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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
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    75

    24/7 LIVE support (preferably via IM) for a dedicated server

    I know this is a very rare thing to find, which is why I'm asking the question :-) (Please, don't tell me to go and search back, things may have changed since the last time this was asked). I'd like a decent quality dedicated server with 24/7 LIVE support (preferably via IM), Rackspace-style. And I don't mean dumb sales staff, I mean tech support personnel who know what they're talking about. Sometimes, diagnosing problems on a Unix server aint easy, and you want to minimize downtime (ticket-based systems lose the personal touch I find). I'd like this to be for $100/mo or less.

    Please, no 'you wont get that for that kind of money' comments. Just reply if you know of any such service.

  2. #2
    ThinkSupport.net would be your choice.
    They got 24x7 AIM support for clients and very friendly Cute!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Auckland, New Zealand
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    588
    Are you looking at that price - just the server ? OR are you looking for control panel as well as management ? OR is it self managed - just occation help with troubleshooting ?
    BLUETRIDENT.NET - Reliable Shared, Reseller and Dedicated Hosting Solutions Provider
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  4. #4
    I really don't know of anyone for $100 /month or less... having live chat/IM tech's is expensive...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Chicago, IL
    Posts
    6,957
    Just wondering, but if something needs to be resolved quickly, what is wrong with phone based support?
    Karl Zimmerman - Founder & CEO of Steadfast
    VMware Virtual Data Center Platform

    karl @ steadfast.net - Sales/Support: 312-602-2689
    Cloud Hosting, Managed Dedicated Servers, Chicago Colocation, and New Jersey Colocation

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    75
    Karl:

    Heh.

    For one, I don't like calling the US. I live in the UK.

    For two, I'm getting a web based service; the web seems to be the most appropriate place to offer support/

    For three, wouldn't it actually take a company more resources to offer phone-based support than web-based?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    75
    Quote Originally Posted by SPB-Jeff
    ThinkSupport.net would be your choice.
    They got 24x7 AIM support for clients and very friendly Cute!
    Ah, but how many AIM contacts? And are they always online?

    Also, do you have personal experience with these people? What is their uptime like, value for money, etc?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Ashburn, VA
    Posts
    172

    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by jez9999
    For three, wouldn't it actually take a company more resources to offer phone-based support than web-based?
    There is a major difference in terms of staffing different operations of the business. For example, while one would think that giving all of your tech support reps some live chat software and asking them to respond to inquiries in real-time. This process simply slows down answering support tickets in the queue, most of which have probably been there longer than your inquiry.

    People only pickup and call a company when they are in dire need of help for the most part, which makes giving each support rep. their own extension and having them talk to customers that call is more effective overall for a company's support department.

    While I'm sure you could probably find a company that *does* offer instant messaging support, chances are you are talking to a Level 1 Tech that can do absolutely nothing to help. Just last night, I was reading a thread about a guy that was on a livechat with Ipowerweb, and the tech opened a "reboot request" to a Level 2 Tech for his server and told him to check back in two hours.

    I offer my dedicated customers my AIM, but I do not guarantee any kind of response time. Reason being is that it's my personal contact information and I do have a life. However, I like giving it out because I like to get to know my customers and their business better than I normally would, and using this method, I get customers for life.
    Alexander McMillen
    President and CEO - Sliqua Enterprise Hosting, Inc. - AS32740
    Serving up scale and service since 2002. Is your mission critical?
    1-877-4-SLIQUA - http://www.sliqua.com - http://www.isyourmissioncritical.com

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
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    75
    Network Engineer - PullThePlug Technologies, LLC
    Because your company name sure doesn't!!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    West Michigan, USA
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    9,687
    Quote Originally Posted by sliqua
    For example, while one would think that giving all of your tech support reps some live chat software and asking them to respond to inquiries in real-time. This process simply slows down answering support tickets in the queue, most of which have probably been there longer than your inquiry.

    People only pickup and call a company when they are in dire need of help for the most part, which makes giving each support rep. their own extension and having them talk to customers that call is more effective overall for a company's support department.
    Those 2 statements are absolutely incorrect, based on my years of experience.

    Live chat is very efficient and cuts down on the number of tickets considerably. It doesn't take time away from techs answering tickets, it actually gives them more time to answer tickets. Say you have a simple tech support issue - it can be answered in live chat in about 60 seconds. The same question might take several back and forth ticket replies and maybe 10 minutes worth of tech time to be solved.

    Please only call when they are in dire need of help??? HA! Dream on. If phone support is available, you'll get most people respecting that support...but a good percentage that pick up the phone and call for every little issue, including ones that have no business tying up tech time.

    --Tina
    ||| 99.999% Uptime SLA!!!
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  11. #11
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    Jun 2005
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    Tina:

    For a company that puts emphasis on live tech support, your support's online status right now is pretty abysmal.

  12. #12
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    Feb 2001
    Location
    West Michigan, USA
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    9,687
    Quote Originally Posted by jez9999
    Tina:

    For a company that puts emphasis on live tech support, your support's online status right now is pretty abysmal.
    Where, exactly, do we put emphasis on live tech support? We don't advertise constant live support and we certainly don't make a huge deal of advertising it. Our reputation for tech support is stellar and customers than need to get ahold of us know how. Live support is a small part of what we do and never meant to be a primary means of getting support. Dedicated server customers actually get a phone number that is manned 24/7/365 by a real live admin - not a low level tech or someone who has to report to anyone else.

    --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)

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    101
    I would have to agree on chat. Though it is nice for the client to use because they get the feel of someone being live but it does slow down the flow of your support queue. Unless your staffed so you have dedicated techs just for chat.

    I came here becuase I saw the original post about and wanted to suggest touchsupport. I have read very good reviews about them recently. We do not use outsourced support but have seen good results from fellow hosts here on WHT. You just might want to ask them about IM support. Good Luck!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Nevada, US
    Posts
    5,550
    The main problem with live IM support, is that clients tend to strech out the issue far beyond the amount of time it would take for a tech to resolve it via a support ticket. It makes the tech also have to sit there and give personal attention, and not do anything else---when they could be handling multiple ticket, reboots, installs at the same time otherwise. In our opinion, IM support is the same as phone support---without the handset.

    For this reason our policy is that we will assist clients with quick/simple issues/questions via IM, but anything beyond that we will ask them to submit a support ticket.
    .
    .
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  15. #15
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    Jun 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by AH-Tina
    Where, exactly, do we put emphasis on live tech support? We don't advertise constant live support and we certainly don't make a huge deal of advertising it. Our reputation for tech support is stellar and customers than need to get ahold of us know how. Live support is a small part of what we do and never meant to be a primary means of getting support. Dedicated server customers actually get a phone number that is manned 24/7/365 by a real live admin - not a low level tech or someone who has to report to anyone else.

    --Tina
    That sucks. Why would I want to call someone on the PHONE about a problem with a WEB service? I can't understand this mentality. I want live WEB support, nothing else. Quite apart from anything else, the problem with the phone is that you may well live in another country, in which case you'll be spending astronomical amounts on the phone bill. Also, I just think live web chat is a lot more appropriate for many things. It can be harder to say things like IPs, web addresses, config settings, Unix commands, etc. on the phone, as well as the long waits that are inevitable whilst someone is investigating a server.

    Phone support SUCKS, in my book.

  16. #16
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    Jun 2005
    Posts
    75
    Quote Originally Posted by BurstNET
    In our opinion, IM support is the same as phone support---without the handset.
    I think that's a reasonable opinion, which rather begs the question why so many hosts offer only phone support, or give it much higher priority. IMHO it is worse than live chat.

    And I'd argue that if you have a good setup, IM can be better than a ticket system. The tech just has to tell the client to STFU (in more polite terms ) for x minutes whilst they work, and they'll get back to them. It sure is a lot more convenient for a client to just do this through their IM client than have to keep logging in to a damn control panel and submitting responses.

    IM may also encourage a slightly more personal touch between client and technician. Whilst some old-fashioned managers might not like this as it may reduce efficiency, I think it's nice, personally. Makes you feel more cared about.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    New York, NY
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    10,710
    Quote Originally Posted by jez9999

    Phone support SUCKS, in my book.
    Well, then your book sucks.
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  18. #18
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    Dec 2004
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    New York, NY
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    And I'd argue that if you have a good setup, IM can be better than a ticket system. The tech just has to tell the client to STFU (in more polite terms ) for x minutes whilst they work, and they'll get back to them. It sure is a lot more convenient for a client to just do this through their IM client than have to keep logging in to a damn control panel and submitting responses.
    IM is convenient for clients.

    Hell for staff.

    There is no record. Even with AIM logs, etc. it is not good. There are no useful records and they don't hold as much merit as records within a ticket system.

    You could have submitted a ticket then be talking with one of the staff members privately on AIM at the same time...then some other staff member may start working on your ticket ...and the work may coincide and there will be communication problems...it's not good at all..and this doesn't just happen rarely but will happen all the time at a company that offers phone support.

    From what I see here you are just a client, so you have no idea what works well from a company's point of view.
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  19. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    101
    In the end what matters is what your clients think. If they could care less about phone support then who cares. Some clients mandate a hosting company have support. It is the client who decides really. It is up to you to listen or not.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    101
    Quote Originally Posted by layer0
    IM is convenient for clients.

    Hell for staff.

    There is no record. Even with AIM logs, etc. it is not good. There are no useful records and they don't hold as much merit as records within a ticket system.

    You could have submitted a ticket then be talking with one of the staff members privately on AIM at the same time...then some other staff member may start working on your ticket ...and the work may coincide and there will be communication problems...it's not good at all..and this doesn't just happen rarely but will happen all the time at a company that offers phone support.

    From what I see here you are just a client, so you have no idea what works well from a company's point of view.
    If you have staff to tier support then chat/IM support should be tier/level 1 only. Then if escalation is needed the chat staff person takes the info needed to open a ticket. This is needed mostly when the client is having email type issues (yes, I agree, they should have alternate email accounts.).

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    75
    Quote Originally Posted by layer0
    IM is convenient for clients.

    Hell for staff.

    There is no record. Even with AIM logs, etc. it is not good. There are no useful records and they don't hold as much merit as records within a ticket system.
    And it's beyond the wit of man to build software that saves IM chats into a ticket-type system? I've known a few companies that have done that.

    You could have submitted a ticket then be talking with one of the staff members privately on AIM at the same time...then some other staff member may start working on your ticket ...and the work may coincide and there will be communication problems...it's not good at all..and this doesn't just happen rarely but will happen all the time at a company that offers phone support.
    ... and many companies DO offer phone support, very publicly. What's your point?

    From what I see here you are just a client, so you have no idea what works well from a company's point of view.
    True, and to an extent I don't care what works well from a company's point of view, I care what works well from a client's point of view. And I refuse to believe that companies can't figure out a way to make IM-based support work. It's just laziness that stops it.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    34
    ezzi.net has 24/7 live support and their tech staff definitely knows what they are doing . They do get network problem sometimes but they have very less latency network for international customers ..

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    West Michigan, USA
    Posts
    9,687
    Quote Originally Posted by jez9999
    Phone support SUCKS, in my book.
    That's your opinion and you should definitely choose a provider that works for your needs. However, my point was that you claim we put an emphasis on live chat support and that our live chat support is abismal is not fair or accurate.

    Contrary to what you said, we don't emphasize live chat support. Its a very small part of our support tier. We actually rely heavily on one-on-one phone support for dedicated server clients. Again, not your needs and that's fine. I wasn't trying to get you to sign up with us.

    I was pointing out that in my years of experience, when we used to run a company that focused on budget hosting as opposed to managed servers, live chat works very well in offsetting ticket load.

    I wish you luck in your quest for a provider that meets your needs.

    --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)

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by jez9999
    That sucks. Why would I want to call someone on the PHONE about a problem with a WEB service? I can't understand this mentality. I want live WEB support, nothing else. Quite apart from anything else, the problem with the phone is that you may well live in another country, in which case you'll be spending astronomical amounts on the phone bill. Also, I just think live web chat is a lot more appropriate for many things. It can be harder to say things like IPs, web addresses, config settings, Unix commands, etc. on the phone, as well as the long waits that are inevitable whilst someone is investigating a server.

    Phone support SUCKS, in my book.
    How many times are you planning to call in a month? I guess what I am saying, is that you sound like you want a high level of support and expect to use it.

    Perhaps you should look into finding the best possible host/management rather than someone who has your preferred channel of communication.

    If the box is up, and working well, you'll never need that phone # or IM info. I know I never have.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    West Michigan, USA
    Posts
    9,687
    Quote Originally Posted by layer0
    IM is convenient for clients.

    Hell for staff.

    There is no record. Even with AIM logs, etc. it is not good. There are no useful records and they don't hold as much merit as records within a ticket system.

    I disagree. We ran IRC support for years and it worked very well for both clients and staff. We actually still have logs for many years past.

    As long as you provide general/level1 support, without giving any assistance that could be considered a security or privacy risk (since you don't know who you're REALLY chatting with) - its a huge help for clients and takes the load off the ticket desk staff.

    --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)

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