Supporting Your Domain Owners

As an OpenSRS reseller, you are the primary support contact for the domain owners (registrants) in your account. OpenSRS provides the underlying registrar services and infrastructure, but day-to-day domain owner questions — billing, password resets, DNS, contact updates — are handled by you. This article explains the support boundary, what your customers should bring to you, and when to escalate to OpenSRS.

The support boundary

OpenSRS is a wholesale registrar. Your reseller relationship gives you the tools to manage domains, but your customers do not have a direct support channel with OpenSRS. From the registrant's perspective, you are the registrar of record for everything they see.

In practice, this means:

• Domain owners contact you for support, not OpenSRS.
• You handle billing, password resets, and customer-facing questions directly.
• OpenSRS Support helps you when an issue requires registry, infrastructure, or policy action you cannot perform yourself.

Note: If a domain owner contacts OpenSRS directly, the support team will redirect them to their reseller. Make sure your branding and contact information are clear in renewal emails, WHOIS, and management interfaces so customers know where to reach you.

Common domain owner requests you handle

You can resolve most domain owner issues without contacting OpenSRS. Common cases include:

• Password resets and account access. Use your customer-facing control panel to issue resets. For OpenSRS-side credentials, see the Reseller Control Panel password articles.
• Renewals and billing. You set retail pricing and bill the customer directly. OpenSRS bills you wholesale.
• WHOIS contact updates. Update registrant, admin, technical, and billing contacts through the RWI or API.
• DNS and name server changes. Update name servers or DNS records through the management interface.
• Domain locks and transfer authorization codes. Toggle the registrar lock and issue auth codes to customers who are transferring out.
• Auto-renewal settings. Enable or disable auto-renew on individual domains.
• Privacy protection. Add or remove WHOIS privacy on supported TLDs.

When to escalate to OpenSRS

Contact OpenSRS Support when:

• A transfer is stuck past the registry timeout. Provide the order ID and the domain name.
• A registry returned an error you cannot resolve. Share the order ID and the exact error text from the RWI.
• A redemption or restore is needed outside the standard window.
• You suspect compromised credentials or unauthorized activity on a domain. Lock the domain and notify Support immediately.
• You receive a UDRP, court order, or law enforcement notice. Forward the documentation to Support.
• You receive an abuse complaint. See Reporting Abusive Websites for the abuse channel.

Warning: Do not give domain owners a direct OpenSRS contact channel. Doing so creates confusion about who owns the customer relationship and slows down support response.

What to collect before escalating

When you escalate, sending complete information up front speeds up resolution. Include:

• The domain name.
• The relevant order ID (registration, transfer, renewal, etc.).
• The exact error message or status text from the RWI.
• Timestamps in UTC of relevant events.
• What you have already tried.
• The customer's stated outcome (what they need to happen).

Helping your customers help themselves

Reduce inbound tickets by giving domain owners self-service options:

• Publish clear renewal reminders. Use the OpenSRS messaging platform or your own notifications.
• Document your DNS workflow. Provide step-by-step instructions for the most common changes.
• Surface domain status in the customer's account. Show locked / unlocked, expiry date, privacy status, and auto-renew state.
• Brand your support channels. Customize WHOIS reseller information, confirmation emails, and the renewal notice template.

Next steps

• Review your support workflow. Map common requests to who handles each one inside your team.
• Set up customer messaging templates. Use OpenSRS messaging to send branded renewal and recovery notices.
• Train your team on RWI tools. Familiarity with order search, transfer views, and DNS management cuts escalation rates. See Searching for Domain Orders in the RWI.
• Know the abuse channel. See Reporting Abusive Websites for handling abuse complaints from customers or third parties.

Questions? Contact OpenSRS Support.