In my previous corporate job, I was the representative from my team to the disaster recovery group, so I do think about some worst-case scenarios. In the corporate world, there are often enough people to provide back up coverage, in a small business that is not always the case. So if I worked at a large corporation and I got hit by a bus, someone would be able to step in and do my job. In a small business that isn't always an option, however, I do my best to come up with a contingency plan.
My goal is to keep a customer by sharing information with them and them being comfortable with my expertise. I also want them to be prepared for the worst-case scenario that I get hit by a bus.
I have just started working with a new customer on a one time project that has the potential to turn into a long term business relationship. This project really should be pretty straight forward and easy. He needs a new page added to his site and some minor adjustments to the navigation menu.
The problem is that his previous designer/developer is not available which is why he came to me via a referral. The tricky bit is learning how his site is currently built and where it is hosted and getting access. We started with one company and I was granted delegate access, and then we found out that the company does not host the site but the domain name was purchased through that company. To make any changes to the site I need access to the hosting, the question was: "who hosts the site?" because the client thought that it was all done by the same company.
Anyone can find out who hosts a website, several websites come up in the search results when you type in "who hosts a website" into your favorite search engine, select one of the options and input the URL of the site you are interested in.
The hosting company I use is A2 Hosting.
Now that we know the hosting company it is a matter of gaining access to the account. Once we established who the hosting company was the client was able to login with their credentials and we will move forward with the project.
Turning a Zoom meeting he was able to share his screen with me and I helped him navigate his site's dashboard and he was able to grant me delegate access, for this particular service they call it editor access. Your hosting company may call it editor access, delegate access, contributor access, or team access, the name is really not imporant, what is imporant is that you are able to grant somene access to your website so that they can create, edit, and maintain the site. Different services will offer different options of access.
I can appreciate that this process was a bit frustrating, but it is not an insurmountable task and I am here to help my clients wander the crazy trails of information to get to the final destination, I don't expect them to have all their information at their fingertips.
Part of what makes Blue Shutters different is that I want my clients to know, who hosts their site and how to access their site. I want my clients to stay and grow with me because they like my services not because they are afraid of losing control of their website.
I have spoken with my client and I did let him know that my philosophy is that all of my clients should have access to the information that will let them access their site. Once we have his page live as part of the final sign off I will be creating a document for him that will outline what we have learned:
If you have an existing website and your previous developer/designer is not getting back to you and you are looking for alternatives please contact me to discuss your options and how I can help you. If their lack of contact and your uncertainty of how to get to your site has been holding you back, don't let it, I can help you identify what you need and work with you to set you up in the future.
Once we discuss your needs and if you chose to become a client I will provide you with the same type of documentation as well as a Master Style sheet which I discussed in my August 12, 2020 Blog.
And if you would like to skip the back and forth to find a convenient time for a meeting, check out my schedule on Calendly! Schedule Now
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DISCLAIMER: This advice is general in nature and not to be taken as personal professional advice. This blog does not provide legal advice if you need
legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.