How to choose the best Magento Support Package (Beyond the number of hours)

When looking for an agency that offers Magento support services, they’ll usually have a number of packages offering variations of their support and maintenance for you to consider, and that's without even considering what to look for in a Magento support agency.

Something we often help advise people on is which Magento support package is right for them, and it isn't just about the number of hours they may need! We’ve seen a number of times where hours on which Magento support package is their defining factor to choose a package. There are, however, a number of circumstances and elements that should be taken into account to see which package would be right for you.

Here are some of the main points that shouldn’t be overlooked, when deciding on a Magento support package.

1. Website health monitoring

An often overlooked element is monitoring the health of the website, where if for example the website went down, the issues could be picked up and fixed, potentially before you realise there’s a problem.

This can be especially important for a Magento website, where each minute your website isn’t running is costing you business. It’s necessarily essential for all website to have, but can definitely be something to consider when picking a support package.

Make sure you have both server and website monitoring in place so that if either has a problem, you'll be alerted.

2. How will they communicate

Most Magento support agencies will have a ticketing system for you to submit support queries to, where they can pick them up and you can track the progress.

However, it's important that the agency believes in good communication and gives other avenues for you to talk and discuss your website. Another option for contact that can be separated by support package is via phone and face to face meetings. When looking at which package to choose, do your queries need to be conveyed over the phone, or will an email/support ticket suffice?

A lot of the time a support ticket is the best way to go forward with a request, but there are those that would prefer or need to talk about requests, where a discussion needs to be had to find the optimal solution. Remember, support isn't just for problems, it should be used to make and identify improvements!

3. The type of work you need

There might be varying types of support work you need, with our Magento support packages, for example, design updates, new features or marketing advice. Ensuring your support package has the right type of support is more important than lots of hours.

For example, you may need 'feature' development to have custom Magento extensions and functionality built, which for those that need their web store to continually evolve is essential.

However, though having custom extensions built sounds ideal, it’s not required for a lot of Magento websites. There will generally be an existing extension that covers what’s needed or smaller changes that could be made to accommodate the desired functionality.

Understanding your plan and strategy for your website will help you get the right package in place.

4. Number of hours

Yes, the number of hours should factor into your decision, but it shouldn’t be the focal point.

This is essentially how much time they will be spending on your website, when picking a package it’s always best to talk to someone at the agency about this, especially if there are certain updates you want to have made, as the agency will have a better idea of the amount of time it would take to do that work.

Ensure that you have experienced experts working on your account, as a junior developer may take 1 hour to complete a task, whereas an experienced developer may take just 20 mins, saving your support time. Also, ensure they have audit code, after all, you don't want to pay to have a problem fixed twice!

If you need more information about a Magento support package, get in touch.

5. What priority are your support requests?

All support tickets that come through are important, but not all support tickets are born equal. For example, a Magento website that has gone down and needs bringing back online, will have greater precedence over a website where the website footer colour needs changing.

We all want out support queries to be sorted in a timely manner, but when looking at what you need, is it essential it’s looked at immediately, or can it wait a few hours. Obviously, all support requests are looked at individually and assessed to determine their priority, but they don't necessarily need to be actioned immediately and can be scheduled in for later.

So, ensure your agency has a method for doing this, can they demonstrate how it's done and how it takes into account your priorities! It may only be a website footer colour change, but if it's related to your biggest customer that would make it more urgent! We provide a complete Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure our clients know they're our priority :-)

Now you have a better idea, why not take a look at our Magento support packages. Alternatively, get in touch and talk to us about what you need.