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Thread: Free Tech Support
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04-11-2011, 12:14 PM #1Newbie
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Free Tech Support
Do you think it will work? I don't think money from ads will support what it costs to hire employees, unless you get em really dirt cheap. If you offer paid support, also, it might work? Don't steal my idea, please.
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04-11-2011, 12:35 PM #2Web Hosting Guru
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What kind support you are planning? forum, ticket or live chat?
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04-11-2011, 12:41 PM #3Newbie
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Oh, sorry. Live chat mainly, with Livezilla software. I guess I will have support tickets, and forums too.
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04-11-2011, 01:05 PM #4Web Hosting Master
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I have no idea what you are talking about?
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04-11-2011, 01:10 PM #5Web Hosting Evangelist
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I am with you on that one . miketh2005 would you be able to clarify in greater detail what you're trying to convey? Are you referring to free tech support for a shared hosting service or a support service for IT in general? In terms of shared hosting most providers already offer support for free with their hosting packages. Some providers will even help with third party scripts and installations which is not considered the norm.
I look forward to hearing from you.
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04-11-2011, 02:03 PM #6Newbie
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IT service in general. Sorry if I wasn't clearer before.
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04-11-2011, 02:14 PM #7Web Hosting Guru
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I'm still not very clear on exactly what you are doing. Can you tell us more about what you are or will be doing.
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04-11-2011, 02:18 PM #8Web Hosting Evangelist
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I think the OP is looking to start a technical support business which offers the service for free and to off-set the costs of running the business, they are looking to put adverts on the site. They will also offer a paid support package to also bring in more money.
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04-11-2011, 02:22 PM #9Disabled
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Support is not a commodity consumer oriented business that people will use and then upgrade because it's convenient. It's all B2B, usually bought in large quantity. No way this would work. Anyone who starts a business and isn't willing to invest in customer service won't make it far enough to upgrade to a paid plan.
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04-11-2011, 02:30 PM #10Web Hosting Master
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Idea is innovative, but not worth stealing.
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04-11-2011, 02:44 PM #11Newbie
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04-11-2011, 05:49 PM #12Web Hosting Master
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I think you might have a good idea. What you are basically thinking of is having a chat version of the free support services already out there ... like forums (WHT anyone?) There are dozens of them that provide free support from users.
The challenge is to make the chat support profitable. The forums do it by crowd sourcing answers, and displaying ads on the site (or selling subscriptions). You could have ads on your site, and a tip jar for people you've helped. Or you could "crowd source" by leveraging the same crowd of people that places like Yahoo Answers uses (they give a small commission to each approved answer). Have them sign up, be ready for chat in their specialty, and have them earn .30 per answer given in chat.
History is replete with success stories about men who did things they "couldn't do" and created things that would "never work."
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04-11-2011, 06:46 PM #13Newbie
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I like you. Thanks a lot. I don't really know if crowd sourcing would work. Like you said, if this is going to be live chat version of yahoo answers. It has to be live... On Yahoo Answers, it usually takes awhile for an answer to questions. Also, YA works because you can share knowledge about 1 thing, and receive knowledge about another. If this site is going to be just plain for computer support, then obviously the people who come to the site will be those who don't know about computers, not those who do.
I am wondering how computer support forums work, when first starting up, though? Wouldn't the above problem arise? Or are there people who just like helping people?
If so, if I can get some volunteers who wouldn't mind not working for steady pay, and only a percentage of the ad profits, and/or a commission if a person buys a paid package, that might work, because I'd only be spending money when I receive money.
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04-11-2011, 06:57 PM #14Web Hosting Master
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I'm skeptical, honestly, because of sites like serverfault.com (and the other StackExchange sites). That's just one example, but typically I can ask a question there and get an expert response (or many) within 10-15 minutes. I'm not sure I really need a faster response time...in most cases, it takes me 5-10 minutes to coherently state my question and provide an example anyway.
What it sounds like you're looking for is sort of like serverfault + IRC.
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04-11-2011, 10:27 PM #15Web Hosting Master
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My initial thought was that you have freelancers with time, and if they can quickly answer a chat question, they will jump in while working on something else, even if the payout is small. People making money with Hubpages are an example; they get paid a share of the ad revenue.
I would see the software as a log in for experts, and a visible queue of support questions chatters have entered. The expert selects one he thinks he can answer and engages the chatter.
The chatter - the person asking for support - sees your website and a list of the experts on-line by area of expertise ("General computer, Virus Expert, MS Office Expert, etc.) They enter their question and select a category and enter chat. Your website refreshes and displays ads using the chat question as keywords.
Your expert responds, and provides suggestions. At the end, the chatter can click a "Thanks! Problem solved!" or a "This was no help at all" button. YOu pay the expert only if he gets the "Problem Solved" button pressed. That keeps the experts honest, and limits payouts for lousy advice. If you allow the experts to recommend sites, even their own, you might recruit more.
The advantage is you're building the business without having to hire staff, and a website and advertising is the main fixed cost. The problem is scaling the idea into a working model.
If Google buys you out, you owe me a beer.
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04-12-2011, 02:13 AM #16Newbie
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