This is a very interesting question I see all the time from new clients.
They have had some sort of minor administration problem – didn’t get the email, or didn’t understand what the notices were about, and then suddenly one morning they wake up and their web hosting and email service is gone completely.
This is a topic that came up in a Facebook business group I belong to (these can be great by the way, I recommend them), and the person was concerned that their client’s services had not simply been cut off, but completely deleted without warning, and that because they no longer had the old email connected up to their account, this provider wouldn’t release the files or give access (although would be swayed by a $150 – $200 fee).
Furthermore, there was no backup of the website.
This is such a common problem it’s worth blogging about. There are many cheaper and automated web hosting services out there, which yes will send reminders but never do a final check with the client to see whether they want their service deleted, or just never got the memo.
If you are like me, you get hundreds of emails all the time, and sometimes naturally we miss these. People get busy, but people understand their business web hosting and emails need to be paid in order to retain the service. To have the whole thing deleted automatically one day, only to find there’s a large fee to attempt to reinstate it, which may take a week or longer, is not really acceptable.
Cost savings through service removal and automation with web hosting and email services
When people ask me why they should host their website with OPMC when they can get hosting for $3 a month elsewhere, this is one of the things I explain.
It’s all very well to save money, but these cheaper web hosting options always end up costing more for most of our clients. For some it works brilliantly which I congratulate them for and great – stay there. But for countless others the issues are continuous and unbearable.
In automating tasks and cutting corners, it’s possible to save money which gets passed onto you, the customer. If in a very high volume situation, all tasks are automated, this means no manual intervention and not much in the way of personal service. This simply leads to problems and more problems when something undesirable happens.
Integrated provider – fixing problems.
One common issue I come across is that the client had an unsolvable issue by their web host, or they didn’t want to know about it. The challenge with being a low cost web host is that you need to automate and stick to what you’re good at. Providing web development & design support or advice or information is outside the M.O. and therefore difficult to service clients like this. Speaking for OPMC, being a web development business too, we find we can help solve problems faster because we have a team dedicated to providing these services all day.
Often the daily challenges come down to something or other needing tweaking or upgrading, and the service provider needs in house resources in order to achieve that to help the client more swiftly. Sure, a hosting company’s job isn’t to provide website support, but having that capability in house definitely helps in solving the problem and quoting on the solutions. But most importantly, getting the job done quickly!
Web hosting for business owners
What this all boils down to, is either you’re the kind of person who wants to tinker and completely DIY their web hosting, or you’re a business owner who doesn’t want to be caught up in a lot of drama, just wants web hosting and email issues fixed promptly, and wants a partner who will make sure these things run smoothly and advise ongoing according to the best interests of the business.
If you have any concerns about your web hosting services, feel free to ask us any questions any time!