Focused on providing straightforward service and maintaining clear channels of communication with its clients, ISP Support Center provides outsourced technical support for more than 100 individual ISPs.

by Jeff Goldman [May 26, 2004]

Update: company is now Total Support Center.

ISP Support Center was founded in 2001 as an offshoot of Lock-Net Internet Services, a small ISP based in Knoxville, Tennessee. "We saw that the key to building a customer base, and to keeping our current customer base, would be customer service," says Doug Spurlock, ISP Support Center's Manager of Support Center Operations.

The company's business has grown largely by word of mouth. According to Spurlock, ISP Support Center has never had to advertise. "We've gotten to the point where if we can get the customer on the phone, we pretty much know we have them," he says. "We're down to earth: it's no-nonsense support from the get-go."

ISP Support Center (888) 322-8778 sales@ispsupportcenter.com

ISP Support Center's relatively small size, Spurlock says, is a strong selling point. "Most of the outsourced tech support companies today, the big ones who are still in business, are so big that the customer's like a number," he says. "We still have personal contact with all our customers by name, not by account number."

Spurlock personally serves as the contact for every client, handling each concern as it arises. "Anything that happens to the industry such as Blaster or Sasser, that kind of issue that affects end users, we communicate with the ISPs to find the best way to support their customers," he says. "We don't just say, 'Contact your vendor.' We work with our customers and with their customers."

ISP clients receive a weekly report that includes wait times, hold times, and call lengths, among other metrics. "I run every report every Monday and e-mail it to the manager or the owner of the ISP," Spurlock says. "Any information or feedback that they want to give, we take it seriously. We consider everything that the owner of the ISP wants us to look at in terms of supporting their customers."

Communication is key
Beyond the reports, Spurlock says, clear communication between ISP Support Center and the client is crucial to the working relationship. "We try to maintain that level of communication so that we're aware of everything that happens," he says. "Then if there's an issue, we get it resolved. Verbal communication is just as important, if not more important, than the weekly reports."

The company currently offers support only in English, though Spurlock says Spanish and other languages are in the works. "Outsourcing technical support isn't just the United States any more," he says. "It's worldwide. We do support for a hosting company in California that has thousands of domains all across the world, so we have interaction with people all over the world on a daily basis."

All pricing is listed on the company's web site, and is structured as follows, with a monthly minimum of $300 and a basic 60-day contract:

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ISP Support Center Pricing
1-500 subs:	$2.50 per sub
501-1,000 subs:	$1.95 per sub
1,001-5,000 subs:	$1.80 per sub
5,001-10,000 subs:	$1.65 per sub
>10,000 subs:	$1.50 per sub

Additional options will soon be announced that will offer lower pricing in exchange for one- and two-year contracts. "We have never done long-term contracts in the past, because we're confident that we'll do such a good job that you'll stay with us," Spurlock says. "But if you're willing to invest one year with us, we'll give you a great price on your support."

ISP Support Center currently provides outsourced support for over 100 individual ISPs. The company works with ISPs that provide access using a wide variety of methods. "We have a proven success record with wireless support," Spurlock says. "Most of our new customers are coming from the wireless industry—we're picking up hotel chains left and right to do support for them."

In addition to technical support, ISP Support Center can provide everything from network monitoring to web hosting. "We have the capabilities to host the entire back end here," Spurlock says. "When we get the customer in, if they're looking for extra services, we're ready to offer them. We've got everything we need to take care of every aspect, so that all you need to concentrate on is growing your business."

Worth the money
John McDade is President of NetStar Communications, an ISP based in Tennessee that provides dialup, broadband, and wireless access to residential and commercial customers. NetStar initially did its own support in-house, but found it difficult to retain competent staff. "The good ones weren't cheap, and the cheap ones weren't good," McDade says.

NetStar then outsourced their support to a company in Canada, but didn't have a good experience with them. "They were more of a highly paid answering service," McDade says. "They would take messages, and then just put all the support work back on us the next morning. It wasn't a good situation, and we couldn't ever get all of our problems corrected."

They then turned to ISP Support Center. "We just decided that instead of having a group that's so far away that it's unmanageable in terms of direction and quality control, let's find a group that's a little bit closer," McDade says. "You can go over and voice your concerns more easily to somebody who's just around the corner from you."

ISP Support Center's ability to support different types of access proved to be a great benefit for NetStar. "We're probably one of the most demanding customers any outsourced group could find, because we have such a wide range of support requirements," McDade says. "We support end users in the wireless arena, so they had to be really sharp and really responsive."

Switching to ISP Support Center, McDade says, proved to be an excellent decision. "We actually lost money with the Canadian group, with all of the problems and customer cancellations we encountered," he says. "You get what you pay for. Even though ISP Support Center is a little bit more expensive than other groups, they're well worth it."

— End

Related articles:
	[Sept. 9, 2002]	It's Not Easy Being Cheap
	[June 25, 2002]	Small Cities Serve Their Own
	[Jan. 3, 2002]	The Price of Passwords

Online resources:
	Outsourced Customer Support Directory
	Quick Reference Chart