POTENTIAL CLIENT: Small business owner—Jenna—runs a boutique fitness studio.  She's had the same web support agency for 3 years.  They did an okay job at first, but lately? Communication has become almost nonexistent. Her site went down and it took days to get a response—after two emails, a voicemail, and a support ticket. She’s frustrated. She’s losing confidence. She’s wondering if it’s time to switch.

REASON CONSIDERING CHANGE: Unreliable communication and slow response time when issues arise.

WHAT QUESTION SHOULD SHE ASK: “If something on my site breaks or goes down, how quickly will you respond—and who will I be talking to?”

POSSIBLE ANSWER: “We usually respond within 24–48 hours. You'll submit a ticket through our support portal, and someone from our team will get back to you.”

How Jenna Should Interpret That Response: Red flag. 

• While 24–48 hours might sound reasonable in theory, if your site is down, that's a long time to wait—especially if it’s affecting your ability to serve customers or make sales. 
• “Someone from our team” is vague and impersonal—who exactly is responsible for helping her? Is it someone she’ll build a relationship with, or will she be explaining her business from scratch every time?

What She Should Be Looking For Instead:

• A clear commitment to fast response times (ideally same-day for urgent issues) 
• A real point of contact (not just a faceless team or ticket system)
• And a sense that her business matters to the person supporting it.

I usually know there are issues before my clients do - especially when a site is down. And I answer the phone and respond to emails quickly - same day during business hours for non-emergency and within minutes if it’s an emergency.