Tips for getting better results using the ticket system from less expensive hosting or non-managed hosting packages.
1. Do the first level of troubleshooting yourself. Try to determine some details about what the problem is and provide the error message you receive in your support ticket with a screen-shot of the error, if possible. Hosting companies have different levels of support technicians and, in my experience, the first level is for very basic problems. If you do not do a good job troubleshooting what the issue is, you may get some very unhelpful questions or suggestions from level 1 tech support and then have to respond and wait for the ticket to move up the ladder. Always do a Google search with the error or problem you are experiencing.
2. Even if you’re wrong, try to guess at what the problem is and provide information on why you believe it could be this. If you’re right about the problem, it will provide an easy way for the tech to get to the heart of your problem. If you’re wrong, it’s ok. By being this specific you’ll probably bypass the level 1 tech and you won’t receive a list of questions or google search FAQ back. Also, if you guessed something that is on their list of things to fix, they’ll fix it in short order. If they start the ticket believing it to be within their scope, but then discover it’s not (say something you caused or what goes beyond what they normally support) many times they’ll do it anyways, which can save you time. The high level techs have some great tips on server optimization.
3. Ask questions that allow them to share their opinion or tips with you. In general, they will not go out of their way to give you advice. The higher level technicians have a wealth of server admin experience, but they’re just solving tickets, not giving you advice or telling you how they may do something. However, if you ask them specifically, you can even say in your opinion, many techs will give you suggestions about things like what to change on your server or alternative ways to get around a problem you’re having.
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