When & how to request emergency support

What counts as a website emergency, how to reach us quickly, and what to do while you wait.

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Maintenance topicTroubleshooting topicSecurity topicGetting started topic

Not every website problem is an emergency, but some are. This guide explains how to tell the difference and exactly what to do if your website needs urgent help.

Troubleshooter

Is this an emergency?

Which is closest to what's happening?

What counts as an emergency

These are emergencies

  • Your website is completely offline and inaccessible to visitors
  • Your checkout or payment system is broken during business hours
  • You suspect your site has been hacked or infected with malware
  • Customer data may have been exposed
  • Your domain or SSL certificate has expired, so your site stops loading or browsers show a security warning
  • You've accidentally deleted something critical (a whole page, all products, etc.)

These are urgent, but not emergencies

  • A broken contact form (no one can reach you through the site)
  • A key page looks visually broken
  • A plugin or feature has stopped working
  • You've noticed suspicious activity but it's not confirmed

These are still high priority. Flag them clearly and we'll address them quickly, but you don't need to use the emergency channel.

What is not an emergency

These situations need attention, but not urgency:

  • A typo or outdated price on a page
  • A layout looks slightly off on one device
  • A feature you'd like changed
  • An update that broke something cosmetic (not functional)

For these, open a normal ticket on our support portal or email support@chykalophia.com.

How to contact us in an emergency

Open a ticket or email us immediately. Open a ticket on our support portal, or email support@chykalophia.com. Put the word URGENT at the start of the ticket title or email subject. In the message, briefly describe: what's wrong, when it started, and what the impact is. Don't worry about perfect wording: get the message sent.

Don't look for a phone line. We don't offer Slack channels or direct phone lines, so the support portal and email are the fastest routes.

Include the basics. Even in a panic, include your website URL, a description of the problem, and (if relevant) any recent changes you made. This saves time when we start investigating.

Don't wait for a reply before doing the steps below. We aim to respond quickly, but while you wait, take the actions listed in the next section.

What to do while you wait

Depending on the type of emergency:

If your site is down:

  • Check your hosting provider's status page for any reported outages
  • Check downdetector.com for reports about your hosting company, if your host is listed there
  • Don't make any changes to your website or hosting yourself: wait for us

If you suspect a hack or security incident:

  • Change your website's admin password immediately, from a different device if you can log in
  • Do not delete anything. We need to investigate the state of the site as it is
  • If you have other admin users on the site, ask them to change their passwords too
  • Contact us with as much detail as possible about what you noticed

If something was accidentally deleted:

  • Stop editing. Don't try to recreate it manually or make further changes.
  • Contact us right away: the sooner we know, the more likely we can restore it cleanly

If checkout is broken:

  • Turn off any active promotions that might be driving traffic
  • Consider putting a simple notice on your website directing people to contact you directly (by phone or email) to place an order
  • Contact us immediately with the error message if one is showing

Our emergency response commitment

For care plan clients, we respond to emergency reports the same business day and begin investigating as a priority. Fix times vary with the complexity of the issue.

We'll keep you informed as we work. You won't be left wondering what's happening.

Common questions

What are your out-of-hours emergency procedures?

We don't offer 24/7, after-hours or weekend support on any plan. For critical failures, a ticket or email with URGENT at the start of the title or subject will be seen as soon as business resumes, at the start of the next business day. If your site is on managed hosting, your host's support can help with infrastructure emergencies in the meantime.

My site is down but I'm not on a care plan: can I still contact you?

Yes. Open a ticket on our support portal or email support@chykalophia.com. We'll help, but your request will be handled on a best-effort basis. Care plan clients receive priority during busy periods.

What if I can't tell whether it's an emergency?

If in doubt, treat it as urgent and reach out. It's far better to contact us about something that turns out to be minor than to wait on something that's actually serious.

Should I contact my hosting provider directly?

If the issue is clearly a server outage (the host's own status page confirms it), knowing that information is helpful, but still contact us too. If it's a security or content issue, contact us first and let us coordinate with the host if needed.

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