6 Factors to Consider Before Outsourcing Web Hosting Support

Let’s jump to the back-story first…

As lucrative as it is, running an online-centric company isn’t easy. Technologies change and glitches cause obstructions. And this eventually shoots in the way of delivering customers world-class services and experience. One of the first few “obstructions” that many businesses imminently encounter on the way is in the web hosting department.

Server downtime is a complete killer. In 2013, Venture Beat reported that 5-minute outage costs Google $545,000 in revenue. Another report, in 2016, highlighted that Amazon experiences revenue loss of $2 million for every minute its server stays down. Assumingly, small businesses too experience significant loss at such instances. Add to that the dent that these tech failures leave on their brand reputation. This “dent” is pretty big actually, when looked at the suggestive numbers. 75 percent of consumers expect a consistent experience wherever they engage. And 50 percent of them are likely to switch brands if the company fails them in their needs and expectations. These numbers very well edify the significance of maintaining the optimum server uptime for businesses, along with keeping other things just as smooth.

So the onus lies on…

Admittedly, launching a web hosting company is relatively easier today. You can set your data center and get things going very cost-effectively. And if you’re trying to take a shortcut, you can even start with resellers’ account of well-established hosting companies (this is a topic for another discussion though).

If you own a web hosting company, one of the foremost priorities should be delivering exceptional support to the customers.

Why?

According to a research, 75 percent of customers say that it is critical or very important to interact with a salesperson who is available at times of need. 68 percent said that it is important to interact with a salesperson who understands their needs and preferences.

So if you’re simply focusing on your product and not paying heed to the human side of your business, you’re going to lose an awful number of customers. Poor brand credibility is another problem you’re going to have to deal with.

Meaning to say, providing the customers a satisfying experience is not optional anymore. Along with quality product, you must also provide them with quality communication level and quick solution.

Sadly, this is easier said than done. First, given the end-customers, today, are more demanding than ever, pleasing them is very difficult. Second, employing an in-house team of customer care executives is a costly task, which might not necessarily appeal your financial stature.

A simple solution to these problems is outsourcing professional web hosting support. This not only works efficiently but also is affordable to even small-scale web hosting companies.

The outsourced professionals will add value to your products, helping your customers with solid technical and IT support. This will eventually strengthen your market standing, improve customer retention and grow your web hosting business to new heights.

Here are 6 important qualities you should for in web hosting support providers before committing to anyone:

Customer support is a human side of a business. Meaning, you need qualified individuals who can effectively communicate with the end-customers, empathize with their problems and offer efficient solutions.

Factor the human capital of your to-be outsourced web hosting support-how qualified they are, how much is their experience. The better these professionals are, the better it is for your customers.

The solution provider you are approaching might not necessarily be adept to cater your industry, which is web hosting. Because different companies specialize in different domains!

You should look for customer support team who has the resource and infrastructure to cater a web hosting company like yours.

It’s a rule of thumb-if a company is really as good as it claims, it is going to have many followers. In this case, clients!

So whoever you’re screening, look at their client list. How many businesses have they served in the past, how many are they serving right now; and if the web hosting companies they are catering with their customer support solution, are they industry-renowned names or just new market entrants. These will tell you a lot about your potential partner.

This factor may be secondary to others, it isn’t any less important. In any niche, for higher reliability and consistent communication, it is best you do partnership with other businesses that are locally based.

So ensure your outsourced web hosting support team is located nearby. Now this ‘nearby’ doesn’t mean right in your next neighborhood. It could be anywhere in the same country, but not overseas.

Isn’t this quite a no-brainer?! Sadly, when outsourcing web hosting support team, many web hosting companies don’t even invest in identifying the market reputation of who they are about to do business with.

Don’t be one of them! Check forums, online review websites and see what other people are saying about this company. Make sure they enjoy a decent reputation in the market.

Some web hosting support solution providers offer off the rack contracts, which includes policies, agreements and other privacy guidelines based on their own will. And then there are those who will tailor their policies in sync with your distinct needs, requirements, requests and suggestions.

Look for the latter one. Finalize a contract that sufficiently takes care of every security, quality and privacy end.

These are 6 simple factors you should consider when outsourcing third-party customer support-6 distinct qualities you should look for in the company. Of course, they aren’t foolproof and don’t guarantee you best result.

But these factors cum tips will definitely help you find a reliable and qualified web hosting support provider quickly.