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What you get, briefly:
- Backup and Offline Storage of your data
- Database optimisation
- Email support including answers to “Can you just?” / “How do I?” type questions
- Support for Software errors
- Priority support and work scheduling
- Froogle (Google Base) uploads
- Pro-active review of your shop
- Recommendation of possible Add-ons
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) advice
- Favourable pricing
- Security advice
- Analysis of Statistics
- X-Cart Software upgrades
- Installation of X-Cart released security updates and patches
Why you need this:
Our expertise is our product and is growing in value every day. For that reason, we are able to now charge out at $94 per hour. We don’t need to and nor do we want to, especially to our loyal, and regular clients who enjoy much more favourable pricing. A management package ensures you keep your current hourly rate for at least the next year. You know your business, we know ours, but we are not always sure what you need from us and when. The management package formalises what you receive from us and tells us you are receptive to our ideas and know how.
Transparent business - Why we need this:
A formal set of management packages allows us to know who our current customers are and to provide them with the support they need. With this information we can limit the intake of new clients to a set and manageable method so that we can continue to provide you with the right level of help.
What you get – the details:
Backup and Offline Storage of your data
While the chance of catastrophic loss of all your data is minimal – why take a chance? It is well documented the high probability of failure after losing such data. Regular backups will give you peace of mind that if the worst does happen, through hacking, server failure, etc. you can at least resort to your last backup even if only part of your data goes wrong.
Database optimisation
Half of your X-Cart shop you can see, the other half – the database, you can’t. But it is this database that drives your shop, and if it isn’t kept clean and tidy, your shop front is going to be going slowly, making your website crawl and hence adversely affecting the customer experience. Regular maintenance keeps things running smoothly.
Email Support
Although X-Cart is designed to be owner managed, we all know that with its steep learning curve and myriad of features, knowing how to do everything, such as sending newsletters which you only do from time to time, is nigh on impossible without some kind of help. Well ask away within this package as well as anything else you want to try or get an opinion on before jumping in.
Support for Software (Admin/SQL) Errors
X-cart provides the facility for your store’s admin to receive notification of errors – particularly the database (SQL) errors which occur from time to time and can stop your shop working until they are solved. With so much data flowing backwards and forwards, at some point something is going to go wrong, so when it does you need to make sure you have someone on hand to get you going again.
Priority Support and Work Scheduling
Management package account customers will continue to receive priority response to problems, questions and requests for work, etc, ahead of newer customers.
Froogle (Google Base) Uploads
Loading your products to Froogle widens their exposure and helps search engine positioning. Froogle is changing to Google base and the rules say you need to update monthly to continue being listed – so this is covered.
Pro-active Review of your Shop
By looking after a wide range of websites worldwide, we know what works, what is going to turn your visitors into customers, what will (and will not) get you found in search engines and what is going to give you the best return on your investment. Regular review and analysis will allow us to point out any areas of weakness and advise improvements.
Recommendation of possible 3rd party Add-ons and Modifications
The main X-cart software only goes so far – sometimes something else is needed to solve a particular business problem, perhaps to improve the checkout or a sitemap to improve search engine placement. There are a number of companies constantly writing such modifications to meet worldwide demand from X-cart users. When these modifications may be of benefit to your shop, we will let you know, saving you having to keep an eye on the marketplace – that’s our job.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) advice
The rules and algorithms for search engine placement, in particular in everyone’s favourite – Google, are always changing. While we cannot offer the services of a full time SEO company, if there are any major changes and anything that we think you could and should be doing we will let you know.
Favourable Pricing
Your pricing for any work extra to this package remains at your agreed reduced rate.
Security Advice
Hackers are continually looking to exploit weaknesses in all computer software, Windows, Internet Explorer etc, and of course e-commerce sites like yours make for an attractive target. As the X-Cart development community becomes aware of the latest hacking/fraud exploitation, your site will be checked to make sure that it is secure.
Analysis of Statistics
If you use statistics to manage your site, sometimes they can be a bit obscure and hard to determine exactly what they are saying, but they can be useful to monitor trends and implement changes. A monthly look at your statistics will determine any problems, for example with the checkout, and suggest any changes to implement or ideas to trial.
X-Cart Software Upgrades
While X-Cart provides free software upgrades, their installation is neither free nor anywhere near as easy as they make out – virtually always having to be done manually. These updates will be done for you.*
Installation of X-Cart released Security Updates and Patches
Occasionally X-Cart will find a security problem and release an update for this as well as patches to fix other known problems. These will be installed for you.
What you don’t get:-
We cannot provide or guarantee 24 hour support.
Price rises for one year!
While we do all we can to help you to keep the hackers out, we don’t provide any guarantees or assurances against this.
We cannot guarantee top 10 placements in Google.
Our installation of software upgrades only covers you within a series of the software, eg. V3.x or v4.0, or v4.1. Upgrades jumping between these series, e.g 3 to 4, or 4.0 to 4.1 require massive upgrades to the database and therefore are not covered by this package. Also, it is assumed that the software is the latest in that series, and that the installations will be for subsequent releases.
Setup of Google Base is not included – only uploads once an account has been established.
What you might not get.
*While we normally offer to install your free software upgrades within a series, this is not always necessary, particularly if your shop is heavily modified or if you already have a modification that does what the upgrade does. Sometimes the upgrade may offer no additional benefit to the customer experience and may conflict with the current setup.
Statistics are not always used as their collection in your X-Cart database can affect site speed, particularly on a shared server.
Next steps:
Simply choose a package from below to suit your business and reply with your choice. You will then be invoiced and your support will start for the month following that invoice.
You can terminate the “contract” at any time for subsequent months.
The Gold package is for larger shops with lots of products and/or customers, hence a higher potential for support and time assigned.
For 2 or more shops, a 10% discount is available.
Your Next Step...
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