Interviewed on 4 Oct 05
Steve Ball, Director
Altaire was established in 1997 offering a full range of Web-related services, including domain names, Web sites and e-mail and made it simple and affordable for customers to build and manage a Web presence through a single, experienced provider. Today, Altaire manages thousands of domain names and hosts in excess of a thousand corporate websites.
In 1999 Altaire began to offer consumer services and quickly progressed to design and build a solid, scalable web infrastructure to support the end user web & application hosting demand we had created.
By 2001 the stable increase in end users hosting services allowed us to develop a large quality reseller channel to market our services even further and has resulted in an impressive range and portfolio of partners and customers.
In 2003, to better serve our successful reseller channel, Altaire stopped offering end user hosting so as not to compete directly with our own resellers for their business. To date no other major UK reseller hosting company has taken this step.
Our continued direct involvement with corporate clients of all sizes has led us to implement a far higher level of service to our resellers than is standard in the industry and we believe that there is no better reseller package available in the UK today.
At the end of 2004 Altaire restructured into the following divisions:
- Web Hosting Reseller Services
- Corporate Web services, inc. e-commerce, application design, web self service and collaboration. Creative Services, inc. design, marketing email broadcasts and consulting. Corporate IT services, inc. networking, equipment and telephony
Altaire's track record of honesty, ability to deliver on time and on budget, creative thinking and respect for each client has brought us a client base ranging from individuals to SME's to some of the largest companies in the world.
What unique selling points do you offer?
We listen and deliver even if it is low margin or non-repetitive to us. Our customers have become accustomed to us being able to supply a solution to their problem or requirement and use our expertise and experience to further their business.
Describe the services you offer?
Web hosting is the delivery of a service hosted in a data centre via the Internet to a browser or user/client.
Describe your target market?
Professional hosting resellers and companies/individuals with multiple web businesses or sites that benefit from our mix of hosting control panels and ASP applications.
How is your company planning for the future?
Wherever our customers need us to be. It's not primarily about growth, money or margins. Over the last 10 years we've learned that there are cycles and that 'what goes around comes around'. We look after our customers and provide the services they request - then we work hard to make that service we deliver the best we can make it.
What benefits can you offer your customers?
The marketing answer is that we understand the needs of Web developers and have a proven record of customer satisfaction among Web designers and resellers. Our commitment to customer support makes us a reliable and flexible choice. My personal answer is that there are a number of very good hosting providers out there and that we are truly appreciative of someone placing their valuable business with us. We're fast, responsive, dedicated and good value and we've been doing this for many years. What else do you need?
How do you support your customers?
We provide direct support to our resellers via telephone, email, IM, live chat and Skype. We even have local resellers popping into our offices for a chat. Our support is very personal, none of our resellers are afraid to ask for help or advice.
