer, automatic callback, etc.

With a limited time promotion, you can get that much more for the same price. This is the go-to Verizon small business phone service for businesses that work within their local area but need more advanced services to manage their communication with customers. Also, if you’re going to be taking out 2 or more lines with a Verizon small business phone service, this package is a great choice.

Verizon Small Business: Basic Unlimited Nationwide Package

The first two packages are safe bets for small businesses that traditionally operate in a local area only—and plan to keep it that way.

But if you work on a nationwide basis, you should first consider using the Basic Unlimited Nationwide Package.

For $53.99 per month, per line, you’ll have one reliable phone line that lets you conduct business across the nation—including Alaska, Hawaii and all U.S. territories. This package also comes with 5 features: call forwarding, call waiting, 3-way calling, standard voicemail, and caller ID.

This package is ideal for small businesses that might grow rapidly. Verizon advertises that this package can “grow with your business.” This Verizon small business package is totally customizable and puts emphasis on the technology and tools a small business needs to grow.

Verizon Small Business: Unlimited Nationwide Packages with Features

Verizon is offering the same promotion they have with the local phone packages for the nationwide packages.

That means you can get the Unlimited Nationwide Package with Features for the same price as the basic nationwide package—$53.99 per month, per line.

So, you’ll have a reliable phone line with unlimited nationwide calling with all those 5 features from the basic package, plus 12 more.

If your customer base is all over the country and you plan on having 2 or more working lines for your office, then the Unlimited Nationwide Package with Features is your best bet.

Verizon Small Business Internet Services

Verizon has two different kinds of internet services for small businesses: High Speed Internet and FiOS Internet.

Each type of Internet service has a few different offers. Here’s what you need to know about both of them.

Verizon Small Business: High Speed Internet

High Speed Internet is for small business owners who don’t need to rely on stellar internet connectivity at all times for their business. While you can still get great internet connection, you’ll pay less for slower connection speed.

Here are the Verizon small business High Speed Internet packages that you can choose to use separately, or bundle with a Verizon small business phone line.

Starter Package: 1 Mbps Download & 384 Kbps Upload

This Verizon small business package starts at $39.99 per month, without taxes, fees, and equipment charges. Verizon considers this package the right fit if you’re the only person running your business. This most basic internet package is for “light” internet users—according to Verizon.

Now, you can choose to use the Starter Package for just internet. But if you bundle this package with Verizon’s phone service, you’ll get internet plus a phone line with the Unlimited Nationwide Package with Features service. You’ll also get another basic phone line just for incoming faxes and credit card transactions. If you do choose to bundle these two services, you’ll get both services for $44.99 per month for the first year, and $49.99 per month thereafter. This price is only for those who sign up online, and it doesn’t include taxes, fees, agreement charges, and equipment charges.

Quick Package: 3 Mbps Download & 768 Kbps Upload

This package is the next level up from the most basic Verizon small business offer. It starts at $47.99 per month for the first year and costs you $52.99 per month after that. Also, the $47.99 deal only comes for users who sign up for this package online. If you sign up over the phone or in person, you won’t get this $5 discount.

This Verizon small business package is the right move for businesses that use the internet pretty frequently. So if you’re often emailing your clients and transferring files, this is the package for you. Or, if you plan on having multiple users using the internet at once, this is the most basic package you should use.

If you want to bundle this internet service with the Unlimited Nationwide Package with Features phone service, you can do so for $49.99 per month for the first 12 months, and $54.99 per month thereafter.

Fast Package: 5 Mbps Download & 768 Kbps Upload

This Verizon small business package starts at $64.99 per month for the first year. After the first 12 months, the package goes up to $69.99 per month—not including taxes, fees, equipment charges, and so on.

This is the right package for small businesses with multiple employees who are frequently using the internet for emailing and large file transfers. Also, if you run an ecommerce site, Verizon thinks that this is the most basic internet service you should be using.

And if you bundle this internet package with the Unlimited Nationwide Package with Features phone service, it’ll be cheaper for you in the long run. The Fast Package bundled with phone services is $49.99 per month for the first year, and $54.99 per month thereafter. So if you’re looking to get internet and phone services at the same time, opting for this bundle is a no-brainer.

Faster Package: 7 Mbps Download & 768 Kbps Upload

The Faster Package from Verizon Small Business is, well, faster. It’s for the same type of small business—multiple employees, frequent internet use, ecommerce businesses, and so on—but it comes with a more reliable connection speed. This package starts at $84.99 per month for the first year, and $89.99 per month thereafter.

And like the Fast Package, it’s much cheaper to bundle the Faster Package with a Verizon phone service. You’ll get the speed of the Faster Package, plus the two phone lines described above, for the same bundle price of $49.99 per month. After the first year, this price gets bumped up to $54.99 per month. Again, this bundle is much more cost effective in the long run if both the internet and phone service meet your business’s needs.

Fastest Package: 10-15 Mbps Download & 1 Mbps Upload

You guessed it—this package is the most connected High Speed Internet service that Verizon offers. It’s best for small business owners with multiple employees, or businesses that operate entirely online. The Fastest Package comes at $94.99 per month for the first year, and $99.99 per month.

And if you bundle this service with the Unlimited Nationwide Package with Features phone service, you’ll get the same bundle price as the Quick, Fast, and Faster Package: $49.99 per month for the first year, and $54.99 per month after that.

So, if you’re looking for fast internet connection and a nationwide phone service, it makes sense to opt for the bundled Fastest Package. You’ll get the fastest internet, with the same low price as slower internet services.

Verizon Small Business: FiOS Internet

The second Verizon small business internet service is FiOS Internet.

Verizon considers FiOS their “next generation” of internet. FiOS is a state-of-the-art fiber network that offers much faster connection speed than what you’d get with Verizon High Speed Internet.

Here’s what Verizon offers for FiOS Internet separately, and what you’ll get if you bundle FiOS with a phone package.

Basic Package: 75 Mbps Download & 75 Mbps Upload

This first Verizon small business FiOS package is its most basic. It starts at $99.99 per month for the first year, and goes up to $104.99 per month after that.

This FiOS package will be sufficient for any kind of office with one to four users who need access on different devices. It’s a good fit for businesses that share large files over email, need cloud backup for data storage, or use the internet all the time. Verizon specifically considers this package to be a great fit for small businesses with high-growth potential.

If you bundle this package, here’s what you’ll get: FiOS Internet, business applications, worry-free guarantee, and a business phone. You’ll get one phone line with unlimited nationwide calling and features, and a basic line for incoming faxes and credit card transactions.

If you go the bundle-route for any of the FiOS Internet packages, you’ll get much more value with a lower price. This basic bundle starts at $69.99 per month for the first year, and bumps up to $74.99 per month thereafter.

Quick Package: 150 Mbps Download & 150 Mbps Upload

The next level up for FiOS packages offers a little bit more than the most basic package. This package is a good fit for small businesses with five or more employees. The increased connectivity lets businesses share high-bandwidth files, videoconference with multiple viewers, and participate in webcam sessions, webinars, and ecommerce activity. All of this comes at $164.99 per month for the first year, and $169.99 per month thereafter.

And if you bundle this next level of FiOS Internet with the same additional phone package (Unlimited nationwide calling with features), you can do so for only $99.99 per month for the first year, and $104.99 after that. Plus, when you choose this bundle and opt for a 2-year term agreement, you’ll get Tech Support Pro from Verizon for free for the first 6 months.

Fast Package: 300 Mbps Download & 300 Mbps Upload

The next step up for FiOS Internet packages is a pretty big leap.

This package doubles the amount of connectivity for small business owners. Verizon considers this package the ideal performance capacity for any business that will have 6 or more employees as internet users. So if you’re making really big data transfers on and across multiple devices, or need extremely efficient backup storage, file sharing, and internet browsing, this Verizon small business internet package is a safe bet. This Verizon FiOS package comes at $259.99 per month for the first year, and $264.99 per month after that.

For this package, you can bundle with the same Verizon phone service for the same price—$259.99 per month. So if you’re looking to get Verizon phone and internet services at the same time, opting for at least this level of FiOS makes a lot of sense.

Plus, Verizon throws in an added perk if you sign up for this package with a 2-year agreement: You’ll get the choice of a $200 Visa Prepaid Card, or a $15 per month discount for the first 12 months.

Fastest Package: 500 Mbps Download & 500 Mbps Upload

This package is the highest level of connectivity you can get with a Verizon internet plan.

You’ll get the most power possible for any amount of users, a ton of bandwidth capacity, and the ability to process a lot of ecommerce orders. This FiOS package is for small businesses with a fair amount of employees and lots of online operations. Of course, you’ll pay for this connectivity—the fastest FiOS package starts at $364.99 per month for the first year, and $369.99 per month thereafter.

Also, if you bundle the top FiOS internet package with the same business phone package, you’ll get a better deal: $359.99 per month for the first year, and $364.99 per month after that. And don’t worry, that bonus $200 Visa Prepaid Card or $15 per month discount still stands with this package.

One thing to note with this FiOS Package: Verizon’s fastest connectivity level is only available in select areas. If you operate in a rural area—or an area Verizon simply doesn’t connect to—you might not be able to get the fastest package. Check if this package will reach your area on Verizon’s website to know for sure.

The Best Verizon Small Business Deal

Verizon Small Business has a lot of offers available. So many, in fact, that it might be hard to choose the right one for you.

To pick the package that will most closely fit your needs, think carefully about how you operate internally, how you reach your customers, and how big your business will be down the line.

Here’s our take on it: If you need both phone and internet services, then there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t opt for a bundled Verizon small business package. In some cases, you’ll get the bundled package for less than the two separate packages. While the bundled internet and phone packages only come with one business phone line, you can always add more lines later on for an additional fee.

With that being said, think realistically about what you really need. If you just plan on reaching out to local customers, keeping your team small, and using the internet infrequently, then there’s no need to spend more than $100 each month for the highest FiOS connectivity. And if having the FiOS Internet connection isn’t a dealbreaker for you, you’ll still get good connection with a bundled High Speed Internet for less than $100 per month.

Not sure how to decide? Think about what your small business needs right now and what you’ll need a few years down the road.

AT&T Small Business: What Do They Have to Offer?

Next up for consideration? We have AT&T small business services. What does AT&T have to offer small businesses that Verizon doesn’t?

Well, let’s run through every AT&T small business phone and internet service to find out.

AT&T Small Business Phone Services

If you only need AT&T small business services for phone connectivity, then you can opt for just phone packages.

AT&T offers a few different local and long distance calling packages for small business.

Let’s walk through the need-to-knows for the 3 different offers.

AT&T Small Business: Local Service for Minimal Calling

This AT&T small business phone service is for the smallest businesses that only have local outreach.

The name of this package says it all: It’s only for local calling, and only for a small amount of monthly local calling. This package offers up to 500 minutes per month, per line of local calling—starting at $27.60 per month.

This is definitely AT&T’s most basic offer, but you can add additional features—like call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, call hunting, and so on—for an extra cost.

Keep in mind that for each AT&T small business phone deal, you’ll have to pay either domestic rates or international rates on top of the monthly service fee. For domestic calling, rates are no more than 7 cents per minute.

AT&T Small Business: Local Service for Moderate Calling

The next level up for AT&T small business phone services is the Local Service for Moderate Calling. As the name suggests, this package is still for local businesses. But you’ll have more minutes of calling available.

This package comes with up to 1,400 minutes of local calling per month, per line, starting at $56.50 per month.

And like the Local Service for Minimal Calling package, you can add additional phone features for an extra fee.

AT&T Small Business: Long Distance

If your business connects to clients and partners beyond your local area and region, then the Long Distance AT&T small business package might be a better fit for you.

The Long Distance plan starts at $14.95 per month. But to add any international calling capabilities, you’ll have to either pay a flat rate on top of that, or a per-minute standard rate depending on the country.

AT&T Small Business Internet Services

Whereas Verizon offers two types of internet, AT&T small business internet service keeps it simple.

There’s only one internet option available with AT&T.

AT&T Small Business: Managed Internet Service

AT&T Managed Internet Service (MIS) offers business owners reliable, scalable, and high-speed internet. AT&T MIS promises 100% service availability and 99.95% data delivery for all small businesses.

The MIS service comes with two access types: Ethernet and Private Line. The MIS Ethernet-based internet connection is considered the “express” AT&T small business internet option. So if you need faster internet, this is the way to go.

You can choose to have AT&T’s MIS service at a bunch of different Kbps and Mbps speeds. The slowest speeds will start at around $190 per month for service fees, but the fastest can go all the way up to a couple thousand dollars per month. The rate you really get depends on AT&T’s connectivity, so you’ll need to speak with an AT&T representative to work out your offer details.

AT&T Small Business Bundles

If you think that AT&T small business services are pretty barebones for phone and internet separately, we don’t blame you—Verizon tends to have more options for each service.

But AT&T has a fair amount of bundles that you should consider for your small business.

AT&T Small Business: All in One Advantage

The AT&T All in One Advantage bundle doesn’t include internet, but it does package two types of phone services together.

With this bundle, you’ll get unlimited local service and unlimited long distance service—starting at $96.95 per month.

This bundle could be a good fit for businesses that have larger volumes of both long distance and local calling.

AT&T Small Business: All in One Enhanced

The AT&T All in One Enhanced bundle offers nationwide local service and nationwide long distance service, starting at $58.95 per month.

But here’s the catch: This bundle only works for businesses that make between 500 and 1,400 minutes of local calls per month, per line. If you go over the 1,400 minutes, you’ll have to pay additional fees for each line that goes over.

And finally, like the All in One Advantage bundle, the Enhanced bundle doesn’t come with internet.

AT&T Small Business: All in One Standard

The third bundle without internet starts at the low monthly fee of $29.20.

You’ll get nationwide local service and nationwide long distance service, but only under 500 minutes of local calling per month. If you go over those 500 minutes, you’ll have to pay a flat rate for any additional minutes you stay on the phone.

AT&T Small Business: Business Network Express Online

If you want to cover both internet and phone services in one fell swoop, then the Business Network Express Online bundle might be the AT&T small business service for you.

This bundle comes with local and long distance calling and AT&T’s internet service—MIS. That means you’ll get a phone service that has rates based on the volume of local and long distance calling, and a flat rate for reliable, high-speed internet.

If you go with this bundle for your business, you’ll have to pay at least a $50 monthly fee. But the exact rate you get with depend on your 12-month commitment contract with AT&T. The monthly fee will be tailored to how much you plan on spending for internet and phone services each year for your business. For more rate information, check out AT&T’s information center for the Business Network Express Online bundle.

The Best AT&T Small Business Deal

Just like Verizon small business offers, the best AT&T small business offer totally depends on the kind of business you run, how much you need to run it efficiently, and how you plan on growing your business in the future.

In our opinion, AT&T is a better move for business owners who just need basic phone services in local areas. If you need cost effective long distance and international plans, you might not find that at AT&T—you still have to pay a per-minute rate on top of your monthly fee.

They do offer a solid, simple internet service. But depending on your location and the speed you need, your monthly rate for could be pretty steep.

Verizon Small Business vs. AT&T Small Business: Who’s the Winner?

Now that we’ve laid out all the options for both Verizon small business services and AT&T small business services, how are you going to choose?

As always, the perfect solution for every small business is different—so you’ll need to think closely about what you really need, and what you can really afford.

But when it comes down to it, Verizon small business has more varied options for business owners who want to customize their service. And even when you look at prices for each level of phone and internet connectivity, Verizon small business services give you more bang for your buck.

With that being said, AT&T small business solutions might offer more customizable packages than what Verizon is willing to work out, but you’ll need to get on the phone with an AT&T business representative to see if you can get a lower price for what you need.

***

So, small business owner, you’ve just started down the path of picking the best phone and internet small business service for you. We’ve just given you a first nudge forward.

The rest is up to you. Good luck!

The post Verizon Small Business vs. AT&T Small Business: Which One Should You Use? appeared first on Fundera Ledger.



from Fundera Ledger https://www.fundera.com/blog/2016/11/14/att-small-business-verizon-small-business

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