The challenges of supporting web hosting customers A report on how the choice of reseller hosting package dramatically affects the quality of support offered to clients. www.heartinternet.co.uk 1
Contents Executive summary 3 Barriers to providing support 4-5 The right package for resellers 6-7 The solution 8 Summary 9 Sources of information 10 About us 10 2
Executive summary If the reseller runs a small business, the amount of support that they can offer their customers is limited to what they can deal with and how much time they devote to it. This report looks at the key issues web hosting resellers encounter when providing support to their customers. Supporting hosting customers can be time consuming, which puts a strain on both the reseller and their business. If the reseller runs a small business, the amount of support that they can offer their customers is limited to what they can deal with and how much time they devote to it. This can lead to the reseller working long hours and a reluctance to take time off which can have a detrimental effect on the reseller and their business. From a customer perspective, limited support is frustrating as they find their queries are not solved quickly, leading them to become dissatisfied and frustrated with their service provider, which results in a negative view of the reseller. The choice of reseller hosting package directly affects the quality of support the reseller can offer to their customers. Traditional forms of support such as telephone can also contribute to the frustration of customers as only one query can be addressed at a time, increasing the waiting time for others. The choice of reseller hosting package directly affects the quality of support the reseller can offer to their customers, as the resources available through that package can provide valuable tools that save time and improve the effectiveness of support. White label products and features provided by the web hosting company can be implemented so that the reseller has better control over dealing with customer support queries. These can lower the volume of queries raised by customers and increase the speed at which problems are resolved. White label products also help to protect the reseller from being revealed as reliant on a web hosting company and gives resellers confidence in supporting their customers with stable and reliable web hosting. Web hosts with 24/7 support teams allow for greater flexibility, as the choice of when the reseller offers support to their customers is not pre-determined by the web host, but at the convenience of the reseller. A web host with a reputation for providing quality support will help the reseller to fix problems and offer solutions, creating a safety net for the reseller as they are confident that no support query will go unanswered. 3
Barriers to providing support If the reseller is a small or home office organisation, there is a limit on how many queries can be dealt with at once, leading to frustration from the customer at being kept waiting. Supporting web hosting customers can be difficult given the diverse nature of websites and the mixed skill-set of the people that run them. Even the most technically knowledgeable customer will eventually raise a support query over time, and it is important that the web hosting company is on-hand to be able to deal with it. Whilst large web hosting companies have the resources to deal with these queries in the form of customer support teams and system administrators, web hosting resellers can find themselves overwhelmed in dealing with the volume and complexity of support questions. If the reseller is a small or home office organisation, there is a limit on how many queries can be dealt with at once, leading to frustration from the customer at being kept waiting. This is even more frustrating for the customer if the issue is a simple question or an easy fix for the service provider. Customer frustration Nearly half of UK consumers said that call centres were the most frustrating service channel, with the biggest annoyances including call queues, automated telephony and the charges that mount up with continued contact. Traditional telephone support contributes to a slow response rate as only one customer can be dealt with at a time. A customer service survey by Econsultancy found that nearly half of UK consumers said that call centres were the most frustrating service channel, with the biggest annoyances including call queues, automated telephony and the charges that mount up with continued contact. Another factor to consider when providing support, is when to offer it. Website and system errors are likely to occur at any time during the day or night and customers will grow frustrated if questions are not answered because their provider is out of office. These frustrated customers are likely to leave negative comments and reviews, say damaging things on social media, or become difficult to deal with via the phone or email as they are unwilling to co-operate. All these things can be detrimental to a business reputation, research by Reevoo in 2012 found that 88% of consumers consulted online reviews before making a purchase decision. Feeling obligated to work longer hours to prevent customer frustration results in the reseller being unable to take time off to relax or go on holiday, or simply unable to provide the kind of support they want to. 4
Customer retention Strong after sales support was the second most popular factor in persuading customers to make repeat purchases whilst a third of those surveyed said providing excellent customer service is the best way to build customer loyalty. Research by Zendesk in 2012 found that strong after sales support was the second most popular factor in persuading customers to make repeat purchases whilst a third of those surveyed said providing excellent customer service is the best way to build customer loyalty. These stats highlight the importance that should be placed on customer support and how it can drastically affect a business that provides web hosting. Decisions Before taking on customers, resellers need to make decisions on the kind of support they want to provide and which web hosting company offers the best resources to achieve their goals and enhance the overall support experience. However, relying on the web host s resources too heavily presents the risk that the customer becomes aware and questions the reseller s expertise and ability to provide stable web hosting. 5
The right package for resellers One of the major factors that should be considered when choosing a reseller web hosting package is the ability to make use of the web host s resources to help the reseller achieve their objectives. The problem here is that the more of these resources that are implemented, the more likely it is that customers will discover how much the reseller relies on the web host, and become unconvinced by their expertise and ability. Communicating with customers Having seen how telephone support and call centres can lead to mass frustration for customers waiting in queues, the alternative is to offer an email based solution, where customers can raise support queries electronically and wait for a response from the reseller. Econsultancy s survey on customer service tells us that telephone is the preferred method of contact for just 1 in 3 consumers, meaning that two thirds prefer other forms of contact with their service provider. Implementing an electronic system for support queries allows the reseller to deal with more than one customer at a time as different issues can be looked at simultaneously, increasing productivity as well as customer satisfaction. With a system such as this, the reseller can still choose as to when support is available and advise their customers accordingly in the same way a call centre would. This approach allows the reseller to deal with as many support queries as possible but sets clear boundaries as to when they are available for support. System status page Another resource that eases the flow of support questions is referring customers to a system status page. This is a web page that tells customers if there is any planned maintenance or any problems or errors with the system. Letting customers know that the web host is aware of problems and that they are being worked on can reassure the customer that the system is being monitored and controlled, and stops them from raising questions about why their website is experiencing difficulties or downtime. The status page is also useful to direct customers to when the reseller is out of office or outside of their support times. 6
White label It is vitally important for the reseller that they are able to maintain their brand image next to any other services they provide. These two approaches to customer support can afford the reseller much needed breathing space and control over the volume of support queries. However, it is vitally important for the reseller that they are able to maintain their brand image next to any other services they provide in order to demonstrate independence and competence in providing a consistently stable and secure service. To do this, these resources must be fully white label so that the reseller can offer them as though they are their own with no danger of revealing themselves as being reliant on another web hosting company. Reseller web hosting packages that are advertised as white label must be fully researched as to exactly which features are included depending on the kind of support the reseller intends to offer. If the reseller wants to implement an email based support system, it is important that they are able to put their own branding on it. Likewise, the system status page should also be free of anything linking it to the original host to prevent them being revealed as a reseller. Safety net It is crucial that the web host the reseller chooses has an excellent reputation for customer support so that the reseller has a safety net under them should they be unable to resolve their customers issues. It is also crucial that the web host the reseller chooses has an excellent reputation for customer support and service so that the reseller has a safety net under them should they be unable to resolve their customers issues. Web hosts that offer around-the-clock support can give the reseller the flexibility to offer customer support at their convenience, rather than when the web host declares. This choice directly affects customers website performance as good support and reliability from the host means that there are fewer problems to deal with, any problems can be fixed quickly, and the solutions offered are fast and accurate. 7
The solution Being a Heart Internet reseller allows us to offer effective, affordable and flexible hosting with the control in our hands Clear Web Services, Heart Internet reseller since 2010 Heart Internet provide the UK s most advanced reseller hosting platform, with all features of the package fully white label. All our reseller products are designed to be customised and tailored to the reseller s specific needs including our online ticket system which allows customers to contact a support team member electronically. Our support ticket system has been constantly updated and improved since its launch, and is available for resellers to apply their own branding and customisations to. As we never offer phone support to customers, we have been able to perfect the ticket system, giving the reseller the safety of experience as well as knowledge. 24/7 support Our customer support teams are available 24/7 all year-round, offering flexibility for all customers to contact us at their convenience. Resellers can use this to their advantage as they have the flexibility to offer support during the times that suit them best, rather than the pre-determined hours set by other web hosts. Heart Internet support is also 100% UK based, meaning that queries are addressed quickly and accurately by our fully trained, in-house team. This acts as an insurance policy for the reseller, as the support offered by us can help the reseller deal with their own customers issues should they be unable to deal with it themselves. Fully white label experience The reseller account gives us an incredibly powerful system with fantastic levels of control that made us look like a very large company from day one Rocket Powered, Heart Internet reseller since 2006 Our web hosting status page is also free of any mention of Heart Internet. The domain name www.webhostingstatus.com was chosen specifically to cater for resellers wanting to refer their customers to it and not reveal themselves as a Heart Internet reseller, and nowhere on the web page does it contain any Heart Internet affiliation. Resellers can use this resource to keep their customers informed of any issues affecting their websites and stem the flow of support queries raised. The status page also reassures customers that their service provider is aware of the issues and is working on resolving them. Making use of our status page also allows resellers to take time off as they can leave messages for their customers to refer to the page if they are unavailable. 8
Summary Traditional telephone support can slow down the response rates to support queries as only one query can be dealt with at a time. Website owners are easily frustrated when they encounter problems or experience downtime. These customers become even more frustrated when their support queries are not dealt with quickly. Frustrated customers develop a negative impression of the reseller, driving the customer to potentially damage the reputation of the reseller through negative online reviews and forums. Traditional telephone support can slow down the response rates to support queries as only one query can be dealt with at a time. Nearly half of UK consumers said that call centres are the most frustrating service channel as they are forced to deal with queues, automated messages and the charges for calling (source: Econsultancy). Another problem that resellers face when providing support to their customers is deciding how much time to devote to it. This can lead to longer working hours for the reseller and a reluctance to take time off to relax, resulting in a poor work-life balance. The reseller s choice of web hosting package can directly affect the quality of support that they can offer to their customers as certain resources can be relied upon to enhance the reseller s customer support platform. However, this reliance can put the reseller in a difficult position as the more resources they rely on, the greater the risk that the customer will discover them to be a reseller of another web hosting company. Therefore, the best reseller web hosting packages are those which offer white label features that allow resellers to customise and brand resources as their own. The best reseller web hosting packages are those which offer white label features that allow resellers to customise and brand resources as their own. Our Reseller Pro package has been created to offer as many white label features as possible, with resellers able to make use of and customise our ticket system. This email based resource enables resellers to deal with more than one query at a time as multiple messages can be opened simultaneously. Our system status page is also fully white label from the domain name (www.webhostingstatus.com), all the way through to the information on screen. With no mention of Heart Internet on this page, resellers are free to direct customers to it to communicate any problems they may be encountering, stemming the flow of support queries and allowing resellers to provide an up-to-the-minute information service without fear of being revealed. 9
Sources of information http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/7999-44-prefer-email-for-customer-service http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/9958-88-of-consumers-consult-reviewswhen-making-a-purchase http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/10908-infographic-what-makes-customersstay-loyal About us Launched in 2004, Heart Internet has grown rapidly to become one of the UK s leading web hosting and reseller hosting companies. Offering the UK s most advanced reseller hosting package, Heart Internet s core values are based around high-quality products at competitive prices. Heart Internet strive for innovation within the web hosting industry by continuing to develop market leading technology that benefits their customers websites. www.heartinternet.co.uk Heart Internet Ltd 2 Castle Quay Castle Boulevard Nottingham NG7 1FW 10 t: 0845 644 7750