supporting wordpress
Post on 13-Sep-2014
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3 Tips for caring for your clients and communityTRANSCRIPT
Supporting WordPressCaring for your clients and community
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
I’m MasonI support WordPressSupport Team Leader, WPMU DEV
• Average 1500 unique topics (questions) per month and about 7000 posts in total.
• Team of 9 full-time support reps from across the globe
• Nearly 150 individual plugins and over a million downloads
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
• Let us think about WordPress so you don’t have to
• Management. Support. Peace of mind.
• You’re very own CTO
I’m MasonI support WordPress
CEO, WP Valet
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
Learn more!• WPMU DEV - http://premium.wpmudev.org
• WP Valet - http://thewpvalet.com
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
WordPress Support:Communities and Clients
1. The Case for Support
2. The Pulse of the Community
3. The Best Tools for the Job
4. The Importance of Metrics
5. Conclusion
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
You must know why you are providing support.
The ONLY reason to be involved is because you have a passion for them and a vision for the future.
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
@masonjames #wcnyc
The Case for Support
Tuesday, January 8, 13
Long-term customers and community equals long-term revenue & legacy
@masonjames #wcnyc
f + jg = $$$
Tuesday, January 8, 13
Publicly available support is fantastic for business.
The content is great for search engines and a long record of support will encourage new customers
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
The Pulse of the Community
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
Discover the persona of your online communityExactly who is your community?
•Quirky/Fun
•Intelligent/Thoughtful
•Passionate/Energetic
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
Engage!• Welcome new members
• Show them of ways they can be more involved
• Answer any questions in a timely fashion
Newsletters | Community Q&A Support | Social Media
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
Listen!• Ask for frequent, regular feedback
• What changes can you make to better the experience?
• Respond immediately and honestly when there is a problem
Polls | Customer Survey | Contact Form | Social Media
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
@masonjames #wcnyc
Use all types of media!No one wants to read long blocks of text. Use screenshots and how-to videos to explain the most frequently encountered obstacles.
Tuesday, January 8, 13
The Best Tools for the Job@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13
REAL WordPress Hosting
WP Engine | Page.ly | Synthesis | zippykid
Advantages:
WordPress Updates | Backups | Security Audits
Players:
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
bbPress• Native Wordpress Support Forums
BuddyPress
@masonjames #wcnyc
• Community Made Easy
Tuesday, January 8, 13
white-label support
@masonjames #wcnyc
•Screencasts•Images•Copy
Re-usable copy and content savesyou time!
Tuesday, January 8, 13
Ongoing Maintenance and Plugin/Theme Updates• Manage WP - Update plugins/themes across
multiple installs from one incredible dashboard with one click
• WP Remote - Update
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
The Importance of Metrics@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13
The edublogs story• 2007: Initially totally free
• 2008: “Upgrades” - Pay if you want
• 2010: Supporter - Pay for features
• Dedicated Server Admins
• Dedicated Support Sta!
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
WPMU DEV• 2009 - Forum Support (Dev, Designer,
Community responses)
• 2010 - First Dedicated Support Sta! (ME!)
• 2012 - Q&A, 24/7 Support, Live Chats
• 7 person team located across the globe
• Focus on Community
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
Conclusion
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13
@masonjames #wcnyc
Ongoing support is not optional.
It’s critical to your success.
Tuesday, January 8, 13
@masonjames #wcnyc
Happy clients = lasting business
Tuesday, January 8, 13
Thanks so much!Mason James
@masonjames
http://masonjames.com
http://premium.wpmudev.org
http://thewpvalet.com
Slides by Slidefix at http://slidefix.com
@masonjames #wcnycTuesday, January 8, 13