5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

How To Handle Reseller Hosting Support For Clients

by UMS
4 replies
I've seen a gap in the market for web hosting in my area, so I'm thinking of getting a reseller hosting account.

One aspect I'd like some advice on is how to handle support requests. Is a online support ticket system, email and phone number enough for most cases?

Obviously I can't be available 24x7, so the support hours would have to be limited (unless I started to outsource it). Does anyone with reseller experience have some feedback on how difficult and important the support aspect is?
#clients #handle #hosting #reseller #support
  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    I'm at the point now where I am just going to get a dedicated server and create cpanel accounts for each offline client I have.

    I believe this is a better solution instead of using a reseller account. Get a managed dedicated server, look into it.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5463359].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Christian Little
      Originally Posted by UMS View Post

      One aspect I'd like some advice on is how to handle support requests. Is a online support ticket system, email and phone number enough for most cases?
      A ticket system is usually more than enough to work with client support. If you want to offer a phone number go for it, but expect calls at unusual hours. A ticket system has the added bonus of keeping a record of everything in case you forgot something that was mentioned during a support call.

      We recommend WHMCS to everybody that asks us about this, it's an amazing platform and it's what we use to support our clients.

      Originally Posted by UMS View Post

      Obviously I can't be available 24x7, so the support hours would have to be limited (unless I started to outsource it). Does anyone with reseller experience have some feedback on how difficult and important the support aspect is?
      How much experience you have with managing web servers/websites (i.e. if a clients' site starts throwing 500 errors do you know the #1 cause of that problem?)

      If you outsource, finding a good support company is very hard, there's not many out there and the good ones tend to charge a lot of money.

      Originally Posted by Rus Sells View Post

      I'm at the point now where I am just going to get a dedicated server and create cpanel accounts for each offline client I have.

      I believe this is a better solution instead of using a reseller account. Get a managed dedicated server, look into it.
      Dedicated servers are expensive, especially if you are just starting out.

      Managed dedicated servers don't provide end user support, they provide support to YOU. So you would still need to be the medium between your clients and the managed support team.
      Signature
      cPanel Shared and Reseller Web Hosting - 30 Day Free Trial Exclusive for Warriors!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5463393].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author UMS
        Originally Posted by Christian Little View Post

        A ticket system is usually more than enough to work with client support. If you want to offer a phone number go for it, but expect calls at unusual hours. A ticket system has the added bonus of keeping a record of everything in case you forgot something that was mentioned during a support call.
        Do you think not having a phone number is a turn off for some people? Does it lower the trust of your site/service?
        Signature
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5465030].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Christian Little
          Originally Posted by UMS View Post

          Do you think not having a phone number is a turn off for some people? Does it lower the trust of your site/service?
          I think people favor seeing a phone number, even though 99% of them won't use it. Live Chat is also a good feature, we had that running on our site for a while but took it off after a while.

          We stick to the ticket-based system because it's a good way to keep things organized, and I can review tickets that my staff have responded to to make sure they are doing a good job.

          Once you get into phone systems, things get expensive, especially if you want to record all the calls for QA and review.
          Signature
          cPanel Shared and Reseller Web Hosting - 30 Day Free Trial Exclusive for Warriors!
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5465060].message }}

Trending Topics