Forced Upgrade
The FORCED Upgrade Script
This script is designed to light a fire under customers so they willingly and agreeably upgrade. Sometimes, you will need to migrate out of a data center or off old hardware to save costs or improve performance. This script will help you do just that.
But let’s be honest… for your customers, migrating is a nuisance.
Many are still stuck on the Google “IP” SEO myths. Some are just lazy and won’t upgrade unless made to do so. Some don’t want the hassle.
This script works on the following concepts:
- Migration assistance provided
- Upgrade Bonus included
- Old hardware left online until migration completed
In addition, this method has proven time and time again that is REDUCES CHURN RATES.
THIS SCRIPT REDUCES Client Churn
Client churn is a big problem for hosts, and being pro-active to hardware updates is a MUST if you want to keep customers. An easy way to reduce churn is to use the “Upgrade Bonus” in this script.
The Upgrade Bonus
In many cases, a customer who is looking to leave won’t even contact you. They will look at the offerings on your site and compare them against competitors… and then leave.
We want to avoid this at all costs.
The upgrade to “BETTER” specs for the same price is a great way to achieve a happy customer.
RAM and Storage are cheap… so why not spend a little more on their hardware and keep them longer?
I recall a web host about ten years ago, we won’t mention their name (Layered Tech), who forced people to migrate several times. The servers were not UPGRADED, but rather similar hardware.
This was a nuisance to people. Why bother to migrate to the same thing?
Consider that they may have been on this hardware for ages… paying $xx/month.
They will do a quick search, find better specs, and vanish.
So please don’t use this script unless you are going to give them something in return for migrating.
The Forced Upgrade Script
Here’s an example of the Forced Upgrade script that I recently wrote for a client. The email was used to migrate customers off of older dedicated servers onto brand new servers with upgraded specs.
It worked great and this also helped with client retention.
This script is best used inside of a WHMCS ticket to give a more ‘Authoritative” approach. We are not asking them to upgrade here, we are telling them.
Plus, the ticket will be able to be acted upon quickly by your support team.
[ — BEGIN SCRIPT — ]
NAME GOES HERE
[ — /END SCRIPT — ]
Deploy this script and let me know how it goes.
How It Works
The responses coming back will need a manual response. So make sure after you send the emails, you are checking your inbox.
- Open a WHMCS Ticket with Customer 15 Days Before Current Billing Cycle Renews
- Follow up EVERY DAY by asking them to update the ticket with permission to set up new hardware
- The goal is to get them agree to a 30 day window to migrate, preferably before the billing cycle renews
- When someone takes you up on the offer, begin the migration process ASAP
- Immediately have your team begin setup of the new hardware
- Provide logins and remind them of the 30 day deadline
- Follow up every 3 to 4 days via the ticket you opened and stay in touch
- If they are dragging their feet, offer to help them migrate
.
Just because you have delivered new hardware doesn’t mean they will migrate immediately. Many customers leave this to the last minute.
And also, offer to help them… free migration assistance will speed the process up.
How Often Should I Send This?
I recommend updating the ticket 6 times with the same template, varying times and days, until you get a response. If after 6 attempts, you may need to telephone them to get in touch.
Deploy it and let me know your results!