Results 1 to 25 of 30
Thread: phone support?
-
05-15-2008, 10:34 AM #1WHT Addict
- Join Date
- Feb 2008
- Posts
- 163
phone support?
Is phone support nessesary for someone that is just starting out with a reseller account? If so, where can I get a 1-800 #? If not, then what forms of support should I use? Chat support ? I am pretty new at this so any help and suggestions would be very much appriciated!
-
05-15-2008, 10:52 AM #2Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Sep 2003
- Posts
- 3,857
-
05-15-2008, 11:27 AM #3
When starting out, it's kind of easy to get lost in the budget thing. Here's a few tips:
You'll need a billing client. WHMCS is excellent for that. Don't get suckered into thinking you can 'wing it', because when you grow, you'll regret that decision. You can pick up WHMCS licenses for dirt cheap ($12,$13/month for leased from a few providers), so it's definitely worth it for everything it does.
You'll need a "support" desk . You can use WHMCS' built in desk, or go with a kayako leased (or owned) license. This will cover the support desk AND live chat.
You can also use IM methods (AIM/MSN/ICQ) for live chat and stick with WHMCS' helpdesk, which, again, will cover the live chat and helpdesk stuff, and keep expenses down.
For toll free, you probably don't want to go there right away. I have been in biz for going on 6 years, and I don't get but a few calls a month. Toll free is kind of fading out any more.Tom Whiting, WHMCS Guru extraordinaire
Linux problems? WHMCS Problems? Give me a shout
Check out my WHMCS Addons
-
05-15-2008, 11:38 AM #4Newbie
- Join Date
- Jun 2005
- Location
- Canada
- Posts
- 14
-
05-15-2008, 03:54 PM #5Invented the Internet
- Join Date
- Feb 2001
- Location
- West Michigan, USA
- Posts
- 9,687
We don't offer phone support (except for dedicated server customers), but we offer extremely responsive online support. I think as long as customers can reach you when they need to, you'll be fine.
--Tina||| 99.999% Uptime SLA!!!
Plenty of space and bandwidth to fit your needs!
www.AEIandYou.com - - (WP Friendly - Premium Reseller Hosting and Cheap Dedicated Servers)
-
05-15-2008, 08:40 PM #6WHT Addict
- Join Date
- Feb 2008
- Posts
- 163
thanks a lot for the replies guys, much appreciated.
Now I had another question, about how many tickets or emails should i be expecting as i start off? Just a ballpark number somewhere would be awesome.
-
05-15-2008, 08:43 PM #7Reseller Hosting Specialist
- Join Date
- Jun 2005
- Location
- New York
- Posts
- 2,883
Last edited by P-nut; 05-18-2008 at 09:47 AM. Reason: fixed quote tag
█ XeHost.net - Hosting websites since 1999!
█ Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Reseller Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Servers
█ End-User Support, WHMCS, and WHMReseller Available on Reseller Plans!
█ Follow us on Twitter - new special every Sunday! @XeHost
-
05-15-2008, 09:08 PM #8Standard Nerd
- Join Date
- Dec 2005
- Location
- Kent, England
- Posts
- 715
-
05-16-2008, 12:46 AM #9Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Oct 2000
- Location
- Toronto
- Posts
- 1,110
In terms of phone support, you will get very few calls from majority of your client base.. You will also get a huge number of calls from a segment of you client list. Some just call for EVERYTHING. Those are the ones who will "abuse" the phone support. You will have to establish the client expectation. What you will support via phone and what you won't.
-
05-16-2008, 05:08 AM #10Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Sep 2003
- Posts
- 3,857
I agree with this to some extent. I originally thought phone support would not be very effective. But ever since we started offering phone support, the call volumes have been increasing every month. For us, it has actually proved to be very effective as we can now speak to the customer and resolve issues straight on the phone. Adds a nice personal touch.
Some calls may last a few minutes, but other calls to sales usually last at least 35mins to an hour. So far, it's proving pretty valuable.
-
05-16-2008, 09:08 AM #11Newbie
- Join Date
- May 2008
- Posts
- 18
I believe there is some merit to offering phone support. The fact that people know they can pick up a phone and talk to someone, even if it's not used, helps customers feel secure.
As others have said email will be the primary avenue for support, and most customer's preference.The shortest answer is doing the thing.
-Ernest Hemingway
-
05-16-2008, 10:30 AM #12WHT Addict
- Join Date
- Feb 2008
- Posts
- 163
Ok, so if I wanted to get phone support, whats the price range I would be looking at?
-
05-16-2008, 11:15 AM #13Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Jun 2006
- Posts
- 1,767
As a customer it's something I look for and as a provider it's something I proudly offer for that reason
-
05-16-2008, 03:27 PM #14How Can I Help You Today?
- Join Date
- Oct 2002
- Location
- Langley, BC
- Posts
- 2,045
I was running a web hosting business for about 10 years.... phone support is the last thing you want to do if you are doing shared hosting.
If you do dedicated or colocation, then it is a must. Shared hosting can only go with TICKET or EMAIL support. PERIOD.
If you start by oferring phone suppport or live chat support, when you downgrade to ticket only, your customers will be angry.
Ticket support is MUCH MORE efficient in troubleshooting and helping customer.
You can only open Live Chat for SALES only, don't offer it for support. Be spescific that your live chat will only accept sales inquiries. All support must go through ticketing.
This even applies to HUGE web hosts, if you offer plans that are below $25/Month, you simply can not afford to cover phone/live chat support.
Or you can add an additional phone or live chat support for $10/Month per customer and even limit the number of calls or live chat they can have.
Do it right from the start or you may experience nightmare later on when reaching thousands of customers.██ We Have Generated Over 7 Million cPanel Backups Come Dance Together With Us Y'all!
██ Offer Your Own Backup Hosting Service - SiteAutoBackup.Com (Private Label / WHMCS Ready)
██ WebHostingBusinessBook.Com | YouTube.com/WebHostingTutorial | NowOpenOnline.Com
-
05-16-2008, 04:56 PM #15Newbie
- Join Date
- May 2008
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
- Posts
- 8
For live support i Suggest Crafty Syntax. Its free. Just google it
-
05-16-2008, 06:20 PM #16Junior Guru Wannabe
- Join Date
- Apr 2008
- Posts
- 73
I recommend ProvideSupport if you want to run a live chat support service. Very inexpensive and it has a great interface and easy set up, even for beginners.
-
05-16-2008, 10:56 PM #17Disabled
- Join Date
- Nov 2003
- Location
- Amidst several dimensions
- Posts
- 4,324
my hosting clients (apart from ecommerce ones) generally seem to prefer email. you cant force them to even support tickets.
even ecommerce ones prefer at most instant messenger.
people dont like phoning. email, instant messengers are fire and forget. you can do other stuff while they are being replied.
this is probably the reason i think.
-
05-17-2008, 02:18 AM #18Disabled
- Join Date
- May 2008
- Location
- Florida
- Posts
- 2
If your just starting out try to use TICKET or EMAIL support only.
You might want to purchased a net 10 phone at a local Walmart and used the number on line.It comes with FREE answering service. I would only get about one call per week. So the pay as you go phone did the job to start. Just until you build your business.
-
05-17-2008, 08:15 AM #19WHT Addict
- Join Date
- Nov 2005
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 103
www.costlessnames.com - Get your domain names for less!
www.costlessreseller.com - The hottest low cost reseller program!
-
05-17-2008, 11:05 AM #20Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Feb 2002
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 24,027
• WLVPN.com • NetProtect owned White Label VPN provider •
• Increase your hosting profits by adding VPN to your product line up •
-
05-21-2008, 05:48 AM #21Newbie
- Join Date
- May 2008
- Location
- Bangalore, India
- Posts
- 5
I believe Live Support for about 12-16 hours on the website is a lot more important than a toll free number... However, very few people will prefer to talk over the phone, in which case for the time being you can provide your telephone number, provided you're the only person to answer it without any noise around...
-
05-21-2008, 10:36 AM #22WHT Addict
- Join Date
- Feb 2008
- Posts
- 163
-
05-21-2008, 12:52 PM #23Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Feb 2005
- Location
- London, England
- Posts
- 969
I always give any company a call before i order anything just me, if they dont have a phone number i dont buy
Jon Black
-
05-21-2008, 07:07 PM #24Web Hosting Evangelist
- Join Date
- Aug 2001
- Location
- Brea, CA
- Posts
- 541
I believe that's the point (though domestic long-distance charges are rapidly becoming a distant memory).
We offer a non-800# on our site, forums, and a Campfire chat room that part of our team sits in during the workday. (and we're a helpdesk company!)
Most people seem to prefer the chat room for quick questions; and having it be a public multi-person chat room instead of a 1-on-1 chat tends to dissuade individual people from monopolizing your time.
Forums tend to get the longer thoughts and public venting.
E-mail tends to handle anything that's really individualized, private or contains sensitive information.
It's in your best interest to be easy to get ahold of, but you also want to find inherent ways to curb abuses of your time (like the public chat room or non-800#).
As has been said above, it'll really depend on who you're catering to as well.Jeff Standen, Software Architect, Cerb
Cerb - web-based teamwork and workflow automation - https://cerb.ai/
-
05-24-2008, 03:16 PM #25Web Hosting Guru
- Join Date
- Oct 2006
- Posts
- 337
Server Management + Support to your hosting clients (unlimited tickets and servers) in one monthly fee.
Outsourced Support | ManageAndSupport.com.
**We will monitor and harden your server + provide direct support to your hosting customers.**