# How To Contact Support, Properly.



## ElliotJ (May 19, 2013)

Many a time we've seen threads arise due to 'poor support' and slow turnaround times.

Whilst there's the unavoidable fact that the provider can be slow to respond, it's always a good idea to make their understanding of your problems *as clear as possible*.

Keep the upper hand by giving them all the tools they need to resolve your ticket as quickly as possible.

These pointers are written from my own experiences with receiving support and giving support.

*1. Read Their Terms Of Service*

It's important for you to get a grasp on what you can/can't expect from your provider.

Although you should do it before ordering services, have another read through just to make sure your request is reasonable.

The vast majority of providers on this forum are unmanaged which means besides the hardware and network aspects of your server, you're on your own.

If you're having an issue with a particular piece of software, they'll be unable to help you however may point you in the right direction to get help. Better still, you can always ask on forums like this when you're having an issue. Generally speaking, people are pretty helpful in diagnosing, troubleshooting and resolving server related problems. 

*2. Appropriate Ticket Priority & Title*

Although your problem may be annoying you, unless the server is completely offline refrain from using 'High Priority'.

Questions regarding upgrades, downgrades and cancellations should realistically be placed under the 'Low Priority' category.

Performance issues, depending on the severity should be Low/Medium priority.

Try and keep down to a few words, 'Slow Network Throughput', 'High Disk Latency' and 'Service Cancellation' are directly relevant to the problem at hand. Y U NO MAKE HAPPY' probably won't be too helpful, neither will 'YOU'RE LOSING ME MONEY'.

*3. Clear & Polite Language*

Although their service might be a tad awful at the time, you'll be talking to human beings. Remember that how you interact with them will influence how they interact with you.

Try to be courteous, don't give them an excuse to lower the priority of your ticket.

If English isn't your native language, it may be a good idea to first attempt to articulate your problem in English, but write the same below in your native language. If the employees are having trouble understanding you, a quick Google Translate might be able to clear things up.

*4. Provide Relevant Information*

Provide evidence for your problem - This may be in the form of benchmarks, traceroutes or outputs from other statistic generating programmes. Also, make it clear that it's an ongoing and not a sporadic problem by generating your evidence at different times.

*5. Be Patient*

If you're dealing with an unmanaged service, understand that there may be a wait until you get a response.

Response times may be dependent on your timezone, the provider's timezone, whether it's the weekend or not, public holidays, etc.

*6. Be Appreciative*

As pathetic as it may seem, it's important to maintain your relationship with your provider. If you're a nuisance, they'll remember it.

In the future you may really need them on your side, for example if you're the victim of a DDoS attack; _don't give them another reason to kick you out._

If I've missed anything, give me a buzz and I'll add it on.


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## shovenose (May 19, 2013)

Awesome article.

Also, please remember to read the terms of service first, and if you are unsure whether your application for the VPS will violate it or not, open a sales ticket and ask, before signing up.


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## Eased (May 19, 2013)

Good guide. Sometimes when people are in a panic + rush to open a ticket to resolve a problem, the rule book goes out the window regardless.


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## 365Networks (May 19, 2013)

Hope more people read this... thanks!


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## Damian (May 19, 2013)

This IS a good post. A lot of customers seem to expect that they're receiving an enterprise-grade product for a few dollars per month and lose scope of, well, everything.

http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4045688.html is a good article entitled "The Customer is Always Right (Unless they are Wrong)" with a focus on the hotel industry, but still quite relevant.


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## BlackoutIsHere (May 19, 2013)

Damian said:


> enterprise-grade product for a few dollars per month


 
That would be absurd.  Most hosts try hard but unmanaged budget providers aren't under some huge contract with you.


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## ElliotJ (May 19, 2013)

Damian said:


> This IS a good post. A lot of customers seem to expect that they're receiving an enterprise-grade product for a few dollars per month and lose scope of, well, everything.


Also clients spending $3 generally need more hand-holding than those spending significantly more


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## GVH-Jon (May 19, 2013)

Keep in mind that Google Translate does not work for every language, notably French.


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## Hassan (May 19, 2013)

This thread is on point, I always try to be courteous in my support tickets, explaining the problem and what I've already tried, and then always thanking them before closing the ticket.


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## TheLinuxBug (May 19, 2013)

ElliotJ said:


> Also clients spending $3 generally need more hand-holding than those spending significantly more



This is a two sided problem:

First, this is because people have gotten the idea that they are getting the same product as they would with enterprise grade, just they have been lucky enough to have found an awesome deal (What LET has basicly promoted with its bloated resources for low prices).  They do not actually stop to consider that the price reflects the level of support they should expect, especially in the 'low end' market place. It is also very common for many clients not to read the TOS/AUP and then complain when their server is suspended for breaking the rules. While this is not your fault as a provider, it still can lead to customers not understanding the limitations set forth on the service and becoming frustrated.

Secondly, this is not always the customers fault. While some providers go out of the way to explain in their advertisements the expectations the customer should have for support, others do not.  It often seems the ones who don't do this are the first to complain when they get a bunch of customers wanting managed support or 'hand-holding' from customers on their 'low end' product tier. As a Provider or Host, setting the correct customer expectations from the start is one of the best things you can do to build a successful business relationship with your customer, in my opinion, even at the low end.  Even though it may feel like its over the top and you may get a few less impulse buyers, you will end up with many more happy and long term customers from it.

Regardless of the approach chosen by the provider when advertising, as a Provider or Host, when you get a ticket from a customer where they are requesting something beyond the means of their account, be sure to explain this to the customer as well as include the things you will and will not do (and kindly link them back to the TOS/AUP they agreed to upon sign-up). Even if you decide to be nice and help the customer out as a one time gesture, be sure to let them know that there are limitations and what they can expect going forward.  Failure to do this can create the wrong set of expectations on the side of the customer and cause you more problems in the long run. Though it may cause you to spend extra time on tickets, you will end up with better customer retention because of it.  

My 2 cents.

Cheers!


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## PwnyExpress (May 19, 2013)

I'd also say it falls on the customer understanding it's responsibilities and rights between them and the provider. Once they understand that boundary well enough, I'd say it's pretty much good at that point.


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## HalfEatenPie (May 19, 2013)

@ElliotJ, you're the hero the industry needs.

Seriously, all customers should probably read this.


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## NodeBytes (May 19, 2013)

Somebody should put this on LET.


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## BK_ (May 19, 2013)

ElliotJ said:


> As pathetic as it may seem, it's important to maintain your relationship with your provider. If you're a nuisance, they'll remember it.


 

No one likes admitting it, but it's so true


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## drmike (May 19, 2013)

> read the TOS/AUP and then complain when their server is suspended for breaking the rules.


Providers really should in the welcome package point customers to both documents and have a list of clearly prohibited activities spelled out on concise fashion post payment.

I've probably misused a VPS in all my years and violated some rule.  Never heard about it, but they probably noticed


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## drmike (May 19, 2013)

bcarlsonmedia said:


> Somebody should put this on LET.


Dude you put common sense things like this on LET the kiddies on LETcare will have to find new temper tantrum outlets.

Sure providers out there have some of their least favorite customers who bomb support with endless neediness.

That's why the $7 market on down is such a wreck.  Unsure how companies even afford to respond to a ticket on those plans.


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## Ash (May 20, 2013)

Very good article. It's certainly true that if a user opens a ticket with AN ALL CAPS SUBJECT, high priority and then includes zero information in the ticket other than SERVER DOWN FIX ASAP im less inclined to want to help them, especially when i know there is no service outage.

On the other hand i have clients that speak to me as they probably would stood in front of me, polite and even the odd bit of humour which i completely appreciate. I usually go out of my way to assist these clients with things i normally wouldn't help with.

I have many decent lowend clients that never even contact us unless its something they physically cant do. But since we stopped doing anything lowend the clients im getting now are all perfect and professional and we see a lot less abuse (Network and verbal) and fraud.

Sure we get a lot less orders and i mean a lot less, but i know the ones that are coming are going to stay for the long haul and more than likely expand on there services with us.


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## WelltodoInformalCattle (May 20, 2013)

I've always sought to act as courteously as I can when I create a support ticket. You do not want to upset the very people that might be able to help you or else they will quite obviously react negatively or worse, not react at all. What people ought to also keep in mind is that Google is your friend if you are using an unmanaged service. If you've tried your hardest and can't come across an answer, then drop by the irc channel and ask some people who might help you out. If you still don't have an answer to your problem then opening a support ticket is the way to go.


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## Tux (May 20, 2013)

I've always followed these rules when dealing with support, even when it's Raj from India. It also helps to take a deep breath while replying.


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## ElliotJ (May 20, 2013)

Thanks for the feedback guys!

I've added reading the ToS as it's been mentioned a couple times.


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## RootNerds (May 25, 2013)

Hello *@**ElliotJ*,

this is an awesome post and I wish more people would read it. We try to give equal support for all customers (even if discounted over 80 %...) but they need to learn that there are other (more important) customers or issues you have to deal with. They paid 2 bucks and expect you to answer within 15 minutes. (Which we often do anyways)

Thanks for the great read.


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## InertiaNetworks-John (May 26, 2013)

We have had multiple clients open tickets with titles like "HELP HELP HELP MY VPS DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH RAM FOR MY PROJECT! I AM LOOSING $1000 EVERY MINUTE"

and then just say:

"Can you upgrade it?"


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## RootNerds (May 27, 2013)

*@**InertiaNetworks-John*, at least they write in understandable English with you


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## Abdussamad (May 31, 2013)

Since this thread is chock full of hosts I think it is a good place to ask this question.

I have always wondered whether it makes sense thanking support personnel after they've answered your query? I suppose it is a polite thing to do and helps them close the ticket early. But it's also just a "pointless" reply that adds to their burden. I can imagine that they go through hundreds of tickets a day and if customers didn't thank them it would lower their burden a little. So which is better? Thank them or not?


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## Awmusic12635 (May 31, 2013)

I thank you for this


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## mikho (Jun 1, 2013)

Abdussamad said:


> Since this thread is chock full of hosts I think it is a good place to ask this question.
> 
> 
> I have always wondered whether it makes sense thanking support personnel after they've answered your query? I suppose it is a polite thing to do and helps them close the ticket early. But it's also just a "pointless" reply that adds to their burden. I can imagine that they go through hundreds of tickets a day and if customers didn't thank them it would lower their burden a little. So which is better? Thank them or not?


I usually end up with a thank you reply and a comment on how the ticket was handled.


Then I close it myself.


That little extra, even if not read by the person behind it, could help me or the provider the next time I needed to submit a ticket.


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## shovenose (Jun 2, 2013)

mikho said:


> I usually end up with a thank you reply and a comment on how the ticket was handled.
> 
> 
> Then I close it myself.
> ...


As client, I always say thank you and then close the ticket myself.

As a provider, I usually don't see it right away in the ticket queue since it's closed however the replies do get emailed to me so I see it a bit later and it makes me smile. Next time that customer submits a ticket? They get a little extra love


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## Abdussamad (Jun 7, 2013)

Ok so hosts like to get thanked. Good to know


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## D. Strout (Jun 10, 2013)

shovenose said:


> As client, I always say thank you and then close the ticket myself.
> 
> As a provider, I usually don't see it right away in the ticket queue since it's closed however the replies do get emailed to me so I see it a bit later and it makes me smile. Next time that customer submits a ticket? They get a little extra love


As a client, that's what I usually do as well. Good to know it works out well that way from the provider's end. As *@**Abdussamad* mentioned, I don't want a mere "thank you" message knocking the ticket back up to the top of the queue unnecessarily.


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## Abdussamad (Jun 10, 2013)

The thing is that a simple thank you is quite easy to send. I reply to tickets via email so it is quite easy to do. But if I have to close the ticket as well I will have to login to the client area and that might discourage me from doing anything. Also some providers don't let customers close tickets at all.


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## D. Strout (Jun 10, 2013)

WHMCS allows closing tickets, and AFAIK they don't allow response by e-mail. So if I'm in a WHMCS client area reading the response, it makes perfect sense to say "thanks" and close the ticket. And since WHMCS is so popular, that's pretty much always how it ends up.


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## SkylarM (Jun 10, 2013)

D. Strout said:


> WHMCS allows closing tickets, and AFAIK they don't allow response by e-mail. So if I'm in a WHMCS client area reading the response, it makes perfect sense to say "thanks" and close the ticket. And since WHMCS is so popular, that's pretty much always how it ends up.


Response by email works if the host sets it up.


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## shovenose (Jun 10, 2013)

D. Strout said:


> WHMCS allows closing tickets, and AFAIK they don't allow response by e-mail. So if I'm in a WHMCS client area reading the response, it makes perfect sense to say "thanks" and close the ticket. And since WHMCS is so popular, that's pretty much always how it ends up.


It takes all of two minutes to set it up properly to make email replies work. Try it in your next ShoveHost ticket 

The formatting is better if the customer does it directly from the WHMCS client area though, and it's faster and more reliable (I run the ticket/reply import script every minute, so there is up to a 60 second delay before I get the customer response).


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## D. Strout (Jun 10, 2013)

shovenose said:


> The formatting is better if the customer does it directly from the WHMCS client area


 

Definitely agreed. E-mail exchanges filtered through a ticket system are a mess. Gmail chokes and gags on them, so I prefer not to use them. And from the looks of them, the ticket system itself doesn't like them, so as part of the "how to contact support properly" post, I would say don't make a mess of your ticket by going directly through e-mail.


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## Magiobiwan (Jun 11, 2013)

Also, take a moment to READ THROUGH YOUR TICKET. You really don't want to be THIS GUY 








Who opens a ticket about your torrents being slow. SERIOUSLY. Of ALL the things you could do. I'll admit though, that guy did do a good job of testing to confirm the problem, and he wasn't like "WHY MY TORRENT SLOW! IM GONNA DISPUTE!". Threats for PayPal disputes are a great way to get yourself suspended/terminated for fraud, and have service denied due to high risk, by the way.


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## MannDude (Aug 28, 2013)

Just wanted to bump this as it needs to be seen more.


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## Magiobiwan (Aug 28, 2013)

You should sticky it. EVERY CUSTOMER should read through this guide at least once.


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## Riccardo_G (Oct 15, 2013)

great tips

everyone needs to follow these tips


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## perennate (Oct 15, 2013)

If you really only want customers who have read these then add a checkbox to your checkout page affirming that they have read it, followed by a short quiz that prevents ordering if they answer incorrectly.


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## NickM (Oct 15, 2013)

I have a tip:  If you're submitting a ticket where the provider may need to `vzctl enter` your container (OpenVZ), or log in to your KVM-based VPS, give them the information they'll need to do so - root/Administrator password, etc - and explicit permission for them to do so.  I don't know if all hosts follow this policy, but I know of at least two hosts that won't go into your container/VM unless you've given them explicit permission to do so, and giving them the info and permission right away will just make the process go a lot quicker, rather than having to wait for them to reply asking for permission and passwords, then you reply, then have to wait for them to see it.


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## splitice (Jan 29, 2015)

A good way to get in the good books when asking to do something that may be considered borderline (i.e usage of more resources in a burst etc) is to mention that you read the ToS. It shows you are serious, and that you are putting in effort.


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## MannDude (Jan 29, 2015)

splitice said:


> A good way to get in the good books when asking to do something that may be considered borderline (i.e usage of more resources in a burst etc) is to mention that you read the ToS. It shows you are serious, and that you are putting in effort.


Good idea.

Also, it should be noted that generally staff are pretty well versed in the TOS and understand the company's internal policies better than the customer who often times has not read the TOS, SLA, AUP, etc. Keep that in mind before making demands or stating you're entitled to something. At the very least skim the policies to see how they apply to the ticket you're about to open and instead of making demands, make a *request* for an exception to whatever it is you're wanting. They may still tell you no, (Like "No, you are unable to host warez and unfortunately we are unable to make an exception for this request but thanks for checking with us first.") but it's a better and more civilised approach than making a demand or stating you've been a customer for XX time, you should be able to do this, you served in two wars, and if you're not allowed to do it you'll contact the BBB and your network of social media followers to talk badly about the company... Haha. Yeah, don't do that. Read/skim the TOS at least and make a _request_.


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## Jonchun (Feb 6, 2015)

HalfEatenPie said:


> @ElliotJ, you're the hero the industry needs.
> 
> Seriously, all customers should probably read this.


If every one of my customers followed this, I would be a happy man.


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## Abdussamad (Feb 7, 2015)

splitice said:


> A good way to get in the good books when asking to do something that may be considered borderline (i.e usage of more resources in a burst etc) is to mention that you read the ToS. It shows you are serious, and that you are putting in effort.


We should also offer tribute to the support gods so that they may smile on us and show us the light.


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## Serveo (Mar 5, 2015)

+1 for the artikel. Yet the google translate thing never occurred to us. Sadly a lot of our customers tent to not follow these guidelines which made us communicate in every deployment mailing sending our preferred support channel.

Maybe its good to add a section for providers in your artikel? How to communicate support etc so customers can follow the instructions like you posted?


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