Dealing with the website for your business can be quite scary. If you are unfamiliar with programming and other technical aspects of a website, it can be daunting to be able to make modifications or to deal with the site should there be problems or if adjustments need to be made.
The problem becomes a lot more complicated when you begin to look at such issues as web hosting. There needs to be a physical server where your site is hosted, and you may have points in time where the site fails for some reason. This is where you need a hosting plan that offers exceptional customer service.
Be Aware of the Limitations
While many hosting companies offer exceptional customer service, you should be aware that there are limitations to what they will assist you with. No company is going to make major modifications to your website, and less you are willing to pay them to do so. That can be costly.
However, you should be aware that there are other limitations upon the type and amount of support you are likely to receive. These include:
Communication – while some hosting plans offer you customer support through the phone, most of them are doing so through some form of Internet chat. In this format, you are basically filling out an introductory form of who you are and what the issue is, then chatting back and forth with a technical support agent who is assisting you in dealing with the problem.
While this can be an extremely convenient way to deal with the problem, it also has its shortcomings. It may be hard for you to explain the problem in a typed message, and it can also take longer to resolve the problem as there needs to be continual typing back and forth to explain what the issue is.
Plus, service agents are frequently dealing with several customers at the same time. Thus, you are not the only person that he or she is talking to at that point.
Tickets
Most agents will try to deal with very simple problems to resolve them right away. However, you may find that they have to escalate the issue to a higher level of support. Some hosting plans will not even offer you this additional option and less you pay for it. Others will do so but it may take up to 24 hours for them to even address it. Choose a company that offers a ticket system for escalated issues, but will also deal with it in a timely manner.
Make sure you know about the policies available to you for whatever hosting plan you choose. This will help you to know what kind of support you were going to receive when you need it.