Hello everyone,

I just wanted to know how many hosts really provide telephone support or contact to your clients or prospects?

Thanks.

Choon

I personally don't. I do loose some business due to this fact, but it isn't all that big of a deal for me. Personally I just don't like talking on the phone so I would rather deal with issues through email as they come up.

Originally posted by regier
I personally don't. I do loose some business due to this fact, but it isn't all that big of a deal for me. Personally I just don't like talking on the phone so I would rather deal with issues through email as they come up.

I also think of that and email support is far more efficient in many ways and it is also giving us to track each clients and customers cases or requests.

It does hurts my business as I am just a new reseller and many of those prospects won't trust me since I am new :(

What to do? Just take it :(

Anyway, thanks :)

Choon

I don't really think telephone support is all that. Internet companies should use internet technologies :)

But really, why not? You could offer to have one of the paid real time chat services on your site. If you can't afford that, and some can't, you could make an ICQ number available. If you have a telephone number, most people are going to want it to be toll free; even with good rates, that can eat into your bottom line.

It is best to put a written solution in most peoples hands. Therefore, email or even a trouble ticket solution is always best. This way they can refer back to it, should they have the same problem in the future.

A trouble ticket system can also be set up to handle most of your needs... billing, support, maybe even pre-sales questions if you are creative about it.

As a side note, my host does have a toll free number for support. But basically, they take my issue, give me a ticket number, and tell me to watch my email. *shrugs* Now I just do everything online.

sPoT!

We endeavor to respond to tech support emails with in minutes.

If you have good monitoring you don't need 100 customers calling you to tell you a server might be having a problem. That leaves most tech contacts as something specific to the individual customer's account. And in most cases that's something the customer did to mess up thier account.

Telephone support is frought with it's own problems. For example, do you really want to deal with an irrate user at 2am? Try explaining to the customer that thier site is up and the bug really is with thier ISP. Or, tell the customer you have to look into the problem more (i.e. can't fix it on the spot). And unless you have call forwarding to your cell phone or something you can't remotely support your customers so you always need a body at the support desk (i.e. a fixed location support desk).

IMO phone support may be a good marketing point but operationally as long as you have quick email response it's just as good.

I think if you're trying to be a serious business, having a phone number and making it available is a must, regardless of whether or not you like talking on the phone. It is comforting to customers and prospective customers that they can reach out and "touch" someone if they have to.

Having said that, my experience has been that most people will not call if they are satisfied that you are responsive through online channels. The exceptions are my business hosting clients, who will use the phone a small percentage of the time. When they do, it's mostly to talk about money and not support issues.

I disagree with alchiba. Serious business can be conducted without offering phone support just as well as it can be conducted with phone support. Bad support is bad support and if you have phone support in that case it won't make any difference at all. If you have good support, people will be willing to do everything electronically because they know you'll be there when they need you. I'd rather send a piece of email to FutureQuest or HostMatters than have to call *****.

I think there is a need for phone support for sales related questions, there are many people looking for hosts that want to know how serious and dedicated the isp is before investing the money, actually talking to someone confirms this(usually).

As you all know emails are very impersonal.

Regarding tech support questions I think are better left to email because some questions just cant be answered instantly or done while the person is on the phone.

Originally posted by vSector
...there are many people looking for hosts that want to know how serious and dedicated the isp is before investing the money, actually talking to someone confirms this(usually).

snip

I've got to disagree with this point. Just having telephone support for pre-sales does not make a host "look/feel" more serious than one that is a pure internet play. If they are not manned correctly, it can actually work against you. (Please hold, for the next available rep. The average wait is X minutes, etc)

Now I do realize that some new customers are going to need a bit more hand holding than others, and though I can't say from experiance, I would think those that aren't comfortable with no phone number, would be the one's heavy on support issues. They would tend to reach for the phone quicker than to open a support ticket. Just my opinion, of course ;)

sPoT!

Don't think for a moment that people won't be calling your sales line with tech support questions/issues. And they won't be very happy when you say "You'll have to contact our support team for that" and you can't transfer them or take a message for them.

A "contact" number . . . yes.
A "support" number . . .no

choon, unless I am wrong, you only see host who do not offer Toll Free Support responding to you telling why it is not a good thing. I don't see any host who offer *real* phone support replying it isn't worth it.

My opinion is that it is. Is it needed - No. Is it a good selling point for businesses - Yes. I do not know how many people call us and say they are so happy we have toll free service. With cell phones and busy lives, people want to address things on the go. We get 3 or 4 calls a day from customers who update credit cards that were declined or who have other billing issues. Not only are they getting support on their time, but we avoid chargeback's.

Phone Support is also nice for those tricky cases where you can walk a customer step by step to find the trouble.

While Human Click and the others are great for many customers, for many bigger businesses it reeks of small time when they see that. Toll free is what they look for.

If you run a small hosting company, targeting personal and small business sites, then it may not be worth it. However, if you want to sell Internet Access, advanced hosting, and target a larger market, I feel it is needed.

UBC: Couldn't agree more.

Here's what a new customer took the trouble to tell us in the "comments" field of our sign-up form just the other day:


I like that you provide a telephone number & ICQ handle in addition to an email address.

Enough said.

Hear that warm fuzzy voice on the other end of the phone.

It lets them know that there is really someone there, companies need to be high Tech and high touch.

Email, is a great way to get the information across, yet it is impersonal.

Anyway thats my thoughts.

Cheers,

:)

alchiba,

OTOH, you also don't hear hosts that do offer phone support ranting and raving about how great it is!

While I refuse to post our companies URL here, you can count me as one who raves about it. It also sounds like alchiba raves about it. There are two.

Also, many of host who come here are resellers, with a limited knowledge of business or hosting. They buy the cheapest reseller plans, sell cheapest plans *below cost*, advertise at a few free places, and call themselves a service provider. Many here know what I mean. The bigger players who offer phone support don't really visit these boards. At least that is the way I see it, and I have been posting for a while.

However, I would be curious to see if any of you went from phone support to getting rid of it.

If the question is, as the thread title asks, "Is it a must for a host to provide telephone contact?" -then the answer is clearly, NO, it is NOT a must. Do customers like it? Yep.

I've brought this up before, but seems like a good time to mention it again. Do NOT claim, nor promote 24/7 call access if you cannot support it! Offering phone support is one thing (especially 24/7 phone support), and being able to deliver it is another.

I've seen more than one host here literally be looked at as a joke, because they claim to offer phone support, but really don't. An answering machine is NOT phone support. Your customers won't like it, and you won't win any points for not having a body there to take the call, or force your customers through endless "press 1 for sales, press 2 for..." or have long wait times. You know you can't stand this when you call companies, nor does leaving a message satisfy you.

If you can offer it, and do it well, then I'm sure your customers will appreciate it. Is it a must? No.

Thanks everyone for your valuable input :)

I have learned from you guys that if I provide more options of support... chances of closing sales will be higher or solving problems will be more efficient provided I am able to provide it.

This is just like anyone who do business online... if you accept more payment options... chances of closing sales will be much higher and likewise for support issue. The thing is... the more option you provide... the more work you will be doing. Example... like accept more paying options... you will have more work or take more trouble and time to keep track on those different type of payment... otherwise you will have to pay someone to do these :(

Well, for telephone support or contact... I am unable to provide it now... however I do provide this to local customer only as one of my clients live in the same country - Singapore.

Yes, I do agree that sometimes phone support is better especially for a person can't really follow your email instruction properly... I do encounter this problem and through phone I am able to "walk" through those steps... e.g. setting up an email account in the Outlook Express in order to retrieve emails etc. That's provided I am able to provide this type of support but... not for foreign customers due to cost and different time zone... more importantly is I am not offering 24/7 support. I don't want someone call me during 3 a.m. and ask for support or sales questions etc... :(

I think for my current situation, it is better not to offer phone support and yes... it will affect my sales... likewise for payment options.

UmBillyCord... you are right at least for me... I have limited or little knowledge about webhosting... that's right... everyone will have to make a start to LEARN things and this is my time to learn also ;)

Nothing wrong for me to be a reseller or so called a "Service Provider" right? Am I providing a "Service" to my customers... :)

Once again, thanks for everyone input.

Kindest regards,
Choon

Originally posted by choon
Thanks everyone for your valuable input :)

snip

UmBillyCord... you are right at least for me... I have limited or little knowledge about webhosting... that's right... everyone will have to make a start to LEARN things and this is my time to learn also ;)

Nothing wrong for me to be a reseller or so called a "Service Provider" right? Am I providing a "Service" to my customers... :)

Once again, thanks for everyone input.

Kindest regards,
Choon


Choon:

No, there is nothing wrong with being a reseller, and your right, everybody has to start somewhere. I have to say Chicken put it best; It isn't that phone support can't be a good thing, but you do have to be resolved to offer it at a high satisfactory level to your customers. As I stated before, it can actually work against you if you don't do it right.

As for online customer service messaging, whether it be HumanClick or another, I don't believe it reeks of small time as stated earlier. I believe it is a vialble solution, that is in its infancy.

Just my opinion, of course.

sPoT!

If the question is, as the thread title asks, "Is it a must for a host to provide telephone contact?" -then the answer is clearly, NO, it is NOT a must. Do customers like it? Yep.

Chicken, if everything was so cut and dry these forums would be boring. Just because someone ask a Y/N or T/F question, doesn't mean they do not want someone to expound or elaborate upon it.

UmBillyCord... you are right at least for me... I have limited or little knowledge about webhosting... that's right... everyone will have to make a start to LEARN things and this is my time to learn also

Absolutally. That is why I always come here. To read and learn. :)

Nothing wrong for me to be a reseller or so called a "Service Provider" right? Am I providing a "Service" to my customers...

Of course not. However, a reseller who admits s/he is a reseller and works hard for their customers is one thing. A reseller like I described before is a whole different animal. ;)
I've brought this up before, but seems like a good time to mention it again. Do NOT claim, nor promote 24/7 call access if you cannot support it! Offering phone support is one thing (especially 24/7 phone support), and being able to deliver it is another.

Couldn't agree more.

Originally posted by UmBillyCord
many of host who come here are resellers, with a limited knowledge of business or hosting. .... The bigger players who offer phone support don't really visit these boards.

hm, sounds a bit harsh, some would even say arrogant.
Don't you think there is something in between?
Just wondering.

Originally posted by Walter


hm, sounds a bit harsh, some would even say arrogant.
Don't you think there is something in between?
Just wondering. I think he addressed that.
There are resellers.
And then there are resellers that don't want to admit they're resellers.
If 'they' see a problem with that; shouldn't their customers?
Believe me; there's a huge difference between the two.

hm, sounds a bit harsh, some would even say arrogant.

Arrogant - No. Straight forward - Yes.

Don't you think there is something in between?

Absolutally. Those are the guys/girls that come here to build a legit company by hard work and good service. They do not have money to start large, so they resell. I bet that 99% of all host start this way.

I guess I did go off on a tangent. I tend to do that. Sorry.

The thing I think really impresses customers is calling them back. :) They always seemed suprised. I have a cell phone for my business line.. $71 bucks a month, plus I have my 877.676.HOST toll free number running too it. People call it, if I'm not there, they leave a message and I call them back by just hitting the talk button cause it has caller id. I think I've landed a few sales that way. Also, some people like to place thier orders over the phone, or when we were renewing our secure cert, something got messed up and I had to get it re-issued, so there was a time where the site wasn't secure so people could call me and I would process thier order of the phone. Its pretty snazzy. We really don't get that many calls.

Hello
Telephone support is only practical if you only serve one country.
Your 1-800 probably won't even work from Canada into the US let alone Pakistan or somewhere else far flung.

We provide unadvertised phone support for local customers, but phone support calls tend to be full of blank spaces as I load up SSH or otherwise work on the problem.I just spent 10 hours setting up Redhat Interchange to work with PGP for a customer.
That would have been impossible by phone as we had to exchange key data as text files and the issue was so complicated.

For UK customers we have an 0870 number.
They pay standard rate to dial in but we get 1p per minute back from the phone company.

Gordon

Well

I do offer phone support, and everything else, and do feel it is very important.

First i get very view support calls anyway, but when I do get them, they do appreciate the phone support. I also think the major benefit has been establishing long term business relationships with clients that cant be done via email or icq.

Our biggest clients who we do managed services for, started out with a basic account, and have progressed to where they are now, because of a telephone.

On top of that, sales of course is where a phone comes in handy.

we spend hundreds of dollars on phone stuff a month, and even know I personally hate the bills, it does come in handy. I do also feel that the others are all just as important.

I will say in this business that the more options you offer, the harder it is for a client to leave. If you cover everything possible, and offer good support, by phone/or email/icq or IM, they usually will stick with you

I personally would never do serious business with a company that doesnt have a phone number. If something goes wrong or I have a question, I dont want email to be the answer, I want a live person in real time to talk too.

When I mean serious business, where lots of money is at stake, and or lots of clients at stake.

I do also feel its a credibility issue, Its not hard to get a phone number, and if this is a serious business for you, then a phone is part of that


Just a thought

Joe

Acutally... we do provide international telephone contact... its just a long distance call for them. We publish the 877 number as well as 309-648-5267. We get a lot of calls from the UK and the europe area. Well not a lot, maybe like we get 6 calls a month and 1 is from the UK. Like I said, we don't get that many calls, haha.

But showing that you have real people is good though. Like when we get orders over $200 one time (like annual accounts), we call the person up to verify it ya know?

-Jeff


Originally posted by GordonH
Hello
Telephone support is only practical if you only serve one country.
Your 1-800 probably won't even work from Canada into the US let alone Pakistan or somewhere else far flung.

We provide unadvertised phone support for local customers, but phone support calls tend to be full of blank spaces as I load up SSH or otherwise work on the problem.I just spent 10 hours setting up Redhat Interchange to work with PGP for a customer.
That would have been impossible by phone as we had to exchange key data as text files and the issue was so complicated.

For UK customers we have an 0870 number.
They pay standard rate to dial in but we get 1p per minute back from the phone company.

Gordon

Originally posted by Jaiem
OTOH, you also don't hear hosts that do offer phone support ranting and raving about how great it is!

:D Nope! :D

I'm just getting started reselling and can't afford to offer phone support or have phones manned 24/7, and I'll bet that a lot of resellers are in the same boat. The customers I have now know my number and never use it, but I think as I grow and can cover the cost I will do some kind of phone support.
Right now I'm going to try using forums and ticket systems as this is the kind of support I personally prefer.
Also I am having my support ticket system forward a message to my cell phone so I know when I'm needed.
Just my opinion, I don't know
Greg

I had a friend who used FQ a couple of years back. They didn't have a phone number then (very very hard to find it from their site). The fact that there was no phone number worried him a great deal. If it weren't for the praise they were getting, he would never have signed up.

Also, having a 800 number vs. having a regular number makes a whole world of difference in perception.

I do not do hosting as a service, but I do own a web design company and will be purchasing an 888/800/X line for sales and potential client's to use, and will forward it to my main phone.

Our experience has been that the larger $$ accounts want to speak to a live person before they sign up. Once they sign up rarely do they do antything but request support by email.

As for our business philosophy, we could care less if the newbie frontpage users dont know how to use their bots etc and we most certainly wont waste our time and admin $ on the phone with them. We do reply by email support asap.

Does this mean slower growth for us as opposed to many hosting companies, maybe. I bet our churn ratio is much better than theirs however.


el g

Your 1-800 probably won't even work from Canada into the US let alone Pakistan

I have to disagree somewhat.

We used to offer support for one of the more well known webhosts.

It was nothjing for us to recieve a call from India or france ( i even had one from singhapore) on a voice over IP....

If the customer wants to reach you, they will....

It has been my experience, and--based on past comments--I suspect it is true of certain hosts that post here, that many people in high tech have a certain amount of disdain for their customers. They don't want to talk to them and they don't want to be bothered by them. I used to work with a tech support guy who was very condescending to customers, to the point that that company lost customers who felt insulted. No matter how stupid you think a customer is, you can't treat them like an idiot and expect them to like it. I sometimes think it is better to hire tech support people with good people skills and the ability to learn the technical side, than to start with a techno-geek and try to teach people skills.

If you don't want customers calling you at all hours, why not offer a Call Me option. We provide a button for this all over our website--on every tech support knowledge base page. The customer fills out a form requesting that we call them and we promise to call back within 24 hours or the next business day. For international customers the promise 48 hourw is a little longer, because of the time differences and our international offices. This would be less disruptive if you only have a few tech support personnel.

We offer phone support, albeit not toll free. It's not all that great..

There, now you have someone saying it :D

With our phone support, we only give the number to a client when they have a problem that's too difficult to handle under normal cases.....most of the time is when the person is a newbie and cant find a good way to explain what they are trying to say..