Despite the fact that this is not the most importantfactor to distinguish a dependable shared hosting supplier from a bad one or a reseller from an actual provider, the option to call and consult with a live person is an indicator that you aren't using the services of a one-person company and that you will be able to reach someone whenever you're in need of help. The phone support for website hosting services may vary from general to experienced, thus the issues which can be resolved through a phone call vary based on the supplier. Generally, these matters are more basic and feature billing or 1st level technical issues because more difficult issues generally need a support ticket where both you and the sysadmins can follow what's going on with a given issue. However, being able to call your service provider can save you a lot of time and efforts for the countless small things that will eventually show up when you manage your web hosting account.