A long-standing client called me recently to complain that her website and email had stopped working. I’m not sure she really understood what we did for her, and with AI website builders now promising a new site for a few hundred dollars, I suspect she’d been wondering whether she needed us at all.

When we investigated it, the problem wasn’t her website, it was her domain name, which she had registered with an online domain name provider. The name had expired and as her contact details were not up to date, she had not received any notifications. Strictly speaking it wasn’t our problem, but we like to help, so we jumped on the problem, resolved the issue and got her site back up and running as part of our service.

While I had her on the phone, I mentioned the recent PHP security breach that had left a lot of websites exposed. Hers wasn’t one of them. We quietly and consistently apply updates, patches and monitor all our client’s site behind the scenes, so when the breach hit, she was already protected. There was a pause on the line before she said, “I had no idea you were doing all that.”

That’s the thing about good support. When everything is working nobody notices, and the better we do our job, the more invisible it becomes. It’s often only when something goes wrong that a client realises the value of having someone in their corner who knows their business and answers the phone when they call.

It also reminded me why I make the effort to keep in touch with clients when nothing is wrong. A quick call helps build the relationship over time, and once that relationship is in place the conversation stops being about price. Anyone can find a cheaper website, but they can’t buy the trust that comes from years of looking after them. Our reputation for solving problems is what makes us the people clients call, but it’s the relationship that makes them feel comfortable enough to pick up the phone and ask us for help when they need it.