All web hosting packages, from an affordable web hosting plan to a dedicated server, will offer various different types of customer support as a means of providing their clients with a way to contact them, should they have any problems.
The main forms of customer support are telephone, e-mail and web-based support. Telephone support is normally provided by larger companies who make themselves available during business hours (or, in some cases 24/7). It's normally provided in the form of a freephone or national-rate number, depending on the affordable web site hosting plan you choose. Although telephone may seem quicker, it'll often take up more of your time - you'll normally have to wait on the phone for a free line, then explain your problem to a technician, and then continue to wait on the phone until they've looked up what they need to do. If you like a more personal touch to your customer support, however, telephone support is probably more up your street.
E-mail support, as I'm sure you have guessed, involves you e-mailing, either through a website or directly, your query or problem to the web hosting company. Although e-mail may not be the fastest way to get a response, it is easy and cheap, and doesn't take up much time. Users can also send e-mails at any time of the day.
Web-based support incorporates all the different support elements on the host's website. These normally include FAQs, tutorials, forums and live chat systems, and are often the first place to go before contacting the company via another support system. Live chat systems allow users to talk to support personnel in real time over the Internet by typing. Think of it as a text version of telephone support.
Before choosing an affordable web site hosting plan, you might want to test out a web hosting provider's support provisions. For example, you could try calling a support telephone number to make sure it works, you could send a technical support e-mail and see how long a response takes, and you could taking a look in forums to see what other users say about their customer support.
Deciding how much weight to put on customer support provisions when you are choosing an affordable web hosting plan is totally dependent on you. If you feel that you don't have very much technical experience or knowledge and think that you may need a lot of help getting your website started, it might be an idea to put customer support quite high on your list of requirements. If, however, you have good technical knowledge, you may find an FAQ sufficient for your support needs.
Take a look at our list of affordable web hosting plans for the customer support options available.