I preach about offering service. Not just service but Extreme Customer Service. I do not expect any more of the companies I partner with than what I would do for my clients and eCommerce customers.
And I practice what I preach.
One of the reasons my business has survived in an industry of “here todays and gone tomorrows” is that I offer White Glove Service.
What exactly is White Glove Service?
Definition of white–glove:
marked by special care or attention: meticulous white–glove service
For me this term has meant that I over deliver. At every step of the process of whatever I am doing, at all times. Whether I am offering a service or a tangible product I always treat customers as I would want to be treated.
I don't delay. I don't make up excuses. If I mess up I own it and I make it up to the customer in ways they do not expect.
Response Time and Tone
Speedy personal responses show customers that you think they are important. They experience your commitment to their satisfaction when you stop everything and respond. In detail to their specific requests or concerns. I do not use templates or autoresponders because “White Glove” is the epitome of personalization.
Being happy and helpful regardless of my mood is imperative. Clients never know if I am having a bad day or if I have issues I am dealing with that life throws at every one of us.
Three White Glove Service WordPress Companies
Yes, I am one of the three.
I have shared with you what I think of White Glove Service so that you know how I came to determine that the two companies I am about to talk offer the same. This post was born out of my desire to give kudos to two WordPress service companies that have made my life easier because of their service levels. Service levels that are a rare commodity online.
WordPress hosting, themes, plugins, support — there are 100s of companies vying for this space to get your business. They're all the best, offer the most, some banking on being the least expensive. Each are trying to attract a portion of that bazillion dollar market– which is you.
I've tried them all — been there, done that. And it is a rare day that I am impressed. Because I have such high expectations for myself, most companies fall short. That's why these two companies impressed me so much that I am pretty much using them for most of my WordPress website services.
Drum Roll Please….
WPMUDev
Everything You Need For WordPress: One place, one low price, unlimited sites.
WPMUDev offers themes, plugins and the very cool Hub. In The Hub I can see the status of, get recommendations and update/manage all my sites in one screen.
I started using WPMU (WordPress MultiUser) many years ago when I had a MU install. Over time, WPMUDev has morphed into a complete WordPress services company where you can benefit and use all their great offerings on single installs as well. A couple of their great plugins are WP Smush and Hummingbird. Two plugins every website can use — now:
- Hummingbird: zips through your site finding new ways to make it load faster, from file compression and minification to browser caching – because when it comes to pagespeed, every millisecond counts.
- WP Smush Pro: Benchmarked – The fastest, easiest and best-performing image compression plugin for WordPress.
If 120+ plugins are not enough, now that they have added live chat support — the deal is sealed! Talk about over the top above and beyond the call of duty help and support!
WPEngine Hosting:
Build faster, protect your brand and grow your business with a WordPress platform built to power remarkable online experiences.
It seems everyone is offering WordPress Managed Hosting. For some companies those are just words typed into their websites. Or they have a decent platform but their service sucks. No other way to say it. They gain customers with the lure of cheap pricing without the ability or desire to offer the service levels any website owner will require.
WPEngine is not the cheapest – they start at $29/month. Actually I think that it is odd that some think that to be too expensive. In my experience — and I've tried them all, you get what you pay for. The least expensive tend to coincidentally be anemic in their support services.
While not the least expensive, I now use WPEngine exclusively for my websites. I don't have to worry about technicalities. I don't have to worry about updates, downtime, technology evolving without me.
SSL is a No-Brainer
An excellent example is including SSL as a default service — for no additional fee. The interface to set this up is literally a couple of clicks and done!
Their dashboard is not overly complicated where you end up feeling that you need to be a developer to understand what is going on. When they are having network issues or platform problems — you get an email telling you what is going on and when they expect resolution. Unlike other companies where your site is hiccuping and you go to the network status page and nothing is posted. Ever. Then you have to get on the phone to be on hold for who knows how long…
With WPEngine support chat is available, prompt, friendly, thorough and knowledgeable. A bunch of great guys and gals that make you feel as though you are their sole focus. (I only recommend what I use and that is why I am confident enough to have become an affiliate for WPEngine.)
Without Quality AND Service — You've got nothing.
There are a lot of great companies out there. There is no way that any of us can test each and every service to know what will work best for our specifics goals and needs. But I have used all the “top” WordPress hosts. What I can attest to is from a hosting and services point of view, my extensive experience with these two companies has exceeded my expectations. All the while saving me time and aggravation which lends to me having more time to do what I enjoy.
If you chose to work with WPMUDev, WPEngine or subscribe to my White Glove WordPress Maintenance, Security, Optimization & SEO Tracking, you can do so knowing you are in good hands and that we will be there to answer your questions when needed. In an experienced, professional and friendly way.
Working with companies that have your back frees you up to run your business. That is a cost that is worth every penny and inevitably is returned to your bottom line. I'll end with a quote that I used on my article “Be Honest… Does Your Service Suck” that WPMUDev, WPEngine and I understand…
A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
At your service,
Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are “affiliate links.” I may receive a small commission — at no cost to you — if you purchase or signup for services I recommend and use on my own sites. You can read my full Affiliate Disclosure Statement here.
