For about six months my office experienced internet service disconnections sporadically. Sometimes once a day, sometimes more often.

Confident I could troubleshoot my own equipment (router and cable modem), I actually found no definitive answers that would prove to me whether or not the issue was on my end or the cable company’s.

During a Skype phone conference with a new client one day, I was mortified when I experienced one of these outages in the first few minutes of our conversation, losing the call and having to call and apologize. Outage became outRage on the spot!

Finally, I gave up my DIY efforts and called the company, a service technician came out within just a couple of days, hooked up a brand new modem and the problem is solved.

When my home phone land line began to go in and out of service AT THE SAME TIME as the cable service was wobbling, it took four months of calls and follow up calls to attempt resolution of that issue. Finally, I just called and had the line disconnected.

And so it goes. These episodic “technical difficulties” seem like minor inconveniences until they last and last and you can’t find the answer. And throwing in the towel can mean calling out a technician or just throwing your hands up and saying, “forget, take it away!”

In these times of ubiquitous entrepreneurship and SOHO workers, these are the issues that drain your productivity. Having contracts with service providers known to be quick to respond and straighten you out is vital.

Review that list of providers once in awhile and, if appropriate, don’t be afraid to jump ship.