Lately, CommonPlaces has been receiving increased demand for our services from long established clients. Even as we begin working with new clients, old friends come calling. Customers who have years of experience with us have been asking for our help with various projects, giving us a chance to renew acquaintances and find new challenges. We also get a large percentage of our new clients based on recommendations from these same satisfied past customers. 
Don't get me wrong, it's always great to know that customers are so happy with our work that they want more from us. In fact, it's rather flattering. Still, I couldn't help but reflect on what we're doing to retain this level of customer satisfaction.
It all comes down to having a great, trained staff who can come in, know your system, and perform the job professionally and properly. This is a far more cost effective method than hiring an in-house jack of all trades who is a master of none. Web development and design is an ever evolving entity. We invest 25% of our developers' time into ongoing education in the field. It's also important to remember that we are technology agnostic, and our team is expertly trained in a variety of content management systems because we don't believe that one size fits all.
Sometimes we have clients who try going out on their own, only to return because their website is badly wounded. They'll tell us, 'Gosh, we really do need you!' This industry is riddled with failures. Over 50% of our business comes from failed website projects that other web developers have begun, but can't finish. We regularly see projects which have been messed up so badly that we have to perform what we call CPR '- CommonPlaces Rescue. We can save many of them, but some we have to regard as too far gone, and not worth saving.
The biggest objection that we encounter is cost. There are many overseas services and freelancers who charge half of our prices. These individuals don't follow best practices, and lack the knowledge that our developers possess. They hack and chop, and do whatever they can to get the job done. The result of hiring them can be catastrophic to a business. As with building a house, if the foundation isn't good, all you have is a money pit. It isn't until they fail that they return to us.
Our services are premium, and they should be. Many of you have had the experience of buying lower quality products that haven't lasted, making you wish that you'd invested more wisely the first time. However, examine our prices and you'll discover that we are a great value because we're a Boston website developer without the Boston overhead. Because we are located in New Hampshire, where we have a lower cost of living, you'll find that our rates can be 25% to almost 50% lower than Boston firms, but our team is second to none. I'll put them up against anyone.
Any business that provides professionalism, quality, and service is cost effective. If you are interested in return on investment (and who isn't?) follow that plan, and you will never lack for customer loyalty.
