previously i have found that a fast responce time coupled with good knolwege a personal interest and freindly is a good combination
and it dosent ever hurt to lean a few lanaguages to offer help where possible even as a member of support if the issue is within their code (happens a lot).
I guess I'm of a different mindset. I don't want the owner providing support on tickets, rather on managing his company - delegating authority to qualified staff while retaining responsibility. I prefer md-sized companies because of the risks going either direction. With smaller companies, you run a greater risk of downtime, directly related to the hosts financial and time restraint resources. With mega-companies, you normally get more features at lower costs, but often lose the personal touch of a dedicated sales rep or technician. Mind you, this is just my preference. There are great providers on every end of the spectrum. This is why it's so important to do your homework (research) upfront.waveweb.com is has really good support they provide live support, ticket support and gmail support, the owner is on most of the day and fixes any problem.