Rackspace Takes Hosting on the RoadBy Justin Lee, theWHIR.com
March 19, 2007 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — In a business in which service providers and their customers may never meet face to face, the emergence of a series of conferences and exhibitions has provided Web hosts with good evidence of the value of in-person contact.
And with Web hosts seeking to differentiate their businesses in an increasingly saturated market, an effort to connect with customers in unexpected ways can make a Web host all the more appealing.
More than a year ago, Rackspace Managed Hosting (rackspace.com) launched the Rackspace on the Road tour to promote its services to both current and prospective customers outside of the traditional channels.
At the time, the Rackspace sales team had just divided into six regions across the US. The new strategy enabled the company to visit all six regions within the first two quarters of the year by visiting five major cities, one by one.
“It’s really lucent as to how we get out there in the field, how we get to our customers, meet them face to face and get to know what they’re going through,” says Jaime Sinclair, corporate events manager for Rackspace.
The three-hour meet and greet sessions enable the Rackspace team to meet with current customers and partners, as well as prospective ones. During this time, Rackspace executives discuss the history of the company, the kinds of products and services that will be available over the next nine to 12 months, any prevalent security issues including compliance and data center security, as well as any pertinent topics specific to the city it is visiting, based on customer feedback.
This year, the Web host has already made its way through two major cities, with recent stops in New York and Chicago. The Rackspace sales team will round up the five-date tour this spring when it visits San Francisco on April 24, Austin on May 17 and Boston on June 7.
“There are two main goals,” says Sinclair. “One is the loyalty base; we definitely want to increase our loyalty, let our customers know that we’re there for them. We want to know who they are and what they’re doing, and vice versa, and to grow bonds between our customers. We just want to connect people in the industry, and even cross industries, that can [benefit] from each other.”
In addition to Rackspace on the Road, the company also holds an annual, three-day customer conference in its headquarters of San Antonio, Texas. Held this year from October 17 to 19, Rackspace customers can meet with their account teams, attend sessions on a variety of technology topics, ask the Rackspace executive panel questions and offer opinions on company products, services and practices.
“Our customers love that face to face time, they just want to meet their team on the other end,” says Sinclair. “We’ve had a lot of good upgrades come from it, new partner deals, referrals, all of our guests are invited to bring friends and co-workers in the industry that can find value out of these events.”
About theWHIR.com
Since 2000, The Web Host Industry Review has made a name for itself as the foremost authority of the Web hosting industry providing reliable, insightful and comprehensive news, interviews and resources to the hosting community. TheWHIR is an iNET Interactive property. For more information on iNET Interactive, visit http://www.inetinteractive.com
No related posts.
