From an agency’s perspective, WordPress support and maintenance services can be a huge drain on resources. The technical prowess required is what makes all the difference.

A competent team delivering the right set of WordPress support can generate long term profits for your clients. But there are plenty of firms delivering dirt-cheap WP support that simply don’t match your client’s requirements.

So, how do you achieve the famed ‘Swiss Army Knife’ status of WP support services? With a feature rich set of services, you truly can deliver a host of solutions that truly delivers what your client needs. Let’s see how you can be an alternative to ‘run-of-the-mill’ WP support and maintenance companies.

Why WP Support is Long Term Commitment?

There’s so much that your clients can achieve with the right set of WP support. But they should know this fact in the first place. Being a responsible WP solutions provider, I make it a point that my clients know its importance. Here’s why personalized WP maintenance is the way to go.

Pricing

Your client should experience the full pricing benefits that comes with in-house WP support. You can offer site maintenance services as part of the development package with steep discounts. Also, same development team can be part of support solutions thereby decreasing the manual work.

In-House Expertise

Clients shouldn’t be left to fend themselves to choose support solutions after website launch. When the same agency offers maintenance, not only the costs come down but also the integration and automation time is reduced.

Recurring Revenue WP Support Plans

Recurring plans ensure that you are not stuck in an endless ‘time-for-money’ It may generate source of revenue but consistent but is stagnant in the long term. So, its vital that you offer recurring plans that are customizable as per client’s preferences. This safety net generates more predictable cash flow and more clients are covered.

Lower Customer Acquisition Cost

You don’t have to market to your current customers. The services can be bundled alongside the website creation packages. Not only do you bypass marketing costs, you also get referrals from your clients and add value to your services.

Customizations

There can be no better feature than customization since the clients already have gone through the development process. You can offer them unmatched customization because the same developer team has built the website.

What Features to Offer to Clients for WordPress Support

1. 24/7 Uptime Monitoring

Being live all the time is the greatest virtue any website can boast of. Serving your customers all the time is crucial to business development. Your client’s website must have 99.99% up-time to ensure visitors are never left wanting. It can be achieved by using simple plugins.

2. Free Website Edits

Changes are ubiquitous to development. Editing has to be done to incorporate new trends, resolve issues or even evolve the current code. Offer suitable editing opportunities to clients free of cost. This will not only make them subscribe but also improve your chances of getting it right in less counts.

3. WordPress, Theme and Plugins updates

Updates are a constant in WordPress development. Every now and then, a new update comes in for WP version, a plugin or even themes. The changes can bring technical issues that your client may not be able to handle on their own thus requiring expertise. Timely updates done with technical proficiency make sure the website runs right.

4. Automated Backups

Crashes occur all the time. What’s important is how you come out of it. With daily backups, the uptime and recovery time of the website improves significantly. Constantly changing marketing environment demands that your client quickly gets back up on their feet.

5. Website Security Setup and Monitoring

Latest standards of security including HTTPS and regular monitoring is vital. Hacking attacks are a result of non-updated WP versions or old plugins. DDoS attacks can occur in case of websites with ancient attributes. Surveillance of traffic helps identify the culprits and block them effectively. Firewall protection, performance optimization, version controls, SSL certification, staging websites, domain management are some more features to include.

6. Transparent regular reports

Monthly or weekly reports to your clients is an ideal way to not only report on vital matters but also connect for other related issues. Tabulated reports with details of all the issues ensure that concerns can be addressed timely in consultation with the client.

7. 24/7 Priority Email, Chat and Phone Support

Perhaps nothing is more important in WP support than the ability to be available in the time of crisis. It is crucial that 24/7 contact is maintained through one or more channels of communication. Technical expertise must be extended to the client within reasonable time to take prompt action. A dedicated small but expert team must be available as per different time zones.

8. Value Based Pricing

Pricing is, perhaps, the primary concern that your client has consulted you for support. The third party rates are higher out there and they are probably looking for something affordable that matches their requirements. It is critical that your pull something out of your hat to find middle ground. Value based pricing ideally solves this issue since you get your minimum rate and the client gets all the features he is looking for in a WP support package.

WordPress Support is a Treasure Mine, If Done Right!

It’s simple – offering WordPress support and maintenance services can add an extra $100-$200 per client every month! If you create the right customized packages for your clients individually, it can be a gold mine. It spares them the horror of selecting a third-party service and gives your clients the peace of mind.

When agencies just offer ‘plain Jane’ development sans the WP support services, they miss out on a huge opportunity. Be a one stop shop! You can not only increase your profits but also your bottom line significantly.

So, how are you going to start offering WP support and maintenance services to your clients? Let me know.

The post How to Provide WordPress Support to your Agency Clients? appeared first on Fantastech.co!.

When it comes to selecting the perfect WordPress outsourcing firm, companies shouldn’t dive head on! Today, outsourcing has become easier and therefore dangerous too. Just because it worked for your competitor, doesn’t mean it will work perfectly for you as well. Despite numerous advantages, successful IT firms still commit monumental blunders while choosing a WP outsourcing firm ultimately leading to additional costs and project delays.

Before you begin, ask yourself these 3 ‘Whats’:

• What are the requirements of your WP website?
• What is your target audience?
• What is the budget?

Unlike other CMS platforms like Magento or Drupal, WordPress is different in every sense. Thus, choosing a WP offshore partner firm can be daunting. Here is a 5 point checklist to help you avoid the pitfalls of selecting an outsourcing partner.

1. Money Isn’t and Shouldn’t be the Sole Selection Criteria

Cost savings is one of the primary reasons of moving a project offshore. Firms offering the lowest bid prices are often selected while ignoring the quality aspect. It is pertinent to note that intangible benefits offered by a quality-focused outsourcing partner can be far more rewarding compared to the one offering lowest rates. During selection, focus on prime business realms such as:

• Operational reliability,
• Process efficiency
• Tools employed including plugins, coding language etc.
• WordPress development and design experience
• WP development environment, methodologies and much more.
• Customer support and post-project deliverables

Remember, we have to lower the cost relative to your current budget. Quality of WordPress work, especially coding, should be balanced as such. Hidden costs or additional charges, if any, should be discussed in detail.

Check if your provider has ISO certificates, Microsoft competency, CMMi, and Google certificates to manage projects, and to preserve the quality and delivery of work.

2. Code Quality

Gibberish code won’t get you anywhere. Coding is an art that few understand. I personally know many coders who get the work done but leave many loopholes that can be compromised. This is a grave mistake. Here are a few aspects that can help you judge a good quality code:

• Code must be standards-compliant and valid.
• Conform to WordPress standards.
• Maintainable and scalable code that’s easy to build upon.
• Correct implementation of WordPress functions, APIs, hooks and classes.
• Inclusive code that receives visitors without any sensory bias.
• Efficient, logical code with minimal bloating.
• Code that does not compromise on the website’s security.
• CSS and HTML5 semantic code with right markup structuring.
• Cross device and browser compatibility.

Remember, code is the foundation on which you build your website. Don’t compromise on code, ever!

3. Define KPIs Well in Advance

During the initial consultation stage, it is vital that both parties know the ‘Key Performance Indicators’ well. This is ideal to measure outsourcing firm’s performance, create clarity of specific performance objectives, conduct periodic analysis, improve collaboration and foster a mutually beneficial environment. Wrong selection of KPI’s can harm your relation right from the word ‘Go’. In WordPress development outsourcing you should ideally look for following KPIs:

• WP trend analysis
• Gap analysis
• Budget performance
• Benchmarking for coding
• Value additions and cost savings
• Cycle time analysis
• Work order completion timeline

Technical indicators such as organic traffic, bounce rate, time on site, page views per session and inbound links should be discussed if WordPress SEO is also involved in the project. Avoid selecting pre-defined KPIs. Instead, choose ones that are specific to your project.

4. If Isn’t Latest, It’s Already Outdated

WordPress is something that evolves every day. The desire for something new and mind-blowing pervades in WP realm. So, if your partner offshore firm isn’t keen on the latest, you might as well drop them. Adhering to latest WP design trends, themes, graphics and coding ensures that your website or plugin remains in vogue and is loved by your audience.

In all possibility, the quality of resources will help you make the decision. As a rule, check these factors:

• Customizing theme templates
• Transfer a graphic design (e.g. PSD format) into a working website
• Create and customize an original plugin
• Availability of professionally qualified WordPress developers and coders.
• Reasonable number of projects undertaken proportionate to experience.
• Implementation of latest coding standards
• Non technical concerns like working ethics, legal risks and cultural differences.

When you are choosing the firm, make sure it has a grip on the latest technologies. Have a detailed discussion about their techniques and tools. Also, check out their latest portfolio to take a deep look into their recent projects. If possible, talk to their current clients.

5. Poor Communication

It’s a big red flag. Poor governance is the prime reason why most outsourcing relationships fail. Remember, it is not a ‘Select-Hire-Forget It’ relation. You have to pay proper attention to the nitty-gritty of the WordPress development. For example, if your partner is developing a staging website, you should be able to make suitable changes before the final website is finalized. In case of plugin development, you should be able to check its functionality and make live changes.

Strong communication should be maintained going past the first meetings. Accessibility of both the parties for milestones, inquiries and project deliverables must be consistent. Use all available communication resources such as video calls, VoLTE, Skype calls etc. Relying solely on written messages can spell disaster. In complex WordPress projects, miscommunication can lead to enormous costs. To avoid a strategic failure, it is vital to maintain an open discourse all throughout the project.

Bonus: 6. Ignoring Intellectual Property Rights and Patents

It is important that your vendor understands the intellectual property rights and patents as per your country. WordPress is open source and so is PHP. However, other data used in the website, app or plugin have specific regulations and laws governing them.

• Did you own full rights to the final code?
• Is the final code editable or is the code script is enriched with comments?
• Does the code feature proper documentation for legal compliance?

Before choosing an outsourcing partner, make sure that they agree to your confidentiality agreement and adhere to your IP rights and patents.

WordPress outsourcing can deliver enormous benefits in terms of cost savings and quality both. How you select your partner defines how much benefits you reap in the long run. Avoid these 5 pitfalls and you will surely be shaking hands with the right people to do your job.

The post 5 Point Checklist to Avoid Outsourcing to a Wrong WordPress Firm appeared first on Fantastech.co!.

When a project manager faces impending scope creep, his first reaction is to nobly guard the project’s basics, maintain team morale and preserve the capital. Despite rigorous efforts, it isn’t an animal you can tame easily and before you know, it can spin your project out of control.

So how do I (or you!) prevent scope creep with your agency clients? Project Manager, being the cheerleader and the gatekeeper can take certain steps to preserve project costs and timeline with diplomacy and courage.

What is Scope Creep, Anyway?

In simple terms, scope creep can be defined as addition of additional functions, features, requirements, deliverables and significant changes in an ongoing project. It can also include uncontrolled growth, miscommunication, abrupt customer-centric demands, and infinite tail-end support that were not part of the initially agreed upon terms. It can cause:

• Increase project timeline
• Waste money
• Frustrate both client and team
• Use up extra resources
• Lead to unsatisfied customers

Remember, change on the project is inevitable to a certain extent. What’s important to understand is that whether changes/additions are authorized or not. In case, changes are within limits of current specifications and approved, it can’t be termed scope creep.

How Does Scope Creep Occur?

Scope creep can occur at multiple levels. Here are top reasons why it happens in the first place:

• Lack of clarity with respect to the original specifications.
• Unregulated contact between support team and client directly.
• Trying to get more done within limited budget and time.
• Starting design/development phases without cost-benefit analysis.
• Lack of project foresight, team’s capability and planning by project manager.
• A lack of communication with project stakeholders.
• Failing to negotiate more budget and time for added features.
• Promising sun and the moon within impossibly time frames.

So, now let’s get to the crucial part – how to solve this impending doom scenario!

How to Prevent Scope Creep Disaster?

To prevent scope creep, you have to know how it progresses. When you anticipate scope creep happening, you still have time to prevent it. Being proactive can help thwart it from further damaging the project. Here’s how you can prevent scope creep in the initial stages:

Recognize the Client’s Objectives

You need to be very clear about the client’s requirements before embarking on any of the project’s milestone. An ideal way to achieve clarity is a ‘Discovery Session’ between your team mates and the client itself. Here you gather all the intelligence related to the client’s business, their vision, the project’s objectives and the potential challenges.

We at Fantastech also press upon having at least 1 or 2 calls with our clients so that we can on same page with them with respect to their requirements.

In case of enterprise sized projects, you should adequate time to scope for design interfaces, functionality and features in order to build a prototype. When both parties reach an agreement, you’ll be able to follow a definite timeline and manage expectations.

Having an in-depth understanding of the project parameters helps you achieve perfect deliverables, ultimately helping avoid scope creep. So, a discovery session is a must!

Break Up Projects into Smaller Chunks

When you break up projects into smaller chunks, defining their scope becomes easier. Larger projects can involve more scoping, have longer milestone and more deliverables, making them difficult to implement.

Projects can be broken into chunks as per their deliverables. You can then plan and budget them into distinct and separate individual projects. Once you complete a chunk, you can swiftly move onto the next one and adjust timeline accordingly.

Always Keep the Team in Loop

Scoping has to be a team effort. I always make it a point to consult my team mates regarding deliverables, milestones and budget. Coders, designers, copywriters and developers are the actual people working on the job and know exactly what each part of the project will entail.

An experienced project manager, even though he knows the timeline, still consults with the team to take them in loop. You never know which particular detail can stretch the time limit further. Sometimes, the suggestions and considerations of the project just don’t add up. Remember, scope creep will amplify the damage further if not addressed along with the team members.

Define Responsibilities Clearly

Once project deliverables and client needs are identified, it’s time to define roles. What is to be done and by whom, must be defined clearly without any ambiguities. To prevent scope creep, this phase must be handled carefully.

Explain work of each team member comprehensibly to instill a sense of responsibility in each of them. In the end, you won’t have to micro-manage successive phases.

Have a System in Place for Changes

My experience has taught me that projects and clients can be uncertain. You always have to have a system in place for scope changes and how to implement them on-the-go. Once you have begun on the project, the space for amendments must be defined as well.

Have a well defined flowchart for change request that helps you respond to scope creeps from a timeline and budget perspective. It should take into account the overall implications on the project as well. Discussing the changes openly with the client will help maintain transparency. At the same time, it ensures that the client understands what the consequences of a scope change are.

Get Client’s Signature

Once all the details related to the project are finalized between you and the client, get it signed. Once the client signs on a proposal that defines details like deliverables, timeline and budget, you save yourself form facing scope changes down the road. Don’t just assume their oral promises, get a signature!

Down the road, the client can’t say that he doesn’t understand scope changes. They can be held accountable for bringing about relevant changes and you can save your team from a lot of unexpected frustration.

What To Do When Scope Creep Happens and You Weren’t Prepared?

1. Be Vigilant from Day One

It all starts from day zero when you first receive the project deliverables document. A project manager must know the exact requirements, calculate time and resources required to complete it. It is at this very stage that a PM must discover probable additions and discuss them well in advance. Time must be spared for justifiable changes to be incorporated in the project, if and when, client requests them.

2. Define Scope Creep Inclusion Process

When you face scope creep, don’t just go on to incorporate new changes without following a well defined process. Define the new changes to the team and show them a new timeline. Choose a small team to implement them well. Also, discuss additional monetary compensation for scope changes. Here’s what your team should know:

• Description of the change
• Approach to change
• Schedule/timeline impact
• Risk to project phases

A project manager must not fear discussing the moving timelines, especially if the impact is significant. Talking things out will help keep the client in loop.

3. Hold a Project Scope Creep Kick-Off Meeting

Once scope changes are reviewed and authorized, hold a meeting with your team mates where all stakeholders discuss new roadmap. You may put on table these matters:

• Refined scope definition
• Formal scope changes approval
• Redefine communication channels
• Collect insights from team regarding scope changes

During the meeting, you should review milestones, new technical roles, change reporting and cost escalations.Dates are crucial! When deadlines are missed, next delivery dates are impacted consequently. Ultimately, final deadline moves ahead.

4. Know when to Say “No”

Not every scope changes can be performed. In practical world, client’s wishes cannot be converted into real work. It is vital that a project manager knows when to just simply say no to unreasonable requests. Changes to the core elements of the project, significant changes to deliverables and reducing timeline are some examples. Remember, you cannot please everyone all the time!

5. What if You Can’t Say No

There will be times when you can’t say no. In this scenario, you should firstly follow the ‘Zero-Sum’ rule. This means if something new has to be added, something must be removed. This helps preserve both project timeline and costs. Also, proper back-log of changes incorporated and requests denied should be maintained. Update and share the project requirements document with the client

Tip: if you price unreasonable scope changes very high, client can be discouraged. You can send a ‘Zero Invoice’ to let them know that future changes can incur costs. This helps reign in freebies.

6. Have a Plan ‘B’

No project is free of hiccups. Always account for scope creep at every stage of the project. Put a backup plan to address upcoming changes, reviewing new features, analyze the requested changes and ultimately, move the project in a new direction, if required. Having a plan ‘B’ can help you avoid possibly awkward situations down the road.

Scope creep can create a lot of stress. Yet, my personal experience says it can be tackled carefully and actually be rewarding in many cases. When a project manager sees the first signs of a scope creep, proactive response can yield wonders.

The post How to Prevent Scope Creep With Your Agency Clients? appeared first on Fantastech.co!.