Despite the fact that this isn't the mainaspect to distinguish a reliable shared hosting company from a bad one or a reseller from a real provider, having the option to call and talk to a live person is an indicator that you aren't dealing with a one-person company and that you will be able to get in touch with somebody whenever you need assistance. The telephone support for hosting services may range from standard to expert, which means that the problems which can be resolved through a call differ depending on the specific company. Generally, these matters are more basic and include billing or first level technical issues as more complex tasks usually need a support ticket where both you and the sysadmins can track what's going on with a particular issue. Still, the option to call your provider will save you lots of time and efforts for the numerous small things which will eventually appear at the time you manage your website hosting account.