Do you aprecieted if you hosting provider give you a free number to call if you need help ?

TinyTunnel_Tom

For things like enabling fuse a ticket is the best thing.

For non production machine being down live chat would be best

For production stuff i would like to scream down a phone line

erkin

No offence but I suspect a few biased answers here My short answer is a "yes". Phone support is a must and if its toll free then it is the best.

AIC

@evilghaleon said:
I prefer a ticket if there is an issue that needs to be solved. It's often easier to explain something via text, and I like things to be in writing.
@evilghaleon said:
I prefer a ticket if there is an issue that needs to be solved. It's often easier to explain something via text, and I like things to be in writing.

I do agree with you. its better to have written when ever there is a mess.

Ole_Juul

Phone contact is a luxury item that's only of use in very rare cases. Probably not worth the candle.

TheKiller

Support tickets and live chat are enough for solving customer problems.

tehdan

No - it's just more cost for the provider (ie customer) in low end scenarios. If your service doesn't work as advertised and reliably I'll just go somewhere else. I also want you replying promptly to my tickets and not hand holding n00bs who jump the queue by calling up. If n00bs are your market however, this is a great way to go (broke).

TinyTunnel_Tom

Plus its always funny trolling a phone number. Best one is @davidgestiondbi's

dlaxotn2

Ticket or live chat is more appropriate i believe.

Droidzone

@leapswitch said:
Each customer prefers different methods of communication, so if you can, do offer phone support. I recommend against toll free phones, as it just increases the duration of each call. As long as the customer is paying for the call, he will atleast try to keep it short. With toll free, some customers might ask you to remain on hold till they try out something or till you resolve the issue.

Well, if the provider makes the customer jump through hoops to navigate the ivrs options, I'd rather prefer a toll free.

That being said, a ticket response has always been adequate for vps issues so far. Maybe if the provider was local, I'd prefer a telephone call, but I've not come across a decent Indian provider with international vps sales in a lowend budget.

Profforg

I prefer tickets over phone.

jvnadr

For some providers here, the phone support would be something like:

• DDRRRRNNnnnn
• (An old lady's high pitch trembling voice answering) Hello, dear?
• Hi, I'm calling for a request for my unmanaged vps. I would like to add some ram and open port...
• Whaaat, dear? What door is open? let me lo....
• ...No, no,, isn't there summertimehost dot com? Mr. Nick Providerus?
• Summer, what? Ahh, You want Nicolas? Just a moment (voice much louder, now) NIIICOLAS! COME HERE, BOY, SOMEONE IS ASKING FOR YOU ON THE TELEPHONE!!
• (voice heard on the depth) WHAT, GRANMA'? IM TAKING BATH, NOW.
• (Again the old lady on the phone) Sorry, my dear, Nickolas can't talk you now. Are you his friend from the school?
• //Click// Beep -beep - beep -

vfuse

I've never used phone support from any provider in the last ~10 years, prefer live support/chat or tickets (as long as everything is integrated into one panel, most annoying thing is if you have to have seperate accounts for management/billing/support)

cociu

@jvnadr lol

mint

@XIAOSpider97 said:
When I called RackSpace via Skype for verification, I think Americans are speaking too fast... I am not a native English speaker so I always apologize and ask them to speak slowly...

I prefer tickets...

American English isn't really fast or hard to listen though, but I know your feels since I'm not native speaker too. people screaming words too hard...

Pwner

@Die_Quelle said:
If the support is in your mother tongue, support calls are everytime good.

I can assure you that's not the case with AT&T and Comcast.