December 10, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Web hosts really hashed out the topic of outsourcing support in recent forum discussions, with posters weighing in with widely different views of the practice. Opinions ranged from endorsement of outsourcing, to advice to limit outsourced support to customer relations and not tech support, to warnings that outsourcing is a recipe for bad blood with clients or even exposure of financial information. Regardless of the different views and stories of outsourcing ease and outsourcing nightmares, there appeared to be an appreciation of the significance of electing to outsource support and the importance of selecting an organization, since they are often the customer's experience of a company.
"I am looking into outsourcing my tech support, I've heard of a couple small companys [sic] out there who do this, I'm wondering if anyone here has any suggestions regarding companys, if this is a bad idea, good idea, or just plain insane," the thread started.
The initial response was one rejecting outsourcing as a risky proposal that could compromise customer or company data. Other concerns centered mostly on having another organization, one that might not be as zealous or dedicated as the actual host that is outsourcing support, be the face of one's company. There was both criticism and praise for different companies providing outsourced support, but there was total agreement on the importance of due diligence when picking a provider of outsourced skills or services.
"Every time a customer communicates with the company, his view about the company changes either positive or negative and it largely effects the probablility [sic] of that customer continuing with you, repeating purchase or recommending your product/service to others... In short every communication decides the future of your company," said one response in the thread. "So whatever you choose, make sure it's best. If you can't afford to setup a 24hr support center with skilled executives, it is better to outsource than to frustrate customer. But it is very necessary to outsource to someone who not only is technically skilled, but understands the importance of your customer and takes them seriously."
There was a similar theme to an older HostingDiscussion (hostingdiscussion.com) thread in which outsourcing opponents insisted no one could monitor and maintain sufficient service and support levels better than the people behind the business. However, others argued that it can be difficult to provide adequately skilled, round-the-clock support without farming out some of the work. In addition, some posters said the time zone differences of offshore support staff would allow Web hosts to easily cover all hours through outsourcing.
Yet there was still uncertainty for many who expressed concern that language would be a barrier, and that their companies’ relationships with customers would be in jeopardy in the hands of outsourced help. One poster, who indicated he had seen language issues in ISP support, said outsourcing is not suited to smaller companies, which can typically handle the technical and customer support issues of the organization. However, the same poster indicated there is a time for outsourcing.
"If you can afford to outsource to a support group that doesn't have problems with language/accent barrier – [outsourcing] can be quite helpful," the post said. "Really, though, a host needs to consider how many calls they get from customers and whether or not their current staff can handle that volume."
Some of the same concerns over language and image were voiced again more recently in a HostHideout (hosthideout.com) discussion, which again centered on the wisdom of outsourcing. After the point was made that outsourcing is an effective way to enlist a large number of developers and a manager for them, one participant in the discussion asked about the English skills of the people to be outsourced.
"The project managers have very nice skills," the next post said in response. "You meeting (sic) with manager, and manager work with developers."
The thread continued with some criticism of the way outsourced help tickets are handled, compared to how a hosting provider that is actually running the business would do it. In the end, the votes for and against outsourcing were nearly equal in the different discussions. The main point of those who did recommend outsourcing support, however, was to research to find a good provider, and to be prepared to pay higher fees for the better companies.
