If you have spent much time earning a living on the Internet, few things will
surprise you. However, I am always amazed with how many companies and
individuals make astounding claims without backing them up.
Web hosts and ISPs make such claims all the time: 99% uptime. Some web hosts
post on their site live results of their uptime from a third-party web site
monitoring company. However, those hosts are very few.
Here are four reasons why every web host and ISP (Internet service provider)
should post uptime and connectivity statistics from an independent, third-party
web site monitoring firm, with an external monitoring network.
Monitoring reports are excellent marketing tools
This is the most obvious reason a web host or ISP should post monitoring
reports on their site. Don't tell me you have 99% uptime. Even the worst hosting
companies and ISPs can make that claim, but it does not make it true. Prove it
to me. Posting a report right on your home page, or posting a link to the report
up front on the home page tells me you not only can make claims, but you can
deliver!
Make sure to post your uptime statistics for the last day, week, month and
year, so the customers know you are in it for the tong haul.
Web site monitoring reduces technical support work-load
A recent review by Dotcom-Monitor reveals that accessibility calls to a web
host's technical support can be reduced by 30% just by posting the current
status of the web site as reported by an independent monitoring service.
Often a user will call technical support if he encounters a slow Internet
connection or download times, dial-up problems, web site accessibility or
various computer issues. Users assume the problem is with their web host or
their ISP, and call technical support to fix the problem, even if the problem is
on their computer.
Real time independent connectivity reports eliminate the need for such calls
in many cases, by showing what the status of the site is. This sample report
gives an idea of how this works.
Web site monitoring is good customer relations
If it costs up to ten times more to attract a new customer than to keep an
existing one, independent web site monitoring can help you keep those precious
customers.
Nothing is more frustrating for the end-user than to have her site down and
nothing is more embarrassing for an ISP to receive a call from customer about a
downtime, especially if it is related to a connectivity issue the hosting
company or ISP is not even aware of.
An external monitoring network can alert an ISP or web host immediately to
problems that often cannot be detected by internal monitoring, allowing the
company to address the issue immediately…and hopefully before a customer even
notices that a problem exists.
Monitoring cuts the burden of dispute resolution
Corporate hosting clients and Internet access customers often expect certain
levels of service and enter into an SLA (service level agreement). Often, SLA
contracts impose fines on ISPs and web hosts who do not meet the targets.
Determining how those levels are measured can be difficult, but an independent,
third- party monitoring service can easily resolve disputes before they
begin.
Dotcom-Monitor is among those services that provides an added SLA reporting
function.
Both the host or ISP and the client can view the reports, and reporting
intervals can be set based on the terms of the SLA contract.
While every web site can benefit from some form of monitoring, no class of
business needs more the credibility of an independent monitoring service as much
as those who provide access to the Internet for their clients: ISPs and web
hosting companies.
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