Re-seller tech support from HostGator

I have looked to see if this question is on the FAQs or forum and have not seen it so I will ask here.

If I open a reseller account, and host websites for other business, and if they need technical support, who supports them? I obviously cannot provide 24/7 support (I have a day job).

Thanks!
Mike

[Serra]

HG doesn't supply support for your customers, just for you. This is one problem with reselling, you can't provide 24/7 support yourself. More like 4-6/7 You can buy a third party support package, but the cost will be far too high unless you have a large number of customers to cover it.

The best way around this is to support via email and have the email go to your cell phone/blackberry/cleo. This will work until you get big enough to support an external help desk.

One key is to avoid customers who constantly need support. Some clients are just needy....

Yes, that is what I suspected. I design websites, and would only offer webhosting accounts to those customers who really want hosting. And you are right, some customers need a lot of support (high maintenace), or don't really listen to what you have to say.

For example, I recently redesigned a website, and the customer uses an el cheapo webhost - no cgi, no stats, built in scripts, no nothing...He gets website space and that is it. It took me two weeks of emails and phone calls to the web hosting company to get a subdomain installed on his account, something that takes a sys admin a few minutes....I have tried to promote him moving to a webhost that will provide more features for only $10 to $15 month, and it falls on deaf ears...oh well. I finally added "free" guestbooks and stat counters to his website, something that in most web accounts is part of the package. I asked my customer why these were "free" because they cost someone money? He didn't really know. Of course they are "free" because it drives traffic to their websites/severs hosting the "free" web tools, and lo and behold we see revenue generators such as affiliate links and Google adsense, etc...

Anyway, Serra, you answered my question, thank you. (I did check out your webhosting website. Very nice, good job!)

I would get a reseller account to host multiple domains of mine, and with select customers offer hosting accounts - making it clear that tech support response is limited...

Thanks.

Mike

[Serra]

Originally Posted by MikeD

I would get a reseller account to host multiple domains of mine, and with select customers offer hosting accounts - making it clear that tech support response is limited..

I wouldn't say "limited", say "personalized"

Many, Many clients would rather have you call them back and email them back with personal service, which is far better than the level of support you get from HG, so your support is a value added service for them.

Because they already are doing business with you, they will understand that you aren't a 24/7 operation. When you fix their problems the first time, they will be very happy and not being 24/7 doesn't seem so important.

Of course, some clients will want to call you in the middle of the night. For those clients, just buy a Baby account from HG and they can call HG all they like!

[w98]

haha serra is humrous
HG will not serve your client ,as most webhosting companys do ,they only serve their direcrt customers.for a reseller you need to serve your clients yourself,but if your clients have too more questions before he buy it,you should think if you will let this one be your client.or the maintaince is too much!!and perhaps you could not bear that!

[Serra]

Originally Posted by w98

haha serra is humrous
HG will not serve your client ,as most webhosting companys do ,they only serve their direcrt customers.for a reseller you need to serve your clients yourself,but if your clients have too more questions before he buy it,you should think if you will let this one be your client.or the maintaince is too much!!and perhaps you could not bear that!

That is what I mean. If a client is too much trouble or wants to call in the middle of the night, the I buy them a baby account under their name and give them the contact information for HG. HG will support them because they are HG customers... not mine.

HG will not serve your client ,as most webhosting companys do

I've never had a hosting company that would service my reseller clients. I can't see how they could do that.

Originally Posted by Serra

I've never had a hosting company that would service my reseller clients. I can't see how they could do that.

Actually I never seen one neither. You have no idea how bad that could be for you. The time to support direct customers would have to be reduced. I'm pretty sure of it.

Also, it would be difficult for customer support representatives as well. I am sure that a few mistakes would happen. Imagine one of us supporting your clients and in the end by mistake saying "Thanks for using JohnDoeHosting.com" or something like that. When you provide support to 1000's of companies' customers, that can happen easily.

It's simply not doable, in my opinion.

[Serra]

Originally Posted by GatorAndre

Also, it would be difficult for customer support representatives as well. I am sure that a few mistakes would happen. Imagine one of us supporting your clients and in the end by mistake saying "Thanks for using JohnDoeHosting.com" or something like that. When you provide support to 1000's of companies' customers, that can happen easily.

That is a completely different issue than I was thinking about. Right now HG supports a lot of resellers, but each reseller has a knowledge level above average or soon will. That reduces the amount of support tickets because as a reseller's knowledge goes up, they need support less and less. Assume that every reseller has 20 clients, most of whom are totally clueless and aren't interested in learning about their hosting account nor doing any of their own customer service, so they use support a lot. The demand on HG's support would be so high that it would be impossible to get a problem fixed.

Now, HG could offer a customer support line for reseller's customers and charge resellers when their customers use the support line, but the cost would far exceed the fee the resellers are charging their customers.