Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Running a Web Hosting Business : Outsourcing support

[ChainHost-Michael]

I'm on the verge of launching a hosting company but I haven't made up my mind about support. It will be a one man show until volume picks up.

In the beginning I can't decide whether I should just have reasonable response times/hours and handle the requests myself or outsource the support for hours I'm unavailable.

What are your thoughts and who would you recommend for outsourcing?

[Matt - Kerplunc]

Bobcares has a great rep with outsourced support, no experience with them prsonally though

[zorveo]

See how it works with just you. If you need someone to cover the evening, then you could look at outsourcing those hours.

[mellow-h]

I do not really recommend outsourcing the support as long as the management is not under your control. It is hard to ensure the maximum customer service under a 3rd party support management.

[barry[CoffeeSprout]]

It depends on the ticket load, the expectations you set and how available you are.

In my case I've hired somebody local to me to help in answering support requests, but I also set the proper expectations for my customers (IE, production incidents causing downtime or degraded website experience are handled immediately, but requests can take up to 8 hours to complete)

I'm still not sure if outsourcing is a good idea, nor have I found any party that could support the specific technologies that I've picked (this is a good thing, means I'm getting a good niche)

[dean1012]

What are your technical skills? Are you proficient with Linux (or Windows, depending on your hosting platform) system administration? What about network troubleshooting?

If you feel you are proficient enough to handle most issues then you shouldn't have a problem being a one man shop.

As a relatively new hosting provider myself, I can tell you first hand your ticket load is very likely to be considerably low for the start of your operation. By the time your ticket load is truly too much for you to handle by yourself, you will likely have the money to do something about it.

You can handle it as long as you know what you are doing around Linux or Windows. Customers may have slower response times (especially during night) but they'll usually overlook that if the response quality is top notch.

Just make sure that you have a decent monitoring solution up. If there is an outage, even at 3 AM, you better be up and ready to fix it. That's just about the only thing most customers will not wait on.

[ChainHost-Michael]

Originally Posted by dean1012

What are your technical skills? Are you proficient with Linux (or Windows, depending on your hosting platform) system administration? What about network troubleshooting?

If you feel you are proficient enough to handle most issues then you shouldn't have a problem being a one man shop.

As a relatively new hosting provider myself, I can tell you first hand your ticket load is very likely to be considerably low for the start of your operation. By the time your ticket load is truly too much for you to handle by yourself, you will likely have the money to do something about it.

You can handle it as long as you know what you are doing around Linux or Windows. Customers may have slower response times (especially during night) but they'll usually overlook that if the response quality is top notch.

Just make sure that you have a decent monitoring solution up. If there is an outage, even at 3 AM, you better be up and ready to fix it. That's just about the only thing most customers will not wait on.

I'm very proficient in Linux and Windows system administration. It's what I do currently for a living. I'm not worried about that area of support, I was just worried about not being able to provide quick responses during the night and some times during the day.

But I think your approach is definitely the best. If I get to a point where ticket load is too much for me to handle, that is probably a problem I would be glad to have.

[cpoalmighty]

See if you could setup an automated response after 1 hr of receiving a support problem. That way it will buy you time to check your mail at times when you cant.

Invest in a smart phone which allows you to get automated notifications everytime a mail is received. That way even if you are on the move you will still be able to respond with something in the mean time

[adilbhai]

I would suggest that you keep 100% things in your direct control.

Goto odesk and hire somebody @ around 5$ an hour for 2-3 hours daily. Ask them to log on for 1 hour say after every 2-3 hours.

Hope this helps.

[Autumn Networks - Joe]

Originally Posted by cpoalmighty

See if you could setup an automated response after 1 hr of receiving a support problem. That way it will buy you time to check your mail at times when you cant.

Invest in a smart phone which allows you to get automated notifications everytime a mail is received. That way even if you are on the move you will still be able to respond with something in the mean time

Similar to what I am doing, I do promise a live response within 45 minutes, and use my BlackBerry to accomplish this. I have it set to alert me when a ticket is delivered and wake me if needed. Then I have the time to get up, review the ticket and still respond to it coherently well within my SLA.

This for me is easier than paying someone to wait for tickets overnight when I can do it and save the overhead and pass that savings along to my clients. I am more than experienced to handle those overnight tickets which so far has had relatively low volume.

[generouswebhostin]

You may wish to consider outsourcing.... knowing what you can and cannot do given our limits as humans I wouldn't recommend trying to stay awake 24 hours to answer a customer. You need to be smart and have other people do it for you at times. It is a careful selection process of what to outsource and what to keep in-house. People are always quick to bash outsourcing, but most do not understand how it can be done effectively.

[BarackObama]

With the right tools & trust, outsourcing is the smart way to move ahead.

[Autumn Networks - Joe]

My career has me working for one of the largest communications providers in America. I know first hand how much of a mistake outsourcing can be. It only takes a few bad experiences to paint your customer service as sub-par or down right horrible, and this is all too easy at the hands of an outsourcer.

We routinely use them in an effort to reduce overhead costs, training, recruiting, etc and it shows. We see more problems out of those markets than any other markets in our enterprise. Sure it is great to have someone available to answer your calls or tickets, but at what cost? Have them give out false info? Bad troubleshooting advice?

Remember, it is your brand and company that has to suffer the fallout if your outsourced support is lacking. I would rather lose a few hours of sleep because I was working the tickets than to lose sleep because the provider I chose is ruining my customer base.

[mynehost]

Actually, there is pro and contra. If you are just start up and does not have enough capital, by choosing an outsource company will be the best solutions. it's better than just 1 man show which couldn't even be 24/7.

However, you must studies and research on the chosen outsource company. Check any feedback and review.

You will face consequences if you chosen outsource failed to provide the promised service.

that's only ma 2 cent