To answer your question, it might be too much for some startups to afford–but if that's the case, you simply don't have enough paying customers yet or (dare I say) you're doing it wrong.
Thomas is right, the cost is fair. We support several thousand paying customers with 3 full-time CSRs. They all take home more than $3k/month ... let alone taxes, health insurance, and other costs.
What I think a lot of startups don't understand is that good or great support isn't just a cost center–it's marketing. We get a lot of business just based on referrals and our reputation.
Thomas is right, the cost is fair. We support several thousand paying customers with 3 full-time CSRs. They all take home more than $3k/month ... let alone taxes, health insurance, and other costs.
What I think a lot of startups don't understand is that good or great support isn't just a cost center–it's marketing. We get a lot of business just based on referrals and our reputation.