One answer is to outsource your support to another company that specializes in providing this service. There are numerous companies offering their services, but not all are the same, and rates can vary widely. Several factors will determine who you choose, and we will look at what some of those are.

Determine the level of access you are willing to provide your outsourced support team. Will you give them root access, or will you have them forward any tickets that require root access to you? Check the company history, ask if you can talk to current clients, and google them before making a decision.

Also you will need to decide what languages you will need or want to offer support in. While some may say this isn’t a deciding factor in their choice of support provider, offering support in multiple languages can place you higher on a prospective clients hosting list, and help you retain customers you already have. You are, after all, a global business right? Not every client may speak your native language fluently.

Another item to look at is how many tickets per day, week, or month you expect to have in 6 months. This will help you choose between per ticket contracts, or a monthly service contract. If you only get 2 or 3 tickets a day, you probably are handling them yourself at this point, but as you grow, so will the demand on your time for support. If you can get 200 tickets answered for $100.00, or an unlimited contract for $150.00 per month, you need to assess the potential for growth and plan accordingly.

Ticket turnaround time is an important factor in the choice as well. If there is a support request going unanswered for 24 hrs, chances are you may lose that client. Acceptable response/resolution times are in the 1-4 hr range, with some issues requiring additional time. The key is contact. Will they follow up on the request, or provide no information until the problem is resolved?

Ask if their techs have any verifiable certifications in the OS platform you are running. While there are many very competent techs without certification, this is a good indication of skills and possibly an indicator that they will be around for awhile. Make sure they are well versed in the control panel you use as well. Again, ask for references, and check with them.

Just a few of the support outsourcing companies that may be worth a look are:

http://www.bobcares.com
http://www.tripodsupport.com
http://touchsupport.com
http://www.SupportResort.com

among others...just search for outsource support, you’ll find more to choose from.

A different option may be to join a group of webhosters that provide a shared helpdesk, such as http://www.jointsupportforum.com for a monthly or yearly fee. You can also utilize a resource such as http://www.helpdesknetwork.com as a second or third line of support.

Outsourcing support can help lower costs, and raise customer satisfaction in the right situations. Take some time to think about whether it is right for you.

Robert Bohm is the founder of http://www.helpdesknetwork.com. Visit the website for control panel help, promoting, and maintaining websites for hosts and webmasters alike.