Whats the jobs in this industry coming to?

[HostPhax]

It bugs me that people with 3+ years experience are settling for $.25 per ticket, or even free hosting, when doing a support job.

This is just a rant, but I just hate that we're doing this to ourselves!

 

[EvilHaider]

I see where you're coming from. I guess because of the fact there are so many unemployed, there is no shortage of labor of this kind. So even experienced people are having to take a paycut. I'm sure though that there are decent paying positions of this kind if you were to seek them through more "traditional" means rather than through forums.

 

[HostPhax]

Yah I never go through forums. I seek out companies that seem to have a good rep. Oh well for me, i have my own company again, the market is better for owning, rather than working.

 

[AlHost]

It bugs me that people with 3+ years experience are settling for $.25 per ticket, or even free hosting, when doing a support job.

This is just a rant, but I just hate that we're doing this to ourselves!

Hi HostPhax,

I understand what you are saying.

This is how I see it...

I have been offering and providing hosting for a few years now.
There are millions of businesses and individuals ready to set up hosting and software on the net.
Most of them don't have a clue what to do or how to do it.
I don't make a lot of money from hosting.
There are plenty of jobs for all of us.

Most of my income is from installing and setting up free software, writing custom software and server admin for my dedicated server clients.

I get and keep clients by providing top quality service at reasonable prices.

I don't try to compete with the thousands of hosting companys giving it away.
They realy are not giving it away.

Any site owner hosting on a cheep or free host will soon be looking for a reliable host if their site becomes very popular.
The low cost hosting has limitations set so if a site gets too busy they are forced to either upgrade or move.

 

[Esr Tek]

the market is better for owning, rather than working.

True, have you tried for any company's that offer profit sharing over per ticket etc type pay?
(Sure I imagine they're hard to come by, but are out there).
Seems like the best situation to me... What could be better than to know the more you work the more you make 😀

 

[HostPhax]

Interesting point.

 

[Esr Tek]

Opps.. I forgot to add this, and it was the reason I quoted that too 😱

Owning brings a lot of sleepless nights and a ton of worries.
While just being an employee is *much* less stressing.

 

[HostPhax]

Well thats why I came back to owning, I don't have the health problems i had last time, and I have business partners who all depend on the success. Instead of it just being me this time, I have backup.

 

[Esr Tek]

Instead of it just being me this time, I have backup.

See the saying is true... 'You live, You learn' 😀
Congrats I hope it all works well for you 😉

PS- glad to hear you overcome health problems :thumbsup:

 

[HostPhax]

Thanks for that. Yah, I wish that I would have given more thought to the decision last time. But under pressure from doc, i just didn't have the time to go out and search for a partner i trusted (etc... etc...). But it all works out in the end.

 

[whitebreeze]

Well, the going gets tough. I mean, from India or China, you can have a decent technician with a proper english to do lower than just $.25 per ticket. I believe that paying people per tiket is just unefficient. It would be better to pay them hourly 🙂 -- with a note, that person is not a freelancer.

 

[HostPhax]

Yea, that's the problem with U.S. Technicians, cost of living is high, therefore we need more money. Better off finding someone who can handle the billing/customer end of things and starting fresh.

 

[whitebreeze]

Yes. And the worse thing is (probably this is a good thing for me 😛) there are so many script to manage all the things from helpdesk, billing, support, that automates almost everything. All you have to do now is roughly sit in front of your computer 😛

 

[HostPhax]

That's a bad thing for me, which is why I need the partners. It's (according to my doctor) not condusive to Chronic Fatigue rebounders (i can't think of a better word) to sit around.

So ... I'm still looking for alternatives.

 

[HostPhax]

It seems to me per ticket is okay, as long as you have a few other jobs.

(Hence my post in the employment forum to come)

 

[Anjay]

Per ticket pay.... well, it's a very tricky subject.

As some of the people in the start of this post said - there are lots of people who can do this sort of job, and therefore it's the more qualified ones whom have to cut their pay cheque just to get a job.

However, one problem you may find with pay per ticket payment is the fact that person could have their friends send in tickets, they could not even bother giving good and clear responses just so they can rush to do as many tickets as possible.
I've heard quite a few stories of how companies employed remote people with pay per ticket and it ended in an awful mess - then they finally got the idea, in-house and hourly pay is much, much better.

I run a consultancy company, and when a hosting company client asks me or my employees about support staff and how to do it - the reply from me and my employees are always the same: in-house hourly paid.
This is not only improving the lives of people, eg: them getting more and better pay so they can actually afford to live a good life, it's helping the economy and so much more. Even if you're not interested or don't care about all that, at least you know that you'll get - or should - quality staff whom work their hardest.
You may have to fire and hire a bit until you get that perfect team of workers, however it's much more efficient and a lot better.
All my clients have actually done a lot better due to this and their company has not only improved in service but also in reputation.


It is however true - when you go to a forum board, like here or Web Hosting Talk, and you search for jobs.... you won't find anything that is really appealing. Not really if you go to Monster, CWJobs and so on.
For the U.K. - the least pay I think something should get is £1,600 on the hand each month - It's true a lot get less, and it's a shame. The very reason why there are people asking for money from the Government, the very reason why there are "yobs" in England and also other countries.... we're doing it to ourselves and the companies are doing it to us. I'd never accept less than £1,600 in the hand per month if I were living in England, I've some friends who get £5 an hour .... they get barely £1,000 per month and that's with working weekends, public holidays, etc. all without overtime pay.
Not only is it us doing it to ourselves, the companies doing it to us - but it's also the Government. I'm not sure if the American's have heard this, or whether you people will as I don't know how much British news you here over there... however, University fees have just gone up in the U.K. - Quite funny story actually, I was talking with a friend over the phone when it was on T.V. for lots of people to hear, and I heard this awful screaming in the background, not from her house however from the people arround, and it was due to the fact now more people couldn't go to University due to Tony Blair. I knew a person in fact who was in so much debt due to University fees, that it'd be practically impossible for her to get out of it.... however, good old Tony Blair, since he went to University and all that when the Tories were in.... he got it free! 😱
Oh well.... you vote someone in (however I always voted for Tories), and he then bites at you and doesn't let go... sort of reminds me of a video game called Cubivore on the GameCube where you're this little cube of colourless meat and you have to eat other animals to evolve and become the better cubivore - and to do so, you had to lock on and then rip off two or three pieces of meat from that animal, a bit like Tony Blair ripping off his public.

 

[Hurga]

god. Per ticket pay. Some customers tie me up for an hour on the phone. To imagine I would only get $.25 for helping them on the phone for an hour?!

No wonder support is so bad. You have to speed through the tickets in order to even make minimum wage. (ie: 27 tickets in one hour equals $6.75)

 

[Howard K]

Hi HostPhax,

I understand what you are saying.

This is how I see it...

I have been offering and providing hosting for a few years now.
There are millions of businesses and individuals ready to set up hosting and software on the net.
Most of them don't have a clue what to do or how to do it.
I don't make a lot of money from hosting.
There are plenty of jobs for all of us.

Most of my income is from installing and setting up free software, writing custom software and server admin for my dedicated server clients.

I get and keep clients by providing top quality service at reasonable prices.

I don't try to compete with the thousands of hosting companys giving it away.
They realy are not giving it away.

Any site owner hosting on a cheep or free host will soon be looking for a reliable host if their site becomes very popular.
The low cost hosting has limitations set so if a site gets too busy they are forced to either upgrade or move.

 

[CrazyTech]

It bugs me that people with 3+ years experience are settling for $.25 per ticket, or even free hosting, when doing a support job.

This is just a rant, but I just hate that we're doing this to ourselves!

I can agree with you there. I just recently made a post over at WHT looking for some on-the-side technical support work. I had a few decent offers but quite often people would come to me with proposals of $0.xx/ticket which IMHO is plain ridiculous for anyone who does real work. I'm afraid that some kids and even adults have sold themselves short much too often and this is the result of it.

The jobs are out there though, you just have to find them. I found one good offer and I couldn't ask for more at this point.