Providing Customer Support To Your Hosting Clients

Hosting company needs to provide good customer service to succeed. From past experience I know how annoying it can be for a client if their host doesn't have a good support system in place. Many clients will expect fast replies to their support questions, and if you cannot supply this you may start to lose clients.

For a hosting company to be successful, they must be able to attract new clients to their service and keep their old ones. A host can build a large customer base in a few months, the hard job is keeping their clients.

The Types of Support Services

There are many different ways a host can offer customer support to their clients, I have listed just a few below:

Email Support

Telephone

Support Desk

Live Chat

Knowledge Base

Many hosts now offer 24/7 support as well, any new host should consider offering customer support around the clock, it can cost a lot to run this type of support service, however many clients do expect 24 hour support.

Email Support : This is a basic support system using emails, it can be a slow form of communication if the host or customer only checks their email inbox every hour for example. I would recommend providing an email address which clients can use to contact the support staff.

Telephone : Many hosting companies do offer phone support, however not all clients will use this method to contact the host. If the host can answer the phone for every call this can be a very quick method for answering clients' questions. The costs associated with telephone support can be relatively low, if no free phone number is provided. This type of support isn't necessary if the host provides other effective methods of contact.

Support Desk :I would recommend any new host to invest in a support desk, it can combine email support, FAQ (frequently asked questions), knowledge base, articles, and also allows for an online record of all replies.

Basically when a client needs support, they log into the support desk, create a ticket and when a support representative is free they can access the question (ticket) and reply online. Once the reply has been processed by the system, the client usually receives an email.

The advantages of a support desk means that a host can usually add unlimited departments and support staff, which means the host company can use outsourced support options, where another company can answer the support questions whenever needed.

The software required can range from nothing up to around $1000, many do have the same features. I would recommend that a host provides a support desk, but before they invest in one, shop around and ensure that they purchase one right for their needs.

Live Chat : Nearly every internet users has used some form of instant messenger service, this is what live chat is, it provides a platform for the support staff and customer to talk over the internet in real-time.

This is a very useful support service, and can be low in cost as well. There are many live chat services around, again I would recommend shopping around.

Knowledge Base : You can provide a question and answers section online for the most commonly answered questions. This can stop different clients contacting the support desk with the same questions, which can be time consuming and quite frankly annoying.

I would recommend provide this type of support, as it will save time and money in the long run and can be very easy to set-up.

Forum : A online forum provide a platform for your customers to contact each other, and ask questions. Providing a forum can reduce the number of support requests you receive each month because another member may be able to offer help.

An example of an online hosting forum is Web Hosting Complete (http://www.whcomplete.com), this forum offers free web hosting tutorials and articles to it's members. Web Hosting Complete does not sell hosting services it's self, so if you as a host and are not prepared to offer a forum to your clients you should consider linking to a site like this. As the forum site does not sell hosting there shouldn't be much competition and you benefit from the site because they are providing free support to your clients.

Providing good customer support can cost money, however I believe that this is well worth as happy customers will generate more income.

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Top 6 Things Not to Do With Angry Customers

1. Don't make threats. Have you ever said this, "If you don't calm down, I'm not going to help you." Or, "If you continue to yell at me, I'm going to have no choice but to terminate this phone call." If you've ever made these, or similar, statements, I'd bet that your sole intent was to regain control of the conversation. But the problem is, your customer perceives this type of language as threatening and it does not make them back down and it does not create calm. Try a phrase like this instead: "I really want to help you, but your tone/language is making it really hard for me to do that." And then pause for 2-3 seconds to let your words resonate with the customer.

2. Don't argue. Trust me on this one - you can never win an argument with a customer. Certainly, you can prove your point and even have the last word, In a discussion on the futility of arguing with people, Dale Carnegie once said "you may be right, but as far as changing your customer's mind is concerned, you will probably be just as futile as if you were wrong." Your goal in complaint situations is to retain the customer, not to be right. If you win the argument, you may very well have lost the customer. Carnegie encourages us to carefully consider some hard questions before going to battle with customers: "Is my reaction one that will relieve the problem, or will it just relieve frustration? Will my reaction drive my customer further away? What price will I pay if I win (the argument)?" Carnegie advises, "The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it." By the way, customers will spread negative word-of-mouth advertising to 50 people if they get into argument with you!

3. Don't hang up on the customer. I realize I sound conservative on this one, but I stand firm. If you hang up on a customer who is already livid, do you think a "disconnect" helps the situation or hurts the situation? The customer still has the problem and most customers won't give up their fight because you chose to hit the flash button. Most will call back and guess what? They will be angrier than ever AND it will cost far more in time and money to resolve the issue. If you just can't handle the customer, offer to transfer to a supervisor or co-worker.

4. Don't make the customer feel helpless. I cringe every time I hear an employee say, "This is all I can do." When customers feel helpless, some will resort to whatever they feel it takes to get their needs met. This behavior may include yelling, demanding to speak to a supervisor, or starting a blog about your company. This simple phrase changes the entire tone of a tough situation: "Mr. Bryant, what I can do is?"

5. Don't raise your voice. When I want my five-year-old daughter to use her "inside voice", I don't yell, "Lauren, USE YOUR INSIDE VOICE!" I speak in my "inside voice" with the expectation that she will mirror the calm tone of my voice - and she does without any further prompting from me. We must use the same technique with demanding customers. Escalating your voice when dealing with an upset customer will not create calm. It will only incite your customer. Lowering your voice presents you as confident, in control, and credible. In many cases your angry customer will begin to calm down because he realizes his intimidation tactic (yelling) isn't working. Try making one of these statements in a low volume when dealing with an angry customer. "What can I do to help?" or "What can I do to fix this situation?"

6. Don't tell a customer she is wrong. You will be smart to never tell a customer s/he is wrong or mistaken. Telling a person they are wrong arouses opposition and will make the customer want to battle with you. (Ever tell your spouse they are wrong?) It's difficult, under even the most benign conditions to change people's minds. So why make it harder by starting out on the wrong foot? If you know your customer is wrong, it's better to start off saying, "I thought the contract read otherwise, but let's take a look."

The next time you find yourself the target of verbal abuse from an angry customer, keep in mind these six "don'ts" and you'll be well on your way to getting the angry customer to back down and regaining control of the conversation.

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