Quiz Your Provider's Technical Support
Determining the level of technical support offered by a hosting firm is a must. If anything goes wrong with your site, you need to know whom you are calling. Are the customer care representatives qualified technicians? Are they helpful? Friendly? Is there customer “care”?
The Truth Behind 24/7 Technical Support
Hosting companies claim that their technicians work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. That they market this promise so aggressively reveals a problem. While this in fact may be true – that customer care centers are stocked with agents ready at their phones and computers – their numbers prove that whomever is on that phone may not be helpful.
Due to the unprecedented demand for IT professionals, many Web hosts cannot find employees that are formally certified in Operating Systems and network technologies. Customer Care Representative is low title in a hosting company. Experienced technicians work elsewhere in the company, and they do not take your calls.
It is the task of wise webmasters to size up the expertise of a hosting company's support staff before making the fateful decision concerning where to host their Web sites.
Test the Technical Support Before You Commit to a Web Host
Before choosing a host, put their support to the test. Call technical support and ask them a few questions. Ask the technician whether he or she went through a corporate or professional training program in order to qualify for the job. If you will have Windows NT-based questions, ask whether the technician a Microsoft certification. Ask the support technician how long he or she has been working with the company. Determine whether technicians are knowledgeable by listening and assessing their tone of voice. Are they certain of their answers? Do they put you on hold? Are those answering the phones the technician or just operators that will connect you to the technicians?
These questions will give webmasters a strong sense whether the technical support is reliable or questionable. Remember that a good host is one that cares and offers to you what you and your business deserves, timely and useful support.