The web may be an omnipresent part of our lives. However, it’s also more fragile than we’re willing to admit.
How fragile? Try to get things done when the likes of Amazon, Cloudflare, Akamai, or Microsoft have an outage. These behemoths can take out large swaths of the internet, including time-wasters like social media.
Web hosts can also run into problems, albeit on a smaller scale. Servers are bombarded with bot traffic and are always a target for hackers. A website can go down at any time.
Taken together, perhaps we should feel fortunate to get any work done at all. Still, outages put web designers in an awkward position. We’re stuck between a failed service provider and our clients.
What should we do? Here are a few tips for handling the inevitable service outages that plague the interwebs.
Something Went Wrong, Now What?
Perhaps you noticed a client’s website wasn’t loading during your morning routine. A downtime monitoring service might have pinged you. Or, maybe your client sent you a panicked message about it. Regardless, you’ve found yourself in a stressful situation.
The first thing you need (beyond a pot of coffee) is an answer. Look for clues regarding what’s happening and who’s responsible.
Sometimes, the answer is obvious. For example, a Cloudflare outage is often accompanied by an error page. Other issues aren’t so easy to diagnose.
When that happens, check the provider’s status page. That will provide details on any ongoing problems and often includes an archive of past issues. The caveat is that there can be a lag between when you notice an issue and when a provider acknowledges it.
What if a provider doesn’t have a status page? Some web hosts still don’t keep a public log of outages or maintenance. In that case, the best course of action is to contact their support staff.
Communicating With Your Clients
Effective client communication is crucial to running a successful web design business. It takes on even more importance when there’s a problem.
We often serve as the link between our clients and third-party service providers. In many cases, clients aren’t fully aware of what these providers do for their website. Thus, it’s up to us to fill them in.
Start by sharing what you know about the situation. Try to avoid technical jargon unless your client is comfortable with the terminology.
You’ll also want to make clients aware of who’s responsible for fixing it. Clients may assume we have some say in the process, but provider outages are beyond our control. That needs to be clear.
It’s also unlikely that you’ll have all the details. So, attempt to answer their questions with the information you have. Offer to contact technical support if necessary, but note that you may not receive an immediate response.
Unless the provider offers an estimate, it’s impossible to predict when the service will be back online. As such, avoid making a guess. It will only lead to disappointment if things don’t get resolved in time.
The better approach is to provide status updates as you receive them. This demonstrates your commitment to helping your clients and keeps them informed.
Is It Time To Change Providers?
Repeated issues, or a prolonged one, will lead clients to ask if it’s time for a change. The answer isn’t always easy, as much depends on the situation.
First, there’s a danger in rushing to judgment. An impatient client may call for a change after a few minutes of downtime. It might lead to a hurried migration that puts you in the same boat when the new place inevitably has problems.
You might empathize with your client’s feelings. Downtime can cost sales and conversions, while also hurting their reputation. However, jumping from service to service may increase their risk.
On the other hand, there may be times when the best option is to change. For example, a web host that has frequent problems will cost everyone time, undue stress, and money. There are only so many chances for a provider to prove itself worthy.
Patience is still advisable when making a switch. Identifying the right option requires research. Review historical data to see past incidents a provider had and how they responded.
Clients should also be aware of any risks involved. Downtime isn’t limited to a single provider. Plus, there could be technical hurdles when migrating elsewhere.
Remain Steady During Technical Difficulties
Try as we might, downtime is a part of life. Think of it this way: If the world’s biggest companies can’t prevent every issue, what chance do the rest of us have?
Our clients may not see it that way. However, communicating what we know can help them better understand these situations. This provides comfort and confidence that someone is looking out for them.
Good or not, you’ll have many opportunities to practice these skills. The web will continue to experience technical difficulties. Remaining calm and steady will help you and your clients get through it.
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