Customers rarely switch hosts because of a small price difference. They switch because support was slow or unhelpful. As a reseller, support is your product.
Tier 1: you
You answer the common questions yourself. Prepare templates for:
- How to log in to cPanel. See KB guide.
- How to point a domain. See KB guide.
- How to create email accounts. See KB guide.
- How to install WordPress. See KB guide.
- How to back up a site.
Tier 2: your provider
For server-side issues, escalate through a support ticket. Include the customer's domain, service id, what happens, the exact error and what you tried. Good tickets are solved faster.
Self-service saves hours
- Link to a knowledge base and your own guides.
- Use our free tools so customers can check themselves: DNS lookup, nameserver checker, SSL checker.
Diagnose quickly
Use the website troubleshooting checklist and DNS error guide. Most issues are DNS, expired domains, SSL or a plugin.
Set expectations
| Type | Target first reply |
|---|---|
| Site down | As fast as you can; acknowledge within an hour |
| Billing | Same business day |
| How-to questions | 1 business day |
Communicate during incidents
If there is an outage, tell customers early with what you know and when you will update next. Our status page shows server health.
Protect customer data
Never ask for passwords in public channels. Use the API to set a new cPanel password with POST /services/{id}/password and share it securely.
A ticket template for escalations
Subject: [Domain] short description. Body: customer's domain, service id or order number, what the customer reports, exact error text, when it started, what you already checked (DNS, SSL, plugins) and any screenshots. Tickets like this let a technician start work immediately instead of asking questions.
Teach customers to self-check
Send customers to the free tools when they say "my site is not working". Often a WHOIS check shows an expired domain or a nameserver check shows wrong nameservers, and the customer can fix it themselves. That saves your time and builds their confidence.
Measure support quality
- First response time.
- Time to resolution.
- Number of repeated questions (turn them into guides).
- Customer satisfaction after each ticket.
FAQ
Do I need 24/7 support?
Not at the start. Be clear about your hours and set expectations.
Ready to launch? Compare SyllHost hosting plans or search a name on our domain search. Need help? Contact us.