I have this dilemma that I thought I’d throw out to my blog readers to get your opinion. Some of my readers are customers, some are colleagues, some are competitors and some readers have no relationship to my company at all – so I’m eager to see how varied the response is.
A little background info
As little as 5 years ago, web sites were developed in programming languages that required special software for editing (i.e. Frontpage or Dreamweaver) and sometimes required programming knowledge (i.e. PHP, Perl, etc.) In those days, it was easier and cheaper to have your web designer update your web site for you. So in addition to designing and building new web sites, I also had a steady stream of income from maintaining web sites for my customers.
In January of 2009, I saw that the web site industry was moving toward Content Management Systems and I embraced this technology by learning WordPress and Drupal so that I could offer my clients multiple options. Yes, this meant less income because now my customers could update their own web sites without paying me, but I knew in my heart that this was the right thing to do for my clients and my business.
When technology changes, businesses must change with it or be left behind.
The Dilemma
Now that clients are maintaining their own web sites, I am often called upon with technical questions such as ” how can I do this?” and “Uh, oh! I messed up my home page and don’t know how to fix it!” Sometimes the fixes are 1-2-3 but sometimes it can take me 30 minutes to an hour trying to figure out what they did wrong or researching and typing up instructions on how to do something.
I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining or using this post to vent my frustrations. I like helping people and I want my customers to feel comfortable approaching me with questions – especially when their new web site has just been launched. But sometimes these calls/emails come more than 6 months after the web site has been handed over to the client. Do you think there should be a cut off date for free support?
I personally hate when I buy a product and then have to pay for support when I have a question. I bought for my 75 year old mother a Dell computer last Christmas and 2 months later it was infected with a virus. When my mom couldn’t get in touch with me (her personal tech support), she panicked and called Dell. The warranty that came with the computer only covered software that came pre-installed (not viruses.) So they charged her $200 for a support plan and then probably downloaded a freeware program onto her computer to clean it. This bothered me because I felt like they had taken advantage of an elderly woman.
I want people to have a positive image about Web Image Designs and don’t want them to feel they’ve been taken advantage of. The other side of the coin is that I’m spending non-billable time doing research and providing free support.
So what’s your take on this? Should I offer free technical support for an initial period and then charge by the hour after that? Or should I continue to provide free support indefinitely with the hope that the good will I am generating provides a better return?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Hi Liz,
I’d offer free technical support for 60 days to work out the kinks (define this) and make it known in your contract. Otherwise, clients can take on a victim role where they don’t learn how to do things because they feel you’re going to rescue them over and over.
I offer one free biz card upgrade within three months. Folks often move or want to change something. It’s a gift.
That said, there may be other ways to help clients. Something related to web design that you also excel at. Maybe teach a content management class to folks that want to learn how to do all these things with the WP site you’ve designed. All businesses and industries change over time. Keep moving ahead of the curve.
Giulietta
Thank you, Julie. Your comments are always insightful!
Someone recently suggested that I charge for ongoing support and it got me thinking. I realized that the more CMS projects I do, the more time I’ll be spending on this type of support.
I’ll also give some thought to teaching a class – good suggestion!
Liz, I like the idea of free technical support for the first 60 days of a site going live. It’s something you can tout in your advertising as an added benefit of doing business with you. However, as another person who loves to help, I know how seemingly simple fixes can get out of hand and consume much of your time. Consider offering up to x number of hours (whatever number you’re comfortable with) of free support in a 60-day period. That way it’s not completely open ended. Make sure that your customers know the cash value of this support (“Also included in your site design is free technical support for two months from the date your site goes live, a $300 value!”) so they appreciate that your help is worth something.
I’m all for becoming a subject matter expert by teaching a class. I’ve been doing it myself and it’s a great way to get my name out there. If you want to communicate the complexity of a task, and why it’s worth paying for, what better way than to do a live walk-through of a “simple fix”?
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the excellent suggestions. I especially like the idea of letting them know the cash value of the free support included with their web site package.
Flat/fixed-rate pricing and a year of included “ordinary maintenance” works in the small (really small) business space.
“When technology changes, businesses must change with it or be left behind”.
yeah, your totally right!
technology play’s a vital part in business and also we must understand that if you want to compete and be on top you must have the best tool to excel and be number 1