Most users don't bother if you have 24/7 support online. They want their requests to be resolved in a timely manner. Though, we do provider unmanaged vps etc. but we do provide support to managed service question except when the support requests are at peak.

Isn't there a danger of raising customer expectations beyond the specifications of what they're paying for, and the few times when you can't provide that level of service they became accustomed to, end up hurting you?

We use a combination of inhouse and hired technicians so we have everything covered in a TRUE 24/7 environment. Yes it does cost us a quite a bit more to do it this way, but we feel that having support there round the clock is really noticed by your customers and it gives me peace of mind knowing everything is covered. So the extra cost is well worth it.

We use smart teenagers. If they need a question though the managers are all certified and onc all 24-7

I have 24-7 Hour support. Our livehelp is closed after typical bussniess hours 10-8 pm. however our tech support is always online for tickets.

so many different ways of getting the goal accomplished - you need to have a balance, use outsourced support if it can help to cover off hours etc -- we all do it differently as we are all different

I'm not sure with that statement, in my experience users have enjoyed having live support, if it's used correctly.

I've been on site's and waiting 10 minutes for live help, only to be told there are "no operators available at this time".

The thing you need to think about is that there is two types of 24/7 support. The 24/7 email system and the live help/phone. The latter is better, however the former can be classified as 24/7 even if staff are only checking it during business hours.

Some things to think about.

That would be a misclasification and false advertising. It's no different to saying you have 24/7 phone support when all you have is an answering machine.

Phoenix,

Some customers may be willing to tolerate limited overnight support, but it is also important to be prepared for wider support issues (an outage at your facility, etc.)

While our facilities are staffed 24x7 by a few (smart) techs, the thought of sending low-level tickets to a tech support company seems appealing as volume increases.

We have people in the UK and America, and have worked out full 24/7 coverage accross the globe.