5 features of excellent web hosting support
In 2021, Amazon lost around $34 million in sales. The reason? Its website crashed for an hour.
Whether you’re an IT giant like Amazon or any other large organization, website issues can cost a fortune. And the repercussions aren’t limited to financial losses—they can also undermine customer trust and lead to missed business opportunities.
To avoid such situations, you need to look for a web hosting provider that offers top-quality support.
But how do you know which provider has the best web hosting support? Keep reading to learn what features you need to look for.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
What is web hosting support?
Web hosting support refers to the assistance and guidance a web host gives its users. The goal is to resolve the issues and challenges faced by website administrators. Support can include help with website management, maintenance, and security for a wide range of topics, such as:
- Technical issues: Troubleshooting support for database connectivity, virtual private server (VPS) server hosting errors, performance optimization, and any problem that prevents your website from running efficiently.
- Security threats: Resolving security vulnerabilities, such as malware threats.
- Website maintenance tasks: Backups and software updates.
- Website customization tasks: Helping with website design and layout, configuring cPanel (a Linux-based control panel), and installing relevant plugins.
- Domain name tasks: Assistance with domain registrations, domain transfers, and troubleshooting other domain-related issues.
Features that set leading web hosting support companies apart
Not all web hosting support is created equal. By comparing features across different platforms, you can see which hosting provider will make website management smooth and seamless for your team.
24/7 availability for live support
What happens when you manage a large ecommerce website that crashes during a big sale, like Black Friday? Each minute the website is down costs you sales. In this scenario, 24/7 customer support services can improve uptime and curb financial losses.
Phone support
24/7 phone support is crucial when you’re facing an urgent site issue. A help desk representative will listen to your queries and recommend a quick fix. Regardless of which time zone you’re in, a rep will be available.
Many web hosting providers offer phone support. But some only offer this feature at specific times. If your website goes down outside of those hours, you won’t be able to call for help.
On the other hand, Liquid Web provides 24/7 phone support. So, if your site crashes on a Sunday, you can still get back up and running quickly.
Live chat support
In some cases, it may be easier to explain the issue in writing using a live chat feature. You can even save a copy of the conversation to use for reference later.
Some hosts outsource their chat support or use chatbots. But at Liquid Web, our 24/7 live chat support is staffed entirely by our in-house experts.
Ticketing system with rapid response times
Some website issues don’t have an immediate fix. They need an in-depth inspection, which can’t be done by phone or chat.
In a situation like this, a ticketing system is the best option. Here’s how it works:
- The customer submits a support request for an inquiry.
- The system generates a ticket and assigns a unique tracking number to it.
- The ticket goes through different stages (e.g., triage) until the issue is resolved. Customers can view the progress of each ticket.
Web hosting companies can resolve tickets within a few hours to a few weeks. The time varies based on a number of factors, such as how complex the issue is and what resources are available. A reliable web hosting provider like Liquid Web will resolve your ticket as soon as possible.
Knowledge base
For many users, the first instinct after running into a website hosting issue is to search for an answer. For these users, many web hosting solutions offer a self-service option in the form of a knowledge base.
A knowledge base includes FAQs, troubleshooting guides, tutorials, webinars, and documentation related to the platform.
Advanced technical support
At times, you need expert support to walk you through an issue. Because of this, it’s important to choose a web hosting support team with experts in your application, whether you use WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, or something else.
Technical support teams are often split into levels based on their skills. For example, level 1 support staff can help you with basic issues, like domain name registration.
Higher-level staff handle the more complex and practical aspects of IT support. For example, they can help you improve your website’s performance through various means, such as caching.
Some of the tasks these professionals can help you with include:
- Website migration: Migrating your websites from one hosting provider to another or switching from shared hosting to VPS hosting, cloud hosting, or dedicated server hosting for better performance.
- Troubleshooting: Diagnosing and addressing errors related to server performance, database connectivity, and other issues.
- Software support: Installing and configuring content management systems (CMSs) and other web applications.
- Server configuration and monitoring: Adjusting server settings, such as domain management, and diagnosing potential issues that can affect your website’s performance.
Robust security support
According to an analysis by SiteLock, the average website sees 172 cyberattacks per day.
Security vulnerabilities to your website can lead to unauthorized access and data loss. As a consequence, your organization might face business disruption, reputation damage, regulatory compliance issues, and high remediation costs.
That’s why you need a reliable web hosting service that can keep your website secure at all times. The staff can help with the following:
- Malware removal: Removing malicious software from your website, including adware, spyware, and ransomware.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA): Providing an extra layer of security for your website accounts. This can allow you to receive one-time passwords (OTP) via email, SMS, and other channels.
- Backup and recovery: Setting up regular backups of your website’s data and creating a recovery plan to restore data in the event of a cyberattack or server failure.
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates: Implementing and managing SSL certificates for your website. An SSL certificate helps to encrypt data (e.g., sensitive information, like credit card data) when it’s transmitted between a web browser and a web server.
Final thoughts: Top 5 features of web hosting support every business needs
Do you host your organization’s website on WordPress? Or perhaps you have a large-scale ecommerce website that runs on WooCommerce or Magento.
No matter which applications you use, Liquid Web can customize a fully managed enterprise hosting plan to fit your business.
Our expert support staff is available 24/7/365 via live chat, phone, and ticketing. Plus, we offer robust security solutions, a comprehensive knowledge base, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and 100% network uptime.
Get in touch today to learn how we can support your website.
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Josh Ward
With experience in IT, marketing, and sales, Josh Ward plays a key leadership role in the web hosting industry. Currently the Vice President of Global Sales with Liquid Web, Josh helps create secure, redundant, and scalable solutions for a diverse array of clients. Over the past three years, Josh has rebuilt the partner program and sales team at Liquid Web and has been a key contributor to their accelerated growth. Josh is originally from southeast Texas, called Austin home for 25 years, and now lives in Decatur, AL. He met his wife of 24 years in high school, played a little college football at the Colorado School of Mines, once poked an alligator in the eye and then shot it for trying to bite him, and ate his weight in raw gulf oysters. On the weekends, Josh avidly avoids yard work by golfing and sitting by the pool with his wife and their four kids.
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