Cate Triendl
Mar 22, 2018
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5 min read
Why Offer WiFi as a Service?
When it comes to growing a tech business, recurring revenue is the key. Finding a profitable monthly service that you can resell to your customers can prove the difference between your incidental revenue and jumping from project to project. So what’s there left to offer your customers? Have you thought about WiFi as a service?
A Typical Networking Client
Offering WaaS (WiFi as a Service) even makes more sense when revisiting the services you’re already providing to your customers.
Let’s take a look at a typical scenario. One where you’re managing the IT of a hospitality business. Your client probably has a server and a few workstations, or, more likely nowadays, a few workstations storing everything in the cloud. Then there’s the POS stations and their attendant networks. Last, but not least, let’s not forget the free (unsecured) WiFi connection the business offers for their customers.
On the backend side, you’ve got everything all tightened and secure…and on the frontend side, you’ve got an open WiFi network with a password written on a chalkboard for all the world to see.
Not an ideal situation.
Enter WiFi as A Service and Captive Portal
You’re already servicing the hospitality business as an IT guy, so why not take on the customer WiFi as well?
That’s where we come in. Instead of an open connection, Stampede verifies WiFi users through what is known as a captive portal.
In order to access the network, users have to enter and validate their email address. Once the email has been checked, users are free to roam the internet at will. The cool part – at least for your hospitality customers – comes in capturing that customer data. In addition to email addresses, the captive portal can ask for information like first and last names, gender, location and even custom questions. The choice is yours. But all these valuable customer insights can help you to get a better understanding of who they are and what they like.
Managed from One Central Dashboard
You’re the IT guy – that’s what your customers are paying for. They don’t want to be bothered with checking their networks for security, which is another great reason where Wifi As a Service comes into play.
From one centralised dashboard in Stampede – accessible from any computer, laptop or tablet with internet access – you’ll be able to manage your client’s WiFi network.
Someone abusing the network and sucking down bittorrents? You’ll get an automatic alert to let you know so you can nip this sort of nonsense in the bud. Nogoodniks hanging out in the street in front of your customer’s location sneakily signing in to use the network? Use the dashboard to schedule WiFi on and off times. And GDPR compliance? Yep, we got that covered, too.
Oh yeah, and as an IT professional, here’s something you’ll really appreciate: because Stampede operates in the cloud, there’s nothing to update or patch. Ever.
Bringing Automated Marketing to Your Customers
Here’s where our captive portal solution goes one step further. With access to a wealth of customer data, you can take your customers business to the next level. Take patron email data and import it into mail marketing software like MailChimp so they can send out a newsletter to an email list.
Even cooler, what about creating automated marketing messages with SMS or emails? It’s easy. For example, set a rule that sends a patron an automated message 30 minutes after they’ve left the venue, asking them to provide a review on TripAdvisor. Or to post their pictures of their visit (or let’s be honest, their food) on Instagram.
But you’re a busy IT guy, you say. You don’t have time to do marketing for your customers. No worries. With Stampede, you can hand the reins over to your customer or their hospitality marketing agency to let them send their own automated messages. Don’t worry, with the granular user controls in the dashboard, they won’t be able to mess up any settings.
Bringing Hospitality Marketing Agencies into the Mix
Speaking of hospitality marketing, here’s another business opportunity with WiFi as a Service: offer a WaaS package to hospitality marketing agencies and see what kind of business you can do together. This, in turn, could lead to even more opportunities.
For example, if a pub or restaurant sees you offering them exceptional WiFi service, your name is going to be first and foremost in their minds when their IT equipment starts acting up.
Ready to Start Offering WiFi as a Service?
No matter what you call yourself – Managed Service Provider, IT Solutions Provider, Computer Dude. We hope this article has shown you some of the benefits of offering WiFi as a Service.
We’ve used the example of the hospitality industry in this article, but we’re sure you can see how this service model could apply to just about any industry as well.
If you’re not already offering WiFi as a Service and want to take the leap, we hope you give us a try. And if you want to kick our tires before you drive us off the lot, we won’t take offence.
Just click the link below to get started with a no-obligation, free trial.