Hello friends! I've been eagerly anticipating this episode's release. If you're a fellow Breakthrough Brand podcast enthusiast, you'll already know how much I adore Showit. As a long-time user and design partner, I even dream in its interface! I can't help but gush about it. However, I understand that website platforms, including Showit, can sometimes feel overwhelming. That's why I invited Showit support Pro, Parker Pearson, to join me for a conversation about all things Showit.
And hey - if you are listening to this in real time, head over to my Instagram page for one of the biggest giveaways I’ve done yet! Parker and I are giving away an entire YEAR subscription to Showit, plus a $400 gift card to my template shop. Amazing, right?! Get all the details and enter here!
This interview isn't your typical technical setup guide. It's way more intriguing and helpful than that. We talk about things like:
- What's the number one question the Showit support team gets in their inbox?
- What's a day like working at the Showit office?
- What does Parker love most about Showit?
- How Showit has changed over the years, since he first started as a team member?
- What are some hangups and headaches around launching your site and how can we better deal with those?
- How to get faster and better support from Showit's team?
We also just talk a little bit about who Parker is (a real person that you have likely had a conversation with on Showit tech support!). He’s kind of the “extroverted” face of Showit tech support, and honestly, he really is just amazing! It’s so nice hearing from someone “behind the scenes”!
Before we dive in - are you in the Breakthrough Brand All Access Facebook Group yet? It’s free to join, and it’s where we take conversations like the one I had about Showit (and other business things!) further. Pop in and ask questions, share insights, and even peek behind the scenes of my own business and what I’m trying lately. I’d love to see you inside!
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:
Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio
Search for episode 222!
Who is Parker Pearson of Showit Customer Support?
Parker may possibly be the most extroverted person you have met in life. You can actually see him getting more powerful and energetic as an event is going on, as the introverts in the room start checking their watches and try to slip out unnoticed. Parker loves the opportunity to meet people from all over the world - through websites. If you have been to a conference that Showit happens to be sponsoring, chances are you have seen Parker there. Parker loves websites so much that he even started a side gig about websites with his good friend and co-worker, Trevor Elcock. When he is not talking about websites, he is golfing or trying to plan a golf outing, or he's hanging out with friends because - that's what extroverts do.
Now, let’s jump into this amazing interview!
What did Showit look like when you started 6 years ago? What do you love most about working for Showit customer support?
When I got hired at Showit, I believe I was the 15th or 16th person to join the team. Back then, we worked out of Todd's backyard in a cozy guest house. Showit had its humble beginnings there, in a small space of around 800 square feet. Our support team operated from that room, with a few adjacent rooms accommodating the rest of us. It's incredible to look back now and see how far we've come. We've moved beyond the backyard, and you've probably seen our office building. We often joke about being a "real" business now, with a dedicated workspace instead of parking in dirt and walking into someone's home.
We’ve grown so much but I still remember being brand new at 21 not knowing anything or anyone and feeling like you are part of the family (and that family feel still exists today!).
What do you love most about Showit compared to other website builders?
So many reasons! When I joined Showit, we tested out various website hosting options to evaluate customer support and learn better how to differentiate ourselves as a company and we’ve really leaned into that. A few of my favorite features are:
- Our support team consists of 18 or 17 dedicated REAL people, serving over 35,000 users. We genuinely want to help you succeed and grow your business, whether it's a side hobby or a full-time venture
- Showit’s interface is user-friendly and straightforward, similar to Canva or PowerPoint.
- You can create a beautiful website pretty quickly with website templates
- While you can put up a simple website fairly quickly, you can also take your time and customize every aspect of it. Showit really gives you the freedom to design your website to stand out in your industry.
What would you say is the number one question that you guys get asked as Showit customer support?
Oh boy. I'd say the number one thing is, what is DNS? Or to follow up, what is a domain registrar to me? Obviously, as a designer, it's a no-brainer, but for some people, it can be overwhelming. And that's totally okay.
DNS stands for Domain Name System, which is what connects your domain to our servers. To do that, you'll need the correct IP addresses and your domain registrar comes into play here. You can purchase your domain from Google Domains, GoDaddy, Squarespace, Wix, Blue Host, and many others.
This is the most common concern I see because it can be daunting to change things, especially when it comes to taking your website online or offline. In most cases, your domain registrar can set up the necessary configurations for you. Our team will provide you with a list of where to point your domain, and you can simply ask your registrar to set it up.
If you want confirmation, you can send a screenshot from your registrar to our support team for verification too!
What’s a day in the life at Showit customer support?
It varies depending on the season. At the time of recording it was the beginning of the year, which is our busiest season. With kids back in school and businesses ramping up, it's a hectic time. Different fields of work also have their busy seasons but in general we find from January through April, to be the busiest for Showit customer support.
Our team starts each day at 8:00 AM Arizona time (there are eighteen of us right now!). We all have individual queues and a chat system to handle incoming messages. We prioritize older messages to ensure we assist those who have been waiting longer. We answer questions, provide articles, and share Loom videos and screenshots. Our goal is always to clear the backlog and assist everyone efficiently everyday.
On top of that, each team member specializes in different areas within support, such as domains, DNS setup, blog setup, etc. I personally focus on conference support and one-on-one video calls. We all contribute to the “support” umbrella, but we each have our unique expertise as well.
Read More: My Top 3 Showit Design Hacks That Every Web Designer Needs to Know
What can we as business owners do to get better answers/solutions from Showit customer support?
Yeah, for our team, screenshots really help. If you're having an issue with a specific page, providing the page name, canvas, and including a screenshot would prompt a quicker response. It saves time going back and forth asking for details. It allows us to assist you faster and fix any live-site issues before or during the launch. Loom videos are also helpful. Any specifics about the issue you provide will make it easier for our team - the more specific the better!
If you aren’t already a Showit user (but this interview is making you want to try it out!) head to elizabethmccravy.com/freemonth to get 30 days free now! Use code ELIZABETH at checkout!
At what point are we relying on Showit customer support a little too much and we should be hiring a designer or paying for tech support instead?
It does vary person to person but what I will say is this: we provide different articles and loom videos to guide you, but if you need extensive assistance and want someone to hold your hand, it's a good idea to consider hiring a designer. You can check our designer page for people who offer that service or consider joining our free Facebook user group, where you can share website previews and ask for advice. There are knowledgeable people in the group who would be happy to help you!
Read More: 5 Cool Features You Should Try On Your Showit Website
How do Showit and WordPress work together for blogging?
There are two main aspects to consider when it comes to your blog: design and content.
The design aspect includes fonts, text, layout, spacing, and coloring. You can customize this within your Showit blog template pages. These pages include your blog page, which serves as the home page for your blog, and your single post page, which represents the design for individual blog posts. It's important to keep these pages because they are crucial to your overall design. If they are accidentally deleted, don't worry! We're here to help you set them up again, ensuring your site can be published.
On the other hand, there's the WordPress side of blogging, which is all about creating your posts and adding content and images. Please don’t create the actual posts in Showit because you will likely have to move them later!
Read More: Showit Vs WordPress (+ What It’s Like To Switch From WordPress To Showit)
What would you say is the biggest hurdle people have with the blogging side?
Many want to dive right into designing their templates, and that's totally fine. Whether you're using a free, purchasable, or premium design, your blog template pages are good to go. You don't need to edit or change them unless you want to modify the font, text styles, or colors. But if you're happy with the overall layout, there's no need to make any changes. Sometimes people tinker with everything, which can lead to things breaking. That’s when you contact Showit customer support and we'll be honest and let you know if something isn't properly configured.
If you're content with the template and layout you've chosen, it's ready to be connected to WordPress. At Showit customer support, we've taken care of the setup for you, making it super easy to create your blog posts in WordPress. And if you're on the basic subscription, our blog team can set you up with a new blog, or we can migrate content from platforms like Squarespace, WordPress.com, or WordPress.org with our advanced subscription.
On top of that, many people get confused when editing their Showit pages and the preview doesn't reflect the changes made to their blog pages. The preview feature only shows static content and won't pull anything from WordPress. To see updated changes on your blog, you'll need to visit the live blog page where you can view your actual titles, texts, and other elements. So don't worry if the preview doesn't update your WordPress content!
Read More: SEO for Showit Hacks: Optimize Your Site to Be Found in 2023 with Sara Dunn
What would you say is the number one hangup you see people face when they're trying to bring it live? What advice do you have for someone about to launch their new website?
Being in this industry for a while, I've noticed that many people get caught up in striving for perfection before launching their site. But here's the thing: in my opinion at least, you don't need to stress over every little detail. As long as your friends and family have given it a once-over and haven't found any grammar errors or broken links, you're good to go. You can even share a preview with our Facebook group to get more feedback. Remember, you can always make changes to your site later on. Don't let the fear of imperfection delay your progress. Launch your site, embrace the learning process, and know that not every day needs to be flawless. It's okay to learn as you go. So, take that step, get your business and website up and running, and remember that progress is more important than perfection.
EM: I would add - don’t make your “launch date” your “live date”. Make your website live a few days before so you can test everything well in advance of announcing your new website to the world.
Totally agree! And to add to that - avoid launching on weekends. Our team is primarily available Monday to Friday, with only a few part-time members working on weekends. Since our entire team is not present on weekends, it may cause delays in addressing any issues like wrong DNS settings or other potential hiccups. We recommend launching from Monday to Thursday, or simply Monday to Friday, when our entire team is available every day.
Read More: 8 Time-Saving Hacks for Launching Your Website Template FASTER
Any cool new Showit features coming soon that you can share?
As Showit customer support, I’m not involved in development or marketing but there are a few things that have come out recently that I think are really cool.
We recently introduced grid lines for better alignment options, which are WAY better than what we had before. We also introduced social grids, so that you can easily connect your Instagram accounts and display multiple feeds within your Show at account. This is a great alternative to using Snapwidget or something like that for embedding Instagram on your website.
We also keep track of what our customers are asking for and try really hard to understand their wants and needs. When I first joined, our development team consisted of just one person - which, in the grand scheme of things, was quite crazy. But now we have a large development team with over 13 members downstairs. We are addressing different pain points and making updates behind the scenes, especially when it comes to security. Ensuring the security of your account and privacy is our top priority. Additionally, we are working on integrating different design features from other website hosts. If you have any specific requests or suggestions, please let us at Showit customer support know. We really do keep track of all the requests and prioritize them based on demand. The more requests we receive, the higher priority we assign them for app updates.
Rapid Fire Questions with Parker Pearson from Showit Customer Support
What's your most unpopular opinion about websites?
Keep it simple. I think a lot of people try and make this gigantic, grandiose, over the top really intricate website and to each their own, but if you keep it simple and you keep your message really simple and dialed into who you're trying to convey your business to, I feel like from what I've seen over the years, 9 times out of 10, that works way better than trying to make your site super complicated with 20 different pages and a bunch of different links throughout. That might just be my opinion though!
If our listeners lived in the same city as you and your extroverted self, where would we be most likely to run into you in real life?
I love playing sports, especially pickleball. We recently had a fun tournament with the entire staff. If you're at a pickleball court, you might see me there. I also enjoy spending time at coffee shops in downtown Phoenix or Gilbert. And of course, I can't resist sushi, so you might find me at pretty much every sushi spot in the Phoenix area every few weeks.
What book have you read recently that you’d recommend?
I'm not a big reader, but our Showit customer support team started a Book Club. Every month or so, we pick a book to read together and grow as individuals. We recently read Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, and I actually enjoyed it. It was impactful to see different leadership styles and embrace vulnerability within our team. Even though I'm not naturally an entrepreneur, exploring these topics and supporting each other's growth has been valuable.
Where can we connect with Parker Pearson at Showit customer support?
If you have any questions after listening to this podcast, feel free to email me at parker@showit.co. I might not be the best at responding to emails, just being honest. Alternatively, you can reach out to me by going into your account and using our chat feature. Just say, "Hey, I listened to the Breakthrough Brand podcast and I'd love to chat with Parker". I’m happy to answer any Showit questions - whether it’s a general question or from this episode!
Ready to create a new Showit website?
Whether you're new or already a user, I've got you covered with 13 full site templates and tons of add-ons like sales pages and podcast pages. Boost your conversions with strategically designed templates, optimized for SEO - and don't worry, I provide tutorials to help you navigate this new platform. As a proud Showit Design partner with 1300+ happy customers, I would be THRILLED to welcome you to the Template family. Click here to head to my template shop and use the code BBPODCAST for 10% off! Happy Building!
Links Mentioned:
Sign up for a free trial here AND get an extra 30 days of Showit free!
Shop the Elizabeth McCravy Website Templates
Join my FREE Breakthrough Brand All Access Facebook Group
Check out Booked Out Designer
Connect with Elizabeth on her Instagram
