The Basics of Customer Service in Web Hosting
Web Hosting
The one reason many small hosting companies fail within the first six months is because of the lack of support. When a potential client visits a web hosting company site, they expect to see some sign of customer service. If you run a web hosting company, you need to provide some sort of customer support for your clients. If the server’s go down you will have a bunch of unhappy customers trying to get in touch with you. If you visit the website for some of the largest hosting companies, you will see that they have been awarded with awards for offering the best customer support for a specific year. This clearly tells you how important customer service is in the web hosting business.
Whether you are a web hosting business owner or someone looking to purchase hosting services, you need to consider the various forms of customer support offered by companies. Potential clients need to be aware of the scams that happen over customer support conversations and interactions. The following are three methods by which a hosting company could offer support services to its clients.
Ticket Support/Email Support: This is the oldest form of web hosting customer support, and it is still being used by a large number of companies. When it comes to web hosting business owners, offering this form of support is the cheapest solution. Email support does not cost a penny more for hosting businesses, so this is one reason why it is so prominent. There are several disadvantages to having email or ticket support, because there is a delay in response time. Depending on the email client, emails take several minutes to get delivered. Even if it gets delivered in time, there is no chance of getting an instant reply.
Live Chat/IM Support: Support offered through live chat is great, as you are actually speaking to someone. Large hosting companies have a limited number of people working in live chat, so one person will be handling more than one client. Even with live chat you will experience a delay in responses, but overall it is a better solution when compared to email support. For web hosting businesses, it can cost a little to offer live chat service to clients, but it is a trusted method of communication. At the end of your chat session, you will be able download the chat, just in case you need it later.
Toll Free Phone Support: Phone support has been around for a long time, but with the web hosting business it only started within the past decade or so. Phone support is amazing, as you are speaking to someone and they are only helping you. The communication will be much clearer, so you will be able to get things done while on the phone. Some new hosting companies may add a fake toll free number, so you should make sure to call it prior to purchasing their hosting services. If a hosting companies offers toll free phone support, you can rely on them for future customer service requests.
