The
Single Most Important Thing in Web Hosting
The Single Most Important Thing in Web Hosting
The Web hosting industry is less than a decade old, but already
we've seen dramatic changes in the attitudes and priorities of customers.
In these few years, the concerns of my clients have switched from,
"Who's the best?" to "Who's the cheapest?" to
"Who's going to be around for a few years?"
So, in this competitive world of web hosting where there are gigantic
web-hosting companies to small-dedicated companies, how do you make
your company stand, how do you grab a customer and hold it on for
years to come.
The golden key this is Customer Service, Support and Satisfaction.
Most hosting companies are tech savvy enough to provide adequate
support to their customers, sure enough. However, the quality and
warm service here faces a set back. It is true that answering support
requests through a ticket desk or email absorb a generous portion
of a host’s daily activity. This may be time consuming and
may cause the companies to neglect this area of service.
However, quality customer support can be a newer web host's weapon
when competing with the larger web hosts who may own several dedicated
servers or perhaps even their own data center. Quality customer
support is the trump card you have complete control over to set
yourself apart from the competition. As a matter of fact, some larger
companies lack in this area simply because their clients' numbers
are too large.
How does one accomplish this? It's actually quite simple but requires
a stern dedication to satisfying the client.
Fast and complete answers to customer’s queries.
Tickets and support requests should never be one line or one-word
answers. Many times this will require your client to resubmit their
ticket and cause both frustrations for them and loss of time for
you. If the ticket is answered correctly the first time, then the
problem is solved that much faster and efficiently...and this is
what clients want. They want fast responses and complete answers
to their queries. Do not belittle their request with standard one
line jargon.
Make the customer feel important.
Always thank the client for submitting a request to support or
sales. Open each response to a ticket or sales inquiry with, "thank
you for contacting us." And then go on to answer the request...accurately.
Always end your answer with "Thanks for writing in. Please
contact us if we can help you further." This makes an unforgettable
first impression on the client.
Advance Notice of in case of Downtime.
Never fail to inform your clients of scheduled downtime. They will
appreciate it. The irritable feeling one gets when they log on to
their site and get that dreaded white page is a very powerful deterrent
to NOT use a particular host’s service. When your server is
down, be the first to let them know. Have a mailing list of your
clients' off server contact emails for a quick email blast informing
them of any issues.
Fast Response.
Ability to answer a customer's question is very important. But
to answer their queries with professionalism, politeness and resolution
is just as important and often overlooked in web hosting industry.
About the Author Mansi gupta writes
about extended DreamHost review .
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