All client communication is done through Client Portal tickets.
- Technical Support for your hosting account;
- Support for your domain name registered through us;
- Have a billing question or issue;
- Want to place a work order for Design Services;
- or need to contact us for other reasons....
- Check the FAQs first before submitting a ticket
If you have a question or don't understand how to do something, chances are someone else has had that same question!
- Please login to the Client Portal system before submitting a ticket
Though it's not necessary to login before viewing and replying to an existing ticket, it's helpful when you submit a new ticket. This identifies you with the online system as a current client, you'll be helped/answered faster, you can avoid having to deal with the security Captchas, and your ticket will be properly categorized under your name for easy future reference (by both you and our staff). Closed tickets are kept in the system for an average of two (2) years, so if you had the same problem or question a year ago you can look back through your tickets, because chances are the answer is the same as it was then.
- Use the appropriate department and priority level for your question or issue
We keep the departments simple, so choosing the right one is easy from the "submit a ticket" screen. Simply click on the appropriate departments' name and a form will open for you to submit an online ticket to that department.
Please use "high priority" only when it's a truly urgent, immediate issue (such as your website being down, something major broken) involving your hosting account. We are available 24/7/365 to deal with server/hosting emergencies, but too many people "crying wolf" can bog down the system. Flagerant misuse of this option can and will get you banned from the support system. - Allow sufficient time for a reply
From the "submit a ticket" screen you can get an idea of how long to allow for a reply. We typically reply much faster than the times listed, though response times are subject to the time of day and current workload. Also check the ticket status. If it's been changed to "In Progress" that means we're already researching and/or working on the problem and will reply to you as soon as we have more information.
- Using the ticketing system means never having to ask "Did you get my reply?"
If you submit a ticket or ticket reply, and after you click "send/submit" you can see what you wrote on the screen...so will we. All tickets are stored in a database, so there is no chance your message will be lost or misdirected like email sometimes can be. This is one of the many reasons why we use an online support system verses email, so you get instant confirmation that your message was delivered.
- Do not reply by email to any notice sent by the system
Almost all notices from our system have a reply address of "no-reply@", and there's a reason for that. If you have a question on a notice that's been sent please login to the Client Portal system and submit a support ticket. The system keeps a copy of every notice it sends out, and we're happy to answer any questions through the ticketing system, not by email.
Do not forward any emails to the email address the ticket notifications are sent from. The ticket system is designed to strip out any text from the signature down, so anything forwarded gets stripped out as well. - One issue, one ticket
There have been times where clients have opened a new ticket, replied to an old, long-closed ticket, sent an email to the general contact mailbox, and replied by email to a billing notice...all in the span of 5 minutes. I can 100% guarantee that doing this will extend your waiting time, in addition to confusing us as to what you needed help with in the first place. All we need is ONE ticket, and we'll take it from there.
Sending an "offline message" through our Live Chat system will also open a ticket for you in the chosen department. Be sure to use the email address associated with your Client Portal account so the system recognizes you as a current client. - Don't add a reply to a closed ticket
Unless it's a continuation (as opposed to a reoccurance) of the same issue in a short amount of time (say, less than a week), please don't re-open closed tickets by adding a new reply. Remember: one issue, one ticket.
- Give us enough details relevant to the issue
Give us enough information upfront to diagnose the problem, or in the case of a Design Services work order, enough details to complete the task. Be clear and concise, giving details that are relevant to the reason for the ticket. Please stay "on topic" and focused in your replies.
The less time we spend asking you clarifying questions, or wading through non-essential/non-relevant information that doesn't in any way pertain to the current issue at hand, the faster we can solve the issue (or perform the work).
Editing a reply isn't possible once it's submitted, so take a moment or two before hitting "submit" to make sure you've both read and understood our reply, and answered any questions we had for you. Rushing through a reply almost guarantees it will take longer because something will be missed, misread, or not understood. Technical Support and Billing tickets don't auto-close for 96 hours (4 days without any replies) and tickets in the Design Services Department are always given a minimum 48 hours for a reply (and never auto-close), so really...you have time. - Use a computer, rather than a smartphone
Mobile devices have made a lot of advances in the last few years, and we all love them, but they don't have the same functionality as a real computer with a full-sized screen. If you're able to submit a support ticket from your smartphone, that's awesome! But if you find yourself getting frustrated, unless it's an emergency situation, your reply can wait until you can get to a real computer.
