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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    3,490

    Extent of outsourced support

    Just a quick question for those that outsource their support: how far will the support company go to support the client?

    I know this is vague, so this is what I'm thinking: does the support company usually have a login to their client company's machine in case the person needing support has an issue that needs to be fixed server-side? Or does the support company pass along the issue to techs at the client company?

    I'm just curious and trying to get a feel for the types of questions.. if most questions are about general hosting topics such as FTP, HTML, etc, or if many questions fielded by support companies are complex server issues that need to be handled by someone with access to the machine. I hope this made sense, but thanks for reading anyway.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    India
    Posts
    922
    Well it all depends on the level of support you expect from your support company.

    If you want your support company to manage basic client chats and tickets that can be solved using the clients control panel, then the general hosting topics like FTP, HTML, EMAIL etc that you have mentioned do not need server access unless there is something wrong with the respective service.

    If the respective services are working fine, then such kind of issues can be fixed from the clients control panel.
    The control panel information can be requested on the live chat or in the ticket and you do not need to give them the server access in this case.

    If you want your support company to manage, monitor and troubleshoot your servers as well, then you will have to give them the server's root access.

    If you are doubtful about your support companys security policies, then you can first do a research on them and gradually increase their level of access. Be sure to sign a legal NDA, as a good support company will never deny to sign a NDA.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Butler,TN
    Posts
    2,416
    Hi!
    It's hard to say...because each of us is very different. I have one client I support two applications he hosts..Movable Type and Wordpress. I do limited script support as well..but just for him.
    The other clients do not want me supporting scripts...which is fine...their customers, after all.

    I have root access to almost all the servers with one client...and the others just have me ask the users for login information. I have all levels of access elsewhere...on my servers...to learn and test things before recommending a client do something I'm not sure will work.

    Normally...most of the issues can be handled without root access.
    I've been doing this for quite some time...and have had very few things that require root access...so...not having root access to many servers has not been a major obstacle in me doing my job and keeping customers happy.

    DNS problems comprise the majority of problems across all my clients. The others are a fair mix...email problems, web page problems, scripting problems, Etc.

    I think the biggest challenge has been taking on Windows 2003 support. Sometimes this torch is one I wish I had not picked up...and at other times...it's not too bad.

    I can only suggest good password security with clients. When I have done password resets...I do make it quite complex because there is a very good chance they will not change it to something else.

    Bryon

  4. #4

    Re: Extent of outsourced support

    Originally posted by Chris Armstrong
    Just a quick question for those that outsource their support: how far will the support company go to support the client?

    I know this is vague, so this is what I'm thinking: does the support company usually have a login to their client company's machine in case the person needing support has an issue that needs to be fixed server-side? Or does the support company pass along the issue to techs at the client company?

    I'm just curious and trying to get a feel for the types of questions.. if most questions are about general hosting topics such as FTP, HTML, etc, or if many questions fielded by support companies are complex server issues that need to be handled by someone with access to the machine. I hope this made sense, but thanks for reading anyway.

    On my view, the outsourcing company can provide their support as far as possible the client desire their support.
    When the client starts realizing that they can manage it as a whole, as soon as they reached the growth stage both vertically and laterally they might feel to withdraw support from outsourcing.

    By testing their support with an issue you can measure their etiquette, responsiveness, and expertise, knowledge and level of technical skills for correcting actions taken to resolve that issue, this way you can judge the effectiveness and capability of an outsourcing company.
    Once you're confident in their capability and offerings, you can be able to take a decision utmost which is most suitable to you.

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