ensure your host offers decent technical support

It is the role of any reliable hosting firm to take full responsibility for its hardware, software, and operating environment so that webmasters can focus solely upon running their businesses.

If a hosting company is truly committed to this objective, then its technical support must be stellar. Customer care, therefore, is always a major consideration before choosing a Web host.

Determining whether the technical support offered is dependable is an important issue. Some hosting companies claim that they have technicians working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year in their operation centers maintaining mission-critical systems. While this fact maybe true, many companies make no claim about whether their support team is qualified to respond to customers problems.

Due to the unprecedented demand for IT professionals, many Web hosts cannot find employees that are formally trained in operating systems and network technologies. Other firms allot so much money to advertising and marketing, that technical support becomes a secondary priority. In both cases, customers suffer because they cannot access immediate or useful assistance. So, before you select a host, ensure that you put its support to the test.

First, call up technical support and ask to be walked through the basic routines needed to maintain your site. Ask the technical support technician whether he or she is available at regular intervals. Ask the technician whether he or she went through a corporate or professional training program in order to qualify for the job. If the technician is assisting you with a Windows NT-based request, ask whether he or she has a Microsoft certification and at what level. Ask the support technician how long he or she has been working with the company.

Determine how sophisticated customer tracking and billing is by asking the technician to pull information about your account. This will give you an indication whether the company has automated systems to track technical inquiries. Further, ask the technician whether the firm provides an online "knowledge base" or "technical support center." If the company does, make sure to inspect its support documentation to determine whether it is specific to your intended service.

These tests will give you a strong indication whether the technical support is reliable, or questionable. Remember that you will need to trust any host you select to deliver timely and useful support on issues that can affect your income.