Help Desk: Frequently Asked Questions
We welcome any client who's looking for an ongoing relationship with a dedicated webmaster.
For clients new to ProVirtual Solutions, we will first do a Website Evaluation service to become familiar with the website and how it was built. We'll look for any lurking technical problems that can possibly impact ongoing care of the site. In the majority of cases, this Website Evaluation service is provided for a fixed fee.
The whole purpose of Help Desk support plans is to provide preventative care, to greatly reduce the risk of hacking or going offline. However, in case your website does have a problem, we will be on the case, working with the web host to resolve it as quickly as possible. We cannot promise your website will never be hacked (no one can!) but we can promise we will do everything in our power to prevent it, as well as restore with one of our backups.
ProVirtual Solutions has partnered with a leading WordPress support firm to provide round-the-clock coverage for our Help Desk subscribers (Webmaster and Performance plans only). Our support team is distributed, with techs based in the USA and around the world.
All Help Desk subscribers can simply send an email to a dedicated support address, provided when you sign up. You'll get an immediate acknowledgement and a follow up to keep you posted on progress.
When you send a request to the dedicated email address, you will get an immediate acknowledgement, and a followup within a few hours. Depending on the request, you can expect completion within 1-3 days. In any case, you'll be kept fully informed on progress.
Of course, emergency issues (such as the site going offline) are addressed immediately, 24/7 (Basic PRO, Webmaster and Performance plans only).
For simple content edits and changes (new blog posts, page edits), the Webmaster and Performance plans include unlimited tasks, performed by our support team. The included consulting time is applicable toward strategy or training calls, or developer support beyond basic content edits. Other services include email marketing assistance, domain name/DNS editing, premium email setup or other technical work.
Much like a lawyer’s retainer, the monthly support time included with the Performance Plan is there for you every month to reserve your place in our scheduling queue, and therefore it does not roll over to the following month.
We have opinions about web hosts! In fact, much of what makes a site secure and perform well is baked into the hosting as much as the site itself. During our initial call, we'll talk hosting and if needed, we may suggest making a switch. There's lots of great hosts, but we especially love WP Engine and SiteGround for WordPress sites.
Hosting service, purchased as an add-on to any Help Desk Plan is provided by WP Engine.
The rate depends on the plan. The Basic plan offers hourly support availability, with a 1-hour incident minimum fee ($125. The Basic PRO plan offers by-request hourly support at $125 per hour, with no minimum fee. The Webmaster plan is $110 per hour for additional services and the Performance plan is $95 per hour.
If you purchase an add-on block of hours for additional support time, the hourly rate is significantly reduced.
All time included in a plan, or purchased in an add-on package is tracked in 15 minute increments. All tasks are described and reporting is available anytime.
Yes! While the Webmaster and Performance plans require an initial two-month commitment, we understand that your needs can change and we don't like to lock clients into a service that may not be optimal for their needs. Cancel or upgrade/downgrade anytime and we will adjust the next billing accordingly.
If you have a task that requires more than any included monthly consulting time, we'll provide an estimate for you to approve before proceeding. With your approval, we'll work past the included time and invoice you separately for the time exceeded at the applicable hourly rate (varies by plan).
ProVirtual Solutions no longer offers the PAYG (pay-as-you-go) Help Desk hourly service. However, we do offer packaged website services for a fixed price. Only Help Desk subscribers can obtain developer support service on an hourly basis.
All Help Desk plans are billed monthly to your credit card on file. You'll receive an email receipt after your monthly payment processes. All major credit cards are accepted for payment.
Routine requests are handled by email, however, if your plan includes consulting time, you can schedule a call during normal business hours.
If you will need a varying amount of support time, we can accommodate that on all plans, but note that the Basic Plan has a one-hour minimum fee. All other plans offer hourly support, tracked in 15-minute increments.
Alternatively, you can upgrade your plan with an additional consulting hours package. This will give you a significantly lower hourly rate.
ProVirtual Solutions has partnered up with a Privacy Policy service called Termageddon. Written and monitored by actual software attorneys, Termageddon will automatically update your website policies whenever the laws change. You don't have to lift a finger or worry if your policies are up to date!
This valuable service will save you hundreds on attorney fees or clunky online terms generators that you need to update yourself. Termageddon provides website Privacy Policies, Website Terms of Service, Disclaimer and EULA (End User License Agreements).
Termageddon is provided free to Basic PRO, Webmaster and Performance Plan Clients... a $99 per year value!
ProVirtual Solutions Help Desk Clients have direct login access for easy adjustments to policy settings. To learn more about Termageddon, click here.