The package deal is always enticing to us as consumers. We bundle our insurance services, our cable television services and our software packages (see Microsoft Office). We even bundle our fast food orders. Would you like fries with that? It may seem obvious to some but surprisingly we have found that many clients neglect to bundle their phone and internet services.
Most carriers today offer a standard package deal which includes voice lines, internet and long distance. This offer makes sense to both the consumer and the carrier. The consumer benefits from a reduced rate, a single number to call and a single invoice while the carrier achieves a slightly larger monthly revenue for a single bundled package that is more efficient to install and service. It's a win-win for both.
According to Logix Communications, at least 20% of your total phone and internet expenses can be saved by bundling under one carrier. This amounts to substantial savings over the course of a two or five-year contract.
We are quite often asked about the risks of bundling with a single carrier. Risk-averse clients may be willing to spend a bit more to split their phone and internet services between two carriers spreading out the risk of outages or service interruptions. This is a suitable while more expensive tactic which can still take advantage of bundling. The "Dual Carrier" solution combined with bundling provides an effective fail-over plan. Example: Carrier A provides your Primary voice and Secondary internet services while Carrier B provides your Primary internet and Secondary voice services. If one carrier experiences an outage the other carrier is ready and waiting. You have greatly reduced the odds of costly downtime.
Phone and Internet services are not the only technology that can be bundled. Business technologies such as business phone systems, camera systems, security systems, access control and voice/data cabling can be bundled resulting in substantial savings and then easily financed into a business-technology lease with one monthly payment.
The package deal gets a bad rap from those who consider it "bait" to entice consumers to buy more of a company's product. In fact, the package deal specifically as it relates to phone and internet services benefits both parties. By bundling services both parties add to their bottom line and achieve efficiencies in service and operations. We feel that these benefits are worthwhile and we advise our clients to take advantage whenever possible.