August 9, 2005 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Earlier this year, domain registrar Network Solutions (networksolutions.com) made a strong push into the Web hosting space, introducing enhanced Web hosting plans with free domain name registrations. The move was the first major step in the company's strategy of becoming an all-encompassing provider of online services to the growing legion of small business customers.
Network Solutions believes that in order to succeed it must continue to re-invent itself into a fully customer-service focused organization. And to this end, the company announced on Tuesday that it had re-launched the Network Solutions brand and geared a re-design of its Web site to the needs of the small business owner.
"We're re-launching the Network Solutions brand," Champ Mitchell, CEO of Network Solutions, told the Web Host Industry Review. "We released the biggest renovation we've ever done, a total re-work of our storefront."
The new Network Solutions means a whole new perspective on customer relations. "We are moving everything to a consultative approach to dealing with small business customers," says Mitchell. This is necessary, he says, because as more small businesses come online, tech know-how will continue to decrease and anxiety over the use of technology will increase.
With a consultative approach, Network Solutions plans to develop relationships with customers before selling them services. The company no longer rewards its customer service representatives for selling more expensive products. Instead, it wants its employees to focus on helping customers find the right solution for their needs, even if that means down-selling. "We've removed any incentive for our customer service reps to push you to a higher priced package, because we don't want that. We want the right package [for the customer]."
Over the past year, the company has evolved its customer service from the more traditional troubleshooting and order-taking functions to this more advice- and help-oriented approach. Customer service in the past "had not been consultative, and that's the huge shift," says Mitchell. The company insists that staff will talk on the phone with the customer as long as required, 24 hours a day. "The customer service number is plastered everywhere [on the Web site]. We want people to call customer service."
Network Solutions’ customer service consultants now undergo a rigorous six-week training process, and not every potential employee succeeds. The changes have been reflected in recent numbers. Average talk time has gone from around seven minutes to nearly 20 and new customers on average are now calling three times in their first month.
The new approach also changes the way Network Solutions faces people online, says Mitchell. "We've changed the storefront to actually have a consultative approach … instead of just throwing up products, prices and promotions," says Mitchell. The content is phrased in plain language, there are a lot more buttons and the products have been simplified to make it easier for customers to get started. A prominently placed “How can we help you today" drop down menu helps customers navigate the site more easily and an online glossary provides simple understandable translations of technical terminology. A wizard-based approach has been implemented as well, with a Learning Wizard asking customers a series of questions in order to help them find a suitable solution.
The validation, Mitchell says, can be found in the larger number of customers coming from Yahoo!. These customers cite the inability to get help from a live person as their main reason for switching.
Mitchell concedes that the overhaul will be costly (tens of millions of dollars, he says), but is necessary as non-tech-savvy small business customers continue to jump into the market for online services.
Network Solutions wants to build a long-term relationship with its customers, becoming a "trusted advisor" for all things those customers want to buy online. Domain names and Web hosting will serve as the starting point, but if the relationship is strong enough and the process convenient, Mitchell says, customers will also look to purchase services that they previously found offline, online through Network Solutions.
"It is our belief that ultimately there are a lot of things that can be provided to them online that can also be provided to them offline."
And it is this added revenue, Network Solutions believes, that will more than make up for the higher cost of its customer service infrastructure.
