Today, there is no shortage of options when it comes to web hosting platforms. A quick Google search will yield hundreds of web hosting companies. So, how can your hosting company set itself apart from the many others that are out there? Ultimately, it boils down to offering the most reliable servers for the right price. Of course, it’s never quite that simple. Another important factor you won’t want to overlook is customer service and support.
While the quality of customer support may not be as easy to measure as bandwidth or other technical aspects of a server, it’s just as important. By having a better understanding of why customer support matters and how to deliver excellent customer support, you can continue setting your hosting platform apart from the competition.
Benefits of Excellent Customer Service/Support in the Hosting Industry
When a client purchases a hosting plan, whether that be dedicated hosting, shared hosting, cloud-based hosting, or something else, they’re agreeing to pay a certain amount of money each month in exchange for some specific server specifications (bandwidth, CPU, RAM, SSD or HDD storage, etc.). Depending on the web host they select, there may even be some type of service-level agreement or guarantee on these resources/services for added peace of mind.
Even with a 100% uptime guarantee (which is hard to find from a hosting company these days), customers could still run into technical problems, billing discrepancies, or other issues that you’ll need to address. The last thing a client needs is to be unable to get ahold of somebody in customer service or support when they need them most.
This is why it’s a good idea to add “excellent customer service” to your list of offerings as a web host. This way, if clients do experience a problem with their hosting or simply have a question they need to be answered, they’ll be able to get in touch with a knowledgeable and friendly member of the team right away.
And of course, if a server is experiencing downtime, being able to get ahold of somebody in customer support right away could mean the difference between a site being down for just a few minutes or a few hours (or days!). When you consider that even a few minutes of downtime can cost a client hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars, it’s easy to see why this matters so much.
What Makes for Great Customer Support, Anyway?
So, what exactly should you be offering your clients?
24/7 Accessibility
The most basic thing to offer is a customer support staff that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. This way, clients can rest assured that they’ll always be able to get in touch with somebody if they encounter an issue with your server or have a question/concern about their account.
If your hosting company is advertising 24/7 customer support, make sure you’re specific about exactly what that entails. Some companies will have a customer service line that you can call to reach a live person anytime, whereas others may require you to submit a ticket online. Ideally, your customers will be able to speak to somebody one-on-one right away.
Ability to Resolve the Issue
Another thing to focus on as you strive to offer the best customer support is your team’s ability to resolve the issue or answer the client’s question. For example, 24-hour customer support isn’t very useful if nobody is actually available to fix the problem until the following business day.
Ensure that your hosting company has a wide range of experienced staff members available at all hours of the day to take tickets and calls. This way, even if a server goes down in the middle of the night, there will be somebody there to address and resolve the problem as soon as possible.
Options for Getting Help
Different hosting companies may offer different options for getting in touch with customer support. Make sure you’re offering the options that your customers find most convenient and useful. Some customers may have very specific preferences and will not select a hosting company that does not offer the communication methods they want.
There are many potential ways to offer customer and technical support, ranging from a live chat or ticket request to a real-time phone call. In a perfect world, you’ll want to be the hosting company that offers a wide range of options so that your clients can get in touch in the method that best suits their needs at any given time. This may cost your business more money up-front but will pay off in long-term customer retention and satisfaction.
The Bottom Line on Customer Support in Web Hosting
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons to make excellent customer support a priority in the hosting industry. At the end of the day, you could offer a server that has incredible technical specs, but without reliable support to back it up, you could still have a hard time finding (and keeping) customers.
When you build a hosting company with an outstanding reputation for customer service and support, your business will grow and prosper. Your clients will always be able to get help and answers when they need them most – and you’ll enjoy happier clients who will continue to stick around for years to come.
