Do I really need website support?
Websites that are maintained regularly and viewed as a living, breathing entity will help to ensure a good return on investment for your organisation.
At Frank, we believe that your website should not be viewed as a one-off project, it should be maintained with care and attention. You website is a critical tool to help you to connect and engage with your users, and to help them to find the information they need without having to get in touch if they don't need to.
We always advise our clients that a website support package is a necessity, because our experience in the digital industry, working with hundreds of clients, has demonstrated how websites need to change and evolve over time. A support package is an intrinsic part of your website’s overall success because it enables you to make changes and improvements, seek guidance and repairs without the need to source additional one-off funding. Our clients with a support package benefit from a lower hourly rate and priority in the service desk queue over our unsupported clients.
At Frank, we place a very high value in providing a long term and comprehensive digital solution for all of our clients, working with you as your partner and not just as a one-time supplier.
What are the key benefits of the Frank support service?
We are living in a world where products and technology require constant updates and upgrades to ensure that they are running effectively. No doubt you will have updated and/or upgraded your smart devices a number of times over the last few years to benefit from the latest technologies and software. Your website is no different!
As time passes, there are constantly new Google algorithms, browser updates, server and software updates, security risks, CMS upgrades, new features and new design trends which can all have an impact on the way your website functions.
A website that isn’t maintained can lead to a number of problems including broken functionality, security vulnerabilities, old and irrelevant content, outdated design, and at worst, website downtime.
Our support service can help to ensure that when new technologies and updates are introduced, everything on your website is functioning as it should be, and any necessary fixes are always carried out quickly and efficiently.
Fixes
We are continually reviewing code to identify code which has been superseded by changes in the technological landscape, or degraded over time. Frank Support are on hand during business hours to resolve technical issues quickly when they arise without the need for additional internal sign offs.
Security
Over the last few years, cybercrime has been on the increase and the threat to website security has become a real concern. Unfortunately, the NHS remains a significant target for cyber criminals. Read more on the NHS England website and the National Cyber Security Centre.
We can support you by helping to reduce the risk of potential online threats and malicious attacks (malware) from hackers by advising on security measures and implementing updates. You can get in touch with Support to ask for a review of your set up (for example, would you benefit from a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Distributed Denial of Service Attack (DDoS) protection). If you have a Support contract with us, we are on hand to handle cyber attacks as soon as they happen.
Privacy
We are continually reviewing our approach to data protection and user privacy. For example, enhancing encryption where we are storing data, or providing the latest cookie notice which ensures users can decline tracking. You can get in touch with Support to ask for a review of your set up for compliance with GDPR.
Traffic
If you are planning an event whereby you are encouraging a large number of people to visit a particular page or section of your site (for example, to access a meeting link for a large event), on one or more days, please do let us know in advance. If you are able to provide anticipated traffic volumes, we can also advise if the capacity on your server will be sufficient and offer alternative short term solutions. We will proactively monitor the site during the event to ensure its operating as expected.
As your organisation evolves, ideas, processes, plans and even staff will change over the course of time. Therefore it is important that your website accurately reflects your organisation and it's priorities. There may also be new opportunities to exploit which could help contribute to operational efficiencies or deliver new services. This means keeping your websites' content fresh and making adjustments to functionality and design to reflect what is happening within your business. Frank Support can discuss any changes you wish to make and how best to support you. This could be advising on how best to implement a change or handling changes to the site on your behalf.
As well as developments within your organisation, your users’ needs will also change, resulting in new demands on your website. This could be anything from how the site delivers content that is meaningful and relevant, keeping users engaged, or even providing new and improved services to cater to your target audience. The solution you require may not be an out-of-the-box feature and instead you require something more bespoke. Frank Support can provide you with options to help you make an informed decision about how to move forward with your website and ensure you get the best out of your asset.
Even with the best intentions to keep your website maintained and in good shape, sometimes there isn’t enough time, man power or technical know-how available.
Our support service can help with content changes when resource is limited, or help to keep your content updated to avoid a drop in search engine page rankings. We can also help with converting PDF documents to web-pages, to ensure they are accessible to wider range of users. Find about more about the accessibility challenges from PDFs on the NHS Digital website.
Perhaps you have had training on the website but haven’t got the time or resource to pass on this knowledge to new team members. Frank Support can provide training for new staff members, refresher training sessions for existing staff and dedicated WCAG 2.2 A/AA accessible content training.
We can also undertake a design and content review of your site, to get an independent view of how it is being maintained or to identify new opportunities.