3rd Party Support Services

[morph]

Who has used 3rd party outsourced help desk support services, and how did it work out for you?

 

[zomex]

I haven't used any before, I've seen mixed reviews about going this route.

Personally I believe it will harm a business rather than benefit it.

 

[cheapdedicated]

For a small business you will need more closer support that outsourced support will not offer. However for much bigger providers outsourcing my come in handy. Its important to have a very comprehensive knowledgebase before you head for outsourced support. Many times the knowledgebase will be the reference point for the support advisors.

 

[ExonHost]

bobcares will be good for outsource support.

 

[cheapdedicated]

If you still have a small client base and you have the techinical know how, I would advise you hire some support advisors in house to give you a hand but not outsource but if your support need noes beyond 7 support advisors every 6 hours then you may outsource.

 

[UltratechHostS]

OSTicket will be a best Option

 

[ExonHost]

OSTicket will be a best Option

OP didn't ask recommendation for HelpDesk software.

 

[cheapdedicated]

OSTicket will be a best Option

I think you got this thread wrong. Besides if I had to choose between OS ticket and the in built ticketing for WHMCS am sure you know what I would choose and that is what we use WHMCS support system

 

[Hostfolks]

We don't use them, but I can see they can be useful as a leg up early on before you hire more real/local people to fill your roles.

 

[VpsAG]

As far as I know a dedicated team is quite expensive and you might end up giving all your profit on support. While a shared one is cheaper, you would have problems with availability and it might damage your brand in the end.

 

[jakeh]

Who has used 3rd party outsourced help desk support services, and how did it work out for you?

It depends on the team you choose. There are good support service providers and there are poor performers like in every field.

In some cases your hosting provider can offer support for your clients as well

 

[LorisZ]

you can check with live help messenger, Its user friendly and comes with more features like, save chat, mail conversation to client, you can even track the visitors, number of visitors and their IP addresses and etc.

 

[nixtree]

There are 1000's of companies providing outsourcing support and each ones plans will be different and you may need to match them with your needs and should choose the most suitable one. Or try to contact them and check for any custom quote as per your need

 

[praveenk]

Solution

Who has used 3rd party outsourced help desk support services, and how did it work out for you?

Basically in market many freelancers and outsourced company present, who provides support for web hosting clients and they are doing well for first few months only. You need to test the companies quality instead of looking freelancers because companies having good infrastructure as compare to freelancers.

Are you looking to outsource ticket system support and live chat support or only ticket system support?

 

[Blue rock hosting]

Never used it my self, But have had other people say not so good things about it.

 

[hostslim]

Is there a reason why you won't hire local staff?

 

[NameShark]

As a startup the cost of hiring a staff will be prohibitive. It can be more cost effective to outsource some services such as tech support. However, the problem you run into is controlling the ticket times and quality of service provided.

As was mentioned by Jake from Innohosting earlier there are hosts that provide end user support free. However, again do your homework. Some provide excellent end user support such as Innohosting and their track record proves it from their reviews. Others you should test first.

Bobcares is one of the bigger ones, but have never used them. Prices from each varies as well. So you will need to determine the budget you have available if you decide to go the route of third party support.

 

[whmcsguru]

Is outsourced support worth it? Sure
You need to do some pretty in depth research though, to find out what is going to work for you.

 

[bigredseo]

Years ago, we had looked at outsourcing some of our web hosting support to a support company - after 24 hours, we terminated the relationship. That company went out of business in 2010/2011 I think.

We went the route of hiring individuals however and that worked out just fine. Most of our staff were actual employees, which meant taxes in multiple states, but it was better for us overall. We did utilize two contractors for support and we had no issues there either. They were with us for probably 3 years until I sold the company.

 

[MikeDVB]

Honestly - outsourcing will work fine so long as whoever you are outsourcing it to is competent and reliable.

We outsource our Accounting to a local accounting firm - we outsource our Payroll to Gusto.

Do we have support staff on-hand with a third party company for any times we can't cover / if we become overwhelmed / etc ...? Yes.

It makes a huge difference who you are, how much you pay them, and how close you watch them to ensure they are following your company policies and providing your customers support in-line with what your customers expect.

There's nothing inherently wrong with outsourcing so long as you don't just expect to hire them, let them handle everything without any oversight, and for things to remain quality in the long term.

I mean technically companies that hire staff as 1099 Contract Employees are outsourcing their support to a lot of individuals.