The next consideration is price. Can the services I require be delivered at an affordable price? Even though price is an important factor, many times it should not be the determining factor, as service levels and customer support could be less than desirable on a rock-bottom priced service.

Choosing an ISP that offers service level agreements (SLAs) should be another determinant when choosing a service provider. SLAs are contracts between an ISP and a customer. These contracts outline which services the ISP will provide and define their commitments to you based upon goals in specific areas.

Even though SLAs can offer you a sense of assurance and consistency, it is still important to choose an ISP that places a high emphasis on customer satisfaction. Choose an ISP with a proven track record in customer serviceservice that gives you the most technical, operational and billing support you can anticipate needing. Be sure to investigate and understand churn rates (customer turnover), and the reasoning behind those churn rates. Very often, high churn rates point toward dissatisfied customers.

Value-added services, such as various security products and online tools and portals that allow customers access to usage statistics, account information, and network performance are important to consider as well.

This answer was supplied by Tim Stansbury, product manager for Verios Network Services, (www.verio.com) in Englewood, Colo.

Got an agency tech question? E-mail Ara Trembly ([email protected]) or Mark Ruquet ([email protected]).

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, March 5, 2004. Copyright 2004 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved. Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.