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.