Keep customers informed when there is a known issue that could affect their websites
Just posting the support question I just had:
Today one of my site's SSL did not automatically renew, resulting in SSL errors. Although relatively minor, this has been an ongoing issue. I depend on the auto-renew to work.
But in addition to that lapse, is that I'm used to receiving an email notification informing me that the SSL is about to expire, usually within a few days to a week to expiration. I did not receive any notice resulting in the "downtime" my client experienced.
I just wanted to inform you - because this has happened a few times, and each time I'm assured that everything will auto-renew.
However what's different now, is that I'm also no longer getting notified of the expiration. So I don't feel confident in relying on Cloudways to keep me informed, and I must find other ways to keep track of the SSL expirations/renewals on my own.
Hamza:
Apologize for the inconveince you have faced but we are currently facing SSL renewal issues and our engineering team is working on it and also due to the bot notification is also effected that is why you did not receive the notification of auto renewal, when this issue will be resolved it you will be receiveing the notifications and the auto renwal will work.
Me:
I know it's not a major DDOS level of issue, but it's just a little annoying given that it is such relatively small/simple thing.
Ok and I understand that now - but it would be prudent for Cloudways to have some backup notification system in place that could have informed me that CW was experiencing these issues, and that I should take a look at expiring SSLs to make sure everything continues to run smoothly.
Hamza
Yes I completely understand regarding this, but as of now I cannot be sure, though but when the Renewal issue will be resolve they will send an email though, as this is a global issue we all are facing.
Me:
Basically, just asking to keep your customer informed so they don't look silly in front of their clients.
Well, I was able to renew it manually myself and the site is back online. But I shouldn't have to contact support to find out about this now, if it was known that this was an issue earlier today.
Hamza profile
Yes that is true though, we understand that you faced this issue though but no need to worry we will update you and the issue will be resolved.
Me:
Something along the lines of: "Hey we're experiencing some issues with SSL renewals and notifications so there's a chance your website may not work. Please keep an eye on this to make sure your website stays running, and we'll keep you informed once the issue is fixed on our end"
Well, my issue is more so the lack of communication that CW was experiencing an issue in the first place. That's all I wanted to say. I should know that there is an SSL issue before I have to contact support.
Thank you for your time, and please forward my feedback to the relevant department.
And I was instructed to leave my feedback here.
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Nabuy Nokbey commented
I completely understand your frustration with the lack of proactive communication regarding the SSL renewal issue. To prevent similar issues in the future, it might be helpful to have a reliable system in place for tracking certificates or setting reminders independently. For anyone managing sensitive information online, tools and resources like IL arrest reports can be essential for staying informed about public records and legal updates. You can also explore helpful resources at https://arrests-il.org/ to stay updated. Hopefully, Cloudways resolves this soon and improves their notification system to avoid such downtime in the future.
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kimstone
commented
Yes, I agree with you. Keeping your customers informed improve your user experience. I am giving service of water purification at https://www.olansgz.com and my first and foremost priority is customer satisfaction. One satisfied customer recommend some other too.
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Sean Burdick commented
To sum up - if you see a problem that is not going to be fixable on your own within 15 minutes to an hour, please let your customers know so that they can be prepared and make adjustments as necessary. I shouldn't have to contact support to find out that there is an ongoing issue.
And to take it a little further, Cloudways should have a backup notification system in place so that if the SSL expiration notice fails, the customer can be informed of which applications/domains/SSLs are expiring soon, so we can manually renew or just keep an eye on it while the main issue is being fixed.