When you are running your own business, looking after your own website can be tricky and difficult. You may decide that it is taking so much time away from your actual work, or you might just not feel confident enough. But knowing what to look for in a web support company to make sure you don’t get ripped off can also be tricky.
Read on for our top tips of what to look for in a web support company.
24/7 or 9 to 5?
Now this will depend on the type of web support service you are looking for; do you need support 24 hours a day 7 days a week or do you think office hours on working days will be enough?
Some web support companies are run by one person, which is absolutely fine of course, they can often provide an excellent service at a comparatively cheap cost, but they may be not available when you need them or go on holiday or off sick without arranging cover.
When considering what to look for in your web support company, it’s important to remember that while your business may only be open for certain hours, your website will always be open.
If, for example, your website was to crash on a Sunday morning would you be happy to wait until the next day for it to be back up and running?
A company offering support 24 hours a day could also be able to see and solve problems without you having to check.
Check Their Websites
Have a look at any web support companies websites. Are they updated? Do the pages load quickly? Do they look inviting and easy to navigate?
After all, if their own website isn’t up to scratch do you think they could be trusted to support yours?
Also, usually on their ‘about us’ page, can you see how long the company has been running? Companies that have been established for a number of years are more likely to be a safer option, especially if you are looking for an all day, everyday service.
Do they have testimonials from clients? This is especially useful if they are from businesses in your field.
What Services Do They Provide?
Here at Bandicoot Towers, we provide all round services that cover all the areas that you would need when considering what to look for in your web support company.
However, some companies don’t.
For example, some will provide technical support but not developmental support, and vice versa.
It would make good business sense to be able to choose a company that provides support in all areas.
If they are able to help with support with the smallest of changes, like a font colour change, to 24 hour support, SEO and software/server maintenance and updating, then it makes sense to have one company to contact and in the process will save you a lot of time so you can get back to doing what you do best, running your business!
Are They Proactive?
Some web support companies, and it vitally important to clarify this before you sign any contracts or service level agreements (including agreed response times), are reactive rather than proactive.
For example, will they respond if there is an issue reported but don’t proactively monitor your website to look for and, in some cases, pre-empt any issues?
Do they keep up to date with new web support and software developments and are forward thinking?
For example, here at Bandicoot Towers, we have an entire page on our website devoted to looking at next year, called Are You Prepared For 2020?
Contracts
This is a personal choice but one that is very important before deciding what web support company to choose.
Some companies will want to offer you long contracts for over one year and some will provide rolling monthly contracts.
Now the preference is entirely up to you, but what we would say is, think about what would happen if you wanted to change the contract for any reason? How much notice would you have to give? Would you be happy with a long wait before changing or would you rather a shorter contract that could be updated on a regular basis?
Data Security
A good web support company should be able to provide all the services necessary to keep your website safe and secure. From offsite backups and antivirus software to network and monitoring systems and much more.
Some companies will be able to provide you with a ‘risk assessment’ on your website, to establish what you will need for the best internet security.
Are their servers hosted in an ISO27001 accredited place? ISO27001 is the international standard for Information Security. The excellent itgovernance.co.uk website has an excellent ISO27001 explainer and guide if you would like to find out more.
Do they provide GDPR support?
You may have heard GDPR mentioned over the last few years, you may even already know what it means, but just in case:
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. GDPR was introduced as a European law on 25th May 2018 as a replacement for the Data Protection Act of 1988 in the UK. It applies to personal data and how businesses use and store personal data.
Any reputable web support company, certainly an ISO27001 accredited one, will provide you with the support needed in order to comply with GDPR.
The ICO has an extensive and easy to understand explainer to GDPR here.
We would recommend giving it a read when you consider what to look for in a web support company.
So, there we are! You should now be more clued up on web support companies and hopefully, we have helped you understand what you will need for all your web support.
How Can Bandicoot Help?
From website support to free security audits, here at Bandicoot, we have years of experience in all areas of web support.
if you would like a chat to see how we could help, call us on 01282 506616, email us at info@bandicoot.co.uk or use our online contact form.
