What are the first few aspects when you look for a brand to purchase electronic goods? No matter what, ‘After-Sale Service’ will always find a place on the list!
However, when it comes to services, we often forget that factor. It is quite obvious; we are not dealing with a physical element, and that makes us neglect that area.
Ernest Hemingway once said –
“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen”.
That quote makes sense, so we listened and what we found was terrifying for us. We were not able to believe our ears. Most people never think about the maintenance plan, and the rest never took it as seriously as the service of website development. And that is where they chose to fail, without even realizing.
Believe us; website maintenance is equally significant as website development, if not more.
Website maintenance is a routine activity, involving various checkpoints, to ensure the website is faultless, working smooth and serving the purpose of its existence. It is a comprehensive concept that can take care of the website in totality, ensuring you enjoy a good reputation in the online world.
Without proper maintenance and updates, your website will go stale in just a couple of
months, pushing all your efforts in the abyss. So, it is cardinal to pay attention to website maintenance packages while going for website development, as there can be multiple options. You need to make sure that you are choosing the right plan, covering all the necessary elements.
Through this blog, we intend to tell you about the most important factors when picking a website maintenance plan, either as a package or individually. Let’s start.
1) The inclusion List
The most basic but important of all, this factor forms the base of the service level. As mentioned earlier, website maintenance is a broad phrase and can include as little as primary security and backup to as much as everything, including analytics and updating content. So, while analysing or finalizing the website maintenance packages, you must enquire about the services forming part of it. Because a maintenance plan without essential services would be nothing more than a formality. So, the package must include services like backup, installing updates, regular scan and issue resolution, preventing downtime, etc. Well, there can be several other things too, which might not require frequent attention but monthly, quarterly or yearly. Thus, decide accordingly.
You as a service taker need to make sure that you are having all the necessary and required services rather than just going with free maintenance plan (in case you are getting).
2) Expiry Date
Another vital factor to be looked upon every time! It is because expiry of website maintenance packages varies with the service providers. Moreover, there can be different possibilities. Like you can get website maintenance as a complimentary service with website development, it can be an add-on with the website creation plan, or you are shopping website maintenance plan separately.
You must have seen or come across a few website development companies, offering lifetime free website maintenance support while some companies give free maintenance for one year. And some only mention free maintenance. This duration could be as low as one month, too, depending on the service level of the company. Besides, you might need to buy a website maintenance package separately; the reason could be any, right from the absence of required services in the complimentary plan to expired plan.
And in every case, there can be numerous options. Thus, check beforehand and keep an eye on the expiry date of the plan to avoid troubles. Also, it would be better to know about the plan renewal charges, etc. in advance.
3) Costing
Website maintenance packages can be pre-made for you to select or can be customized to suit
your exact requirements. Plus, the package may consist of the essentials services only, which
require frequent monitoring. And for others, you can contact the service provider on the need basis. So, while purchasing the website maintenance, cost calculation can be an issue. However, doing a budget overview with the service provider is always a great idea. And discuss the payment terms, especially, if you are planning to avail any service on the need basis like how it would be charged – hourly, contractual or pay as you go.
4) Who is going to handle it?
For high operational efficiency and top-notch performance of the website, important is to keep it in the safe hands. You know what we mean by safe hands! Right, it means the person or team handling your website must possess advanced knowledge, remains updated with the changes taking place in the web world, has ample experience combined with the confidence, and ability to deal with pressure.
5) Ease of Access
Now, needless to say, when it comes to website maintenance, timing plays a decisive role as it can be a game-changer; mainly in the situation where a website is down or is not responding well (slow page load, technical glitches, etc.). And there can be many minor issues as well, for which you might need assistance. Thus, overlooking this area, while finalizing the website maintenance package and service provider, can bring you trouble. The best way to prevent problems is to enquire in advance about the mode of communication, the turnaround time for different types of service, the availability of expert, etc. Also, if the service provider belongs to a different time zone, then check if the customer support is available 24*7 or during particular hours.
6) Add-ons
Not all service providers give add-ons with website maintenance packages, but some do. So, why not check whether you are going to get something extra and if yes, what? A great way to compare service providers in terms of cost-benefit analysis!
7) Ease of migration
Last but not least. Check whether a particular service provider is using the best industry practices for website maintenance or not. Else, it would be tough to migrate. Because in this situation, the other person might not get the techniques and might need to start from scratch.
That’s all for now. To know more, call Neel Networks.
