3 Tips for caring for your clients and community

1. Supporting WordPress
Caring for your clients and community
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

2. I’m Mason
I support WordPress
Support Team Leader, WPMU DEV
• Average 1500 unique topics (questions) per month and about 7000
posts in total.
• Team of 9 full-time support reps from across the globe
• Nearly 150 individual plugins and over a million downloads
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

3. I’m Mason
I support WordPress
CEO, WP Valet
• Let us think about WordPress so you don’t have to
• Management. Support. Peace of mind.
• You’re very own CTO
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

4. Learn more!
• WPMU DEV - http://premium.wpmudev.org
• WP Valet - http://thewpvalet.com
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

5. WordPress Support:
Communities and Clients
1. The Case for Support
2. The Pulse of the Community
3. The Best Tools for the Job
4. The Importance of Metrics
5. Conclusion
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

6. You must know why you are
providing support.
The ONLY reason to be involved is because you
have a passion for them and a vision for the
future.
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

7. The Case for Support
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

8. Long-term customers and
community equals
long-term revenue & legacy
f + jg = $$$
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

9. Publicly available support
is fantastic for business.
The content is great for search engines and a long
record of support will encourage new customers
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

10. The Pulse of the Community
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

11. Discover the persona of
your online community
Exactly who is your community?
•Quirky/Fun
•Intelligent/Thoughtful
•Passionate/Energetic
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

12. Engage!
• Welcome new members
• Show them of ways they can be more involved
• Answer any questions in a timely fashion
Newsletters | Community Q&A Support | Social Media
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

13. Listen!
• Ask for frequent, regular feedback
• What changes can you make to better the
experience?
• Respond immediately and honestly when there is a
problem
Polls | Customer Survey | Contact Form | Social Media
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

14. Use all types of
media!
No one wants to read long blocks of text.
Use screenshots and how-to videos to explain the
most frequently encountered obstacles.
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

15. The Best Tools for the Job
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

16. REAL WordPress
Hosting
Advantages:
WordPress Updates | Backups | Security Audits
Players:
WP Engine | Page.ly | Synthesis | zippykid
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

17. bbPress
• Native Wordpress Support Forums
BuddyPress
• Community Made Easy
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

18. white-label support
Re-usable copy and content saves
you time!
•Screencasts
•Images
•Copy
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

19. Ongoing Maintenance
and Plugin/Theme
Updates
• Manage WP - Update plugins/themes across
multiple installs from one incredible
dashboard with one click
• WP Remote - Update
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

20. The Importance of Metrics
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

21. The edublogs story
• 2007: Initially totally free
• 2008: “Upgrades” - Pay if you want
• 2010: Supporter - Pay for features
• Dedicated Server Admins
• Dedicated Support Sta!
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

22. WPMU DEV
• 2009 - Forum Support (Dev, Designer,
Community responses)
• 2010 - First Dedicated Support Sta! (ME!)
• 2012 - Q&A, 24/7 Support, Live Chats
• 7 person team located across the globe
• Focus on Community
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

23. @masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

24. @masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

25. Conclusion
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

26. Ongoing support is
not optional.
It’s critical to your success.
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

27. Happy clients = lasting business
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13

28. Thanks so much!
Mason James
@masonjames
http://masonjames.com
http://premium.wpmudev.org
http://thewpvalet.com
Slides by Slidefix at http://slidefix.com
@masonjames #wcnyc
Tuesday, January 8, 13