(from a small-medium host operation perspective // e-mail support).

many hosts as such state on their site a feature of providing- 24 hrs / 7 days-week / 365 days a year (without a life) support approach :yawn:

its a stupid question ive got to ask.. just to get my facts straight. Though for current web host guru's.. what is the truth?.

Is it just something 'attractive' to gain more customers or build a reputable image?..
or is it real, that the average joe blow might just be up @ 4am answering some tech issues here & there?.

heck .. for the sake of things.... is it ok to state you provide 24/7 support? :angel: .

whats the worst case scenario of providing false service promises? (providing no guarantees or ToS mentioned) .

thx

24/7 support is hard to nail down because the amount of time it takes to answer your email or ticket is a matter of opinion. Some hosts with dedicated support staff take 10 hours to answer your ticket during business hours. Is that really 24/7?

Others may take 8 hours to answer your ticket in the middle of the night. To some people, this is totally unacceptable. For others, they would be thrilled.

You have to ask yourself, 'what is an acceptable amount of time to wait for a ticket to be answered?'

If you say 1 hour, then neither of the hosts above would offer 24/7 support.

A host offering 24/7 support is no longer a deal breaker, since most make that claim regardless. What matters is response time. If you are hosting a serious site, you'll want to test out response times at various times of the day, to be sure that the response times are acceptable to you.

I see most sites say they have 24/7 support, but when I go to their live support no one is their. I thought I would be able to hire some people to provide it, but I'm getting rid of live chat and going with a ticket based system. I'm looking at a few nice ones.

I think 24/7 for smaller hosts is not feasible unless there are partners in different time zones. I think hosts also need to differentiate between sales and support for the 24/7 thing.

Justin

Most clients expect 24 hour instant response live chat for sales/support to be a minimum requirement of a professional hosting company nowadays, with hosting deals beginning to look the same whichever company you look at, the difference will be service, in my opinion few clients would choose to host with a company that only offers tickets over one that has live support without good reason.

J

If 3 people were working 8 hour shifts, you've got 24/7 support. Of course, people expect days off, so you'd need more to compensate... but thats pretty much it.

We don't have 24/7 support, but our server provider does, and I love it. Their support isn't the best quality though, so that's a bummer, but they know what they're talking about most of the time.

If 3 people are working 8 hour shifts, thats not 24x7 support. You need 5 people to maintain 3 shifts, 7 days a week.

Feh. Claiming 24/7 support..and not providing it..costs tons of new business. It is a marketing gimmick for most..nothing more.

Even a medium size host has no business even claiming they offer it..much less actually offering it. The truth is this: Most do not use it or need it.

I should know: I've done it..worked the overnight shift.

I have worked 10 hours/day..seven days a week. I enjoyed it..but it was simply not profitable.

It was such a low priority with most hosts..it was not viable.

The problem is simple: When things go horribly wrong..they go horribly wrong..I don't care if it's 3AM EST or 3PM EST.

One person can only do so much. I think the biggest mistake I made was to take on supporting Windows as well as Linux..trying to keep a customer happy.

Oddly enough..the horrible hours and pay didn't kill it..a certain major ticket system did.

I had two customers "upgrade" almsot at the same time..and that was all she wrote. I had two lines..dialup only..but got by..got by darn well. This "upgrade" cost me 5-10 minutes in ticket response time..and that was it. I could bear no more.

Bryon

The truth? There are so many answers to your question :c). Each host is different as many of the pp pointed out. I think a lot of hosting companies 'claim' 24/7 support when reality is that you can submit a ticket 24 hours -- yes that is their basis for saying they are 24/7.

I have worked at a hosting company that provided true 24/7 support -- phones/tickets/live chat. They are still doing it too. They aim for 30 min or less on ticket responses too. So I know that it does exist!

Me personally, I care if my SERVER IS UP. So basically I just need somebody either to be there or electric shocked awake to restart/fix a server that I can't reboot myself!

I think if you state 24/7, it better not be based on the fact that somebody can submit a ticket. I think those who state 24/7 support should also state how long their response time is. And even in the end, the only way to tell is to test it out yourself.

I've noticed most companys hiring out sourced tech support, as that is what I'm planning on doing.

I see most sites say they have 24/7 support, but when I go to their live support no one is their. I thought I would be able to hire some people to provide it, but I'm getting rid of live chat and going with a ticket based system. I'm looking at a few nice ones.

We have live chat, a phone number and a ticket system. We have 5 support techs and provide support via all of the above methods, but only 24/7 support via a ticket system. At 4 AM someone will answer your ticket in less than an hour, usually 10 minutes. The reason we do not guarantee support via the other methods is it allows one clients to monopolize and waste a techs time. On live or phone support they keep conversing , asking for updates, and expect you to only work on their problem until it is done. With tickets the tech can open a few windows and work on another ticket while something is installing and manage a few problems at the same time. Just because live support is not online does not mean nobody is there, infact we view live support as a sales tool more than a support method. We get extra manpower to man it during promotions, otherwise a tech is not supposed to be online if they are busy.

when i started my company i stated that support wasnt available 24 hours a day as it wasnt possible, and still isnt as we are still small, so instead i offer 18 hours a day with the laptop always running and i take it where ever i go in the house and if i have to pop out i get my partner to take over until i get back

ticket-based systems are great, however i havnt got round to it yet and support is done through email and msn

If you claim it you should provide it, simple as that.

It says a lot about the ethics of the people behind the host when they claim 24/7 support but do not really provide it.

When I first started out I offered 24/7 from day one but I also said 4 hours response time. This meant as a one man operation I set my alarm for every 3 1/2 hours and got up to check the ticket system.

Once we moved into offering dedicated servers I knew that people were not going to wait 4 hours for a reboot so I took the plunge and put on staff.
Once we started offering proactive managed support where we monitor the servers and reboot them or restart services we had to make the response goal 30 minutes or less 24/7.

My techs know I am a fanatic about it and have even fired techs that failed to respond to a server in that time frame. Our goal is now to at least be in the process of a reboot or restart of services before a customer even knows his server is down and be able to tell him that if he submits a ticket before it is back up or fixed.

We do not offer phone or live chat support except in cases of emergency I find that they cause more delays, they offer the customer instant gratification being able to talk to someone but they slow things down as we have to write down what the customer is saying spell out URL's etc.. it just slows the whole process down. Instead we try and make our response times to urgent tickets almost as fast as live chat.

Sales is still 8 to 5 response period. We do not promise 24/7 to sales.

My advice is don't advertise what you can't deliver and if you promise it deliver it.

This meant as a one man operation I set my alarm for every 3 1/2 hours and got up to check the ticket system.
Interesting concept. That would completely upset my sleeping cycle but... I guess with a bit more logic that could work out. I.e., if there is a ticket (or something that needs attention) call my phone to wake me up. But don't call me more than every 3 hours (meaning, group issues together). Not very hard to set up and probably better than getting up every 3 1/2 hours if there is nothing that need work.

When I first started out I offered 24/7 from day one but I also said 4 hours response time. This meant as a one man operation I set my alarm for every 3 1/2 hours and got up to check the ticket system.

This is totally funny to me! Interesting concept. Its no different than having a baby wake you up say every 3 hours, so I'm sure your hosting company can do the same to you. Just get a little extra sleep and you'll probably be fine.

:agree: Kudos to you!

I'm a one man operation also.

I offer 24/7 support as it sends the ticket to the support area as well as my e-mail. My blackberry is setup ring upon receiving an e-mail so it wakes me up.

excellant responses from all.... thanks.

interesting to see , 24/7 support is percvieved in different ways... and its great to see ppl's own unique approach / support model.

though i guess when it comes down to the real deal, the customers expection for "24/7" support might be different, oppose host businesses ourselves.

I'm a one man operation also.

I offer 24/7 support as it sends the ticket to the support area as well as my e-mail. My blackberry is setup ring upon receiving an e-mail so it wakes me up.

rasher, im curious. since u offer 24/7.. one man operation. how many clients do you host?. and whats the ETA for support ticket response (on average)?.. :blush:

I agree with Techark. Sales and Support are two completely different animals. People get ecstatic over how fast their sales email was answered, but sales is a one-time thing. It seems that most companies have faster response times to sales, when support is really what is going to matter to a customer after they sign up.

We also only answer sales inquiries during regular business hours.

rasher, im curious. since u offer 24/7.. one man operation. how many clients do you host?. and whats the ETA for support ticket response (on average)?.. :blush:

As a recent startup where all of my current clients are local I'm at 6 clients now, 5 of which I built there page for them.

They are all small businesses who are relatively clueless when it comes to websites, so all the support times have been during regular business hours. I would say my average response time is about 15-30 minutes, and they usually involve a call to the person to insure they understand everything they need (a benefit of being a small company). One time I even drove to a clients business to show him hands on what he needed.

If that doesn't keep customers, I don't know what will.

I think you have to consider several factors that go into this.

First..it is a solid fact many people claim 24/7 support..and do not provide it. The serious downside for a host to actually provide it..is the cost..not only in money..but staff management and training as well. Finding trustworthy people is very hard as well.

I think you have to weight the costs with the benefits..a sort of good/bad thing. Ok..let's consider a few things:

I think the scariest type of host these days is the cheap host. These hosts try to make it with the numbers game.I think only the big guys really succeed with this. They have no clue who their customers are...what they need..or what they really want (and are willing to pay for).

I think you will find the most successful host has focus. They have a clear idea of who their customers are (or might be) and are have spent the time figuring out this particular groups needs and wants..and have designed packages around those needs. I think it is sad that many hosts do not concentrate on specific markets..and try to be everything to everybody..which is impossible.

Take real estate brokers. It just so happens I know several people who do this..and have a fairly good understanding of what they need from a host. There is a lot of money in this..and hosting is beginning to be a very big part of their business. They want relibility..they don't ever want their websites down..because it may cost them money in lost sales. They like graphics..tons of them. Therefore..they have high bandwidth needs and a host must provide that if you are going to keep them happy.

Would a host going after real estate agents be able to justify the cost of providing real 24/7 support? Of course. I've seen so many hosts afraid to charge extra for extra support costs..which begs this question: Are you not in business to make money?

The customer base is willing to pay extra for the extra services....no doubt in my mind. They may even want dedicated servers later..and with servers..you *must* provide 24/7 support..or else.

This business is a very tough business to start, manage and grow. So many hosts try the same things..nothing different..which I think is a shame. I think most customers..even business customers..understand if you are upfront and honest with them.

Tell them the truth. Hey..I'm a one-person operation. I'm just starting out. There is a chance if you have a problem at 2AM..it might be a little while before I am aware of it and can deal with it. I will deal with it, though...as fast as I can. I will take precautions to prevent problems. If we really need late night support..as my business grows..I will provide it. I have what you need..and I can be trusted with your business.

As with any business..it all boils down to this: Can I trust you? When things go wrong...will you lie to me or make excuses?

I think it is incredible the abuse some customers take...and still remain customers.

Here's another kicker: When was the last time your current host asked you how things are going? Are you pleased with our support?
Our service? Is there anything you want that we don't have? I think this clearly sets the successful host apart from the others.

Talk to your customers. Talk to your prospective customers. Listen and learn. Followup. Earn that trust.

Bryon

We provide a ticket system with a guaranteed response within 24 hours. If there is an emergency they can call us for immediate help, however if the phone rings and it is a routine matter, we do ask them to submit a ticket as it is the most efficient way of handling support. Especially at 4am.

99% of our clients will honor the ticket system, knowing that if things do go wrong we are available by phone 24/7 if needed. There is some comfort in knowing you can still talk to someone if needed.

We're not quite a hosting company but rather provide our own specialized software using the SaaS (ASP) model. We tell our customers that our email is staffed nearly 24 hours a day during the week so they can expect a fast response (less than 30 minutes) if the question is simple, and a response within 12-24 hours if it's more complex. All staff are trained in how to handle both sales and support questions. There are 3 employees plus me (the owner) and the employees work in shifts so that we have nearly 24-hour coverage during the week. Two of the employees are based in the Philippines (and they are actual employees... not a contracted outsourcing firm) and one in Europe, so that's how we can cover nearly 24 hours/day without anyone having to work the overnight (midnight-8am) shift. I fill in as needed when people go on vacation, and we're a close team so people don't all take vacation at once since that would be disruptive to the company.

The thing I've been careful to emphasize with customers is that we do not guarantee 24 hour support, but that for most of the day/night, there is someone monitoring emails and likely to respond. During the weekends, I'll have a look at emails once/twice a day, but few of our customers will write then anyway since they use our software as part of their 9-5 jobs.

We have a phone number but discourage calls on it, and the type of customer we have generally prefers to use email anyway (because they move around between their office and their lab). The phone rings on my desk and if I'm not there, the voicemail gets delivered to our support email address as a .WAV file and whoever is working then can respond.

I think what the other person said about how support depends on your type of customers is right. A real estate agent, where they do lots of work during the weekends, would want support during the weekends, but many other types of customers might be M-F 9-5 operations so it's not as important to them.