Hello,

I'd like to hear from people who have outsourced their support services what companies they have used, how the service has been, and what the cost has been.

I'm currently a small company without that many clients doing domain registration, web hosting, ssl certificates, and mail forwarding.

My use for them would be for the times when I want a break or would like to go away without bringing the necessary equipment to support my clients remotely. On a day to day basis I have no problem doing the support myself.

Anybody suggest a good fit?

Thanks.

(EDIT: If you are involved in a company which does support, please do feel free to contact me privately regarding what you have available to me. I may be interested in a week of service starting as soon as this Sunday!)

One that I've seen around here is:

www.bobcares.com

Although I have no experiences with them, a search of this forum should give you some insight.

Also check ActSupport , I believe their website is www.actsupport.com

try these.

actsupport.com
cylynx.com/support
bobcares.com
hostticket.com

Look up MotleyFool here. He's a good guy.

Originally posted by alchiba
Look up MotleyFool here. He's a good guy. That would be the afore mentioned hostticket. :)

Originally posted by SoftWareRevue
That would be the afore mentioned hostticket. :)

Yep.

(Some day I'll learn to read the *entire* thread.)

too bad hostticket doesn't a website.

You don't need a web site to do support.

Oh .. not that .. but at least with a website, we can find out more about their services. Prices, etc ..

Thank you all for your replies... I was hoping for more comments on your experiences with various places, but even knowing what is out there is very helpful.

ddent,

I try not to comment on services I havent used, but since this doesnt seem to be going in the direction you've hoped, let me try to add some additional comments.

Bobcares - Many hosts, from MCHost, to the small guys have used his services. Based in India, a hotbed of tech-savy cheap labor, he offers a unique service. Do a search on the forum, you will find many reviews of the services offered and the quality of support.

ActSupport - I havent hear of many people using them, and have yet to see a review, just people asking for additional information about their company and services.

HostTicket - If you can get MotleyFool / HostTicket do your support, I would definitely head in that direction. My interactions with him have been limited, but he shows great knowledge and has had many satisfied customrs. I know AffordableHost.com, one of the big names in hosting employs him, along with others. do a search again, you'll find many reviews of his services.

In more of a general sense, outsourcing support makes sense, both economically and logically. Its hard to be there 24/7 for customers when you're a new one-man operation. The main problem is quality, and my experiences with outsourced support have always been negative. Im not sure if Ive experienced it in the hosting business, but I know with other tech support related fields, I have found always been highly frustrated with support outsourced to India and the like. In my experiences, they have little vested interest in making sure your problem is solved, and Ive never had a problem resolved via outsourced support. Ive always kept calling back until I get someone who works for the company, or is from a closer country.

I am not saying that support from India is bad overall, but my experiences have always been negative. Its up to you to weigh the factors and decide whats the best balance for you.

I know I havent offered too much new fresh information, but hopefully it gets you started. Good Luck!

There is also the little known Handsonsupport.com

Never used them, but when I was a host i looked into their services and their rep was ALWAYS available to answer the few questions i had about the service.....old guys are like that aren't they SWR? :D