It’s been about six months since we’ve tested out how the web hosting companies have been doing regarding their customer support services—in particular with their live chat support. While phone and email support remain important, live chat has continued to grow as a preferred method of support for many website owners. As proof, you can see more web hosts adding live chat support for the first time. But, which web hosting company had the fastest response time to support requests? That was the goal of this updated test.
I have to admit there were a number of surprises when testing out the live chat response performances this time around. In an effort to have a more comprehensive test, all of these web hosts were tested at different times of the day and night. Some web hosting companies performed better during the day, while others responded quicker at night.
Some web hosting companies with faster response times in the past were a bit slower this time out. On the other hand, there were other web hosts who improved dramatically since our last test. Overall, the response times were a bit slower this time—probably the biggest sign of the increased popularity of using live chat support over the other methods.
Here is the breakdown of how the various web hosting companies fared during morning, afternoon, and night testing—followed by their overall performance based on their average response time.
Morning Live Chat Support Response Times
1. InMotion Hosting – 11.59 Sec.
2. GreenGeeks – 15.3 Sec.
3. Web Hosting Hub – 20.63 Sec.
4. Namecheap – 27.67 Sec.
5. WP Engine – 40.13 Sec.
6. Fat Cow – 45.27 Sec.
7. iPage – 1 Min. 36.2 Sec.
8. MyHosting.com – 2 Min.
9. GoDaddy – 4 Min. 24 Sec.
10. IX Web Hosting – 7 Min. 14.6 Sec.
11. DreamHost – 26 Min. 19 Sec.
12. JustHost – 41 Min. 40.7 Sec.
13. BlueHost – 49 Min. 37.3 Sec.
14. HostGator – 57 Min. 27.4 Sec.
15. WebHostingPad – Unavailable
Afternoon Live Chat Support Response Times
1. InMotion Hosting – 12.7 Sec.
2. WebHostingPad – 12.9 Sec.
3. Namecheap – 19.3 Sec.
4. GreenGeeks – 20.38 Sec.
5. Web Hosting Hub – 22.16 Sec.
6. MyHosting.com – 27.05 Sec.
7. Fat Cow – 39.77 Sec.
8. GoDaddy – 56 Sec.
9. WP Engine – 59.62 Sec.
10. IX Web Hosting – 1 Min. 42.1 Sec.
11. DreamHost – 2 Min. 41.5 Sec.
12. iPage – 3 Min. 48.2 Sec.
13. HostGator – 16 Min. 54.3 Sec.
14. JustHost – 18 Min. 41.5 Sec.
15. BlueHost – 21 Min. 46.6 Sec.
Night Live Chat Support Response Times
1. InMotion Hosting – 6.1 Sec.
2. iPage – 10.9 Sec.
3. GreenGeeks – 11.5 Sec.
4. WP Engine – 13.26 Sec.
5. Fat Cow – 14.33 Sec.
6. GoDaddy – 16.75 Sec.
7. Namecheap – 19.98 Sec.
8. IX Web Hosting – 21.5 Sec.
9. MyHosting.com – 59.58 Sec.
10. Web Hosting Hub – 1 Min. 28.8 Sec.
11. DreamHost – 4 Min. 19.3 Sec.
12. JustHost – 18 Min. 3.4 Sec.
13. BlueHost – 23 Min. 40.4 Sec.
14. HostGator – 26 Min. 29 Sec.
15. WebHostingPad – Unavailable
Best Overall Live Chat Response Times
1. InMotion Hosting
2. GreenGeeks
3. Namecheap
4. Fat Cow
5. WP Engine
6. Web Hosting Hub
7. MyHosting.com
8. iPage
9. GoDaddy
10. IX Web Hosting
11. DreamHost
12. JustHost
13. BlueHost
14. HostGator
15. WebHostingPad
Conclusions
In reviewing the results for these 15 web hosting companies tested, I would say those in the top ten should be recognized as providing excellent response times for live chat support requests. If you’re interested in those web hosts with the fastest response times, I’d recommend sticking with those in the top 6. Those hosting companies in the middle of the list (7 thru 11) should also be acceptable to most website owners. The web hosts at the bottom of the list really need to improve on their live chat support times, and should probably be avoided if you plan on using live chat for support issues.
While live chat customer support response time is only part of the criteria for finding a great web hosting company, it’s becoming increasingly important as the popularity of using chat support to resolve issues grows. And remember, a web host that excels in one area of customer support is usually equally as good with not only other areas of support, but also the other features you look for in a quality web hosting company.
