Who would want to run a web hosting business?

[Andy]

With hosting being very cheap and reseller hosting also cheap you can easily re-sell web hosting.

Ideally people sign up via the web, pay their money and go away. But in reality, any tiny problem with hosting gets them on the "live support" call and logging support tickets. This can easily eat away time and profits for a business.

I know (not as a web host) but as a web host customer. I am quick to click the live support button and mobilize all the staff to sort out my problem. Well they put the button there 

But often it's not their problem but even they can't tell 

My most embarrassing moment was when I realised my domain name had expired and I was blaming my hosts for poor server uptime. I have read on forums about other people beating up their hosts when it is a totally different problem.

I can't even work out why my home network is not working sometimes so if I was hosting 2000 sites and every few hours some customer pulled me out of bed to immediately restore their site, I don't know how I would handle it.

So now I am slow to log support requests, rather I learn't about the tools I have at my disposal to test my sites myself. Such as pinging, checking server status etc.

[Hope]

We host over 400 sites. We built them, maintain them and market them. I get calls daily about the clients not seeing their sites. They say it must be our fault. Most of the time it is their fault. I have actually had one client yell at me on the phone. Yes yell, raised voice and all. They told me that they were going to cancel their contract with us because their site had been down for 4 days. They had no email, not site and were losing money. After calming down the client I started some basic tech support. It turns out their ISP shut down their internet access. It took me 3 hours to convince the client that the problem was on their end. If they could not access CNN.com it meant that there was no internet connection. Then they tried to blame us for no internet. I finally told them that we had nothing to do with the internet connection.

I get at least one call a week from clients about email, internet access and web site problems. About 95% is not our problem, but they do not to hear that. They want me to fix the problem. They dont' want to call around to the correct locations to fix the problem. They want it fixed and they want it fixed now.

It is part of my job and I am happy to do what I can to help them however I can. Most of the time I cant' do anything but calm them and point them in the right direction.

[rosie]

Then they tried to blame us for no internet. I finally told them that we had nothing to do with the internet connection.

lol! Tha's funny!-customer from h3LL!

[TexasLady]

After calming down the client I started some basic tech support...  It is part of my job and I am happy to do what I can to help them however I can. Most of the time I cant' do anything but calm them and point them in the right direction.

 

Seems to me most tech support calls require the ability to calm down the customer before anything else can be done.    It's great that you will go the first to last mile with them, Hope.   I bet you get a lot of compliments for your good job, also.    I know I did. 

As a customer assistance advocate for a major cell phone company, I had many such experiences.      So I have learned, any time I get a support person of any type who does a really good job, I not only tell them, I ask to speak to their supervisor to praise them.    May not mean more money to them, but sure means a lot in a tough situation.

[Hope]

I am the same way. I also send an email to the general customer support box. This way more than just the suporviser gets the information.

I don't work in a call center, so all calls are routed to me. I have had a couple of clients call the CEO and say that I was unwilling to fix the problem. I have had fun meetings trying to explain everything I have done to find the problem and point them in the right direction. Now the CEO and President of the company know that they just need to shoot me an email and I will explain why I couldn't help.

I have also had the CEO call me into his office while a client was on the line. The client then told the CEO and I what a great job I had done. Those are the ones I love. They are few and far between though.

[TexasLady]

I have had a couple of clients call the CEO and say that I was unwilling to fix the problem. I have had fun meetings trying to explain everything I have done to find the problem and point them in the right direction.

 

Seems to be a fact, THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT until the facts are known.
YEP, I bet those were "fun" meetings, until they figured out what was really going on.   

Now the CEO and President of the company know that they just need to shoot me an email and I will explain why I couldn't help.

GOOD FOR THEM.    An email is a whole lot better than being called in on the wrong side of the boss's desk.

I have also had the CEO call me into his office while a client was on the line. The client then told the CEO and I what a great job I had done. Those are the ones I love. They are few and far between though.

Makes it a bit easier to take the tough ones, doesn't it?    Of course, like one fellow told me, "don't praise me, cross my palm with silver."    As in, bonus or pay raise, please?