When & how to request emergency support
What counts as a website emergency, how to reach us quickly, and what to do while you wait.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
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.
Quick summary
An emergency is anything causing immediate, significant harm to your business: your site is completely down, your checkout is broken, or there's a security breach. For emergencies, email support@chykalophia.com with "URGENT" in the subject line and contact your project lead directly. Don't wait.
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- A typo or outdated price on a page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)
Use the normal ClickUp task process for these.
How to contact us in an emergency
Email support@chykalophia.com immediately. Put the word URGENT in the subject line. In the body, briefly describe: what's wrong, when it started, and what the impact is. Don't worry about perfect wording — get the message sent.
Contact your project lead directly. If you have a direct contact for your project lead (via ClickUp, phone, or another channel), reach out to them as well. Use whatever communication method they've told you is best for urgent situations.
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 acknowledge emergency reports and begin investigating as a priority. Response times will vary based on the time of day and 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?
Speak to your project lead to understand what out-of-hours support is included in your plan. For critical failures, an email with URGENT in the subject will be seen as soon as business resumes. For situations with out-of-hours coverage, your project lead will give you the appropriate contact method.
My site is down but I'm not on a care plan — can I still contact you?
Yes. 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.
Related guides
- How to report a bug effectively
- Uptime monitoring explained
- Security monitoring explained
- Restoring your site from a backup
- What to do if your site is hacked
- My website is down
- Your website disaster recovery plan
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