Technical Support Representative
Do you enjoy solving problems and explaining solutions to others? We're looking for a full-time, permanent, technical support representative to join our team.
The position primarily involves providing support to customers. But we provide a platform that our customers can do many different things with, which means the range of things they might need help with are very broad. We've created this page to describe the life of a tech support representative: we've simply summarized a few days of issues an employee recently worked on. If you can handle these, we'd love to hear from you.
Phone Call
Caller wants to take over a site from the previous owner but doesn't know the password. The caller's name and contact info isn't in our records.
Resolution: Instructed caller to contact previous owner to obtain password. Was careful to maintain privacy of administrator contact details to prevent possible social engineering attack.
E-mail Ticket
Customer is getting errors from cron job, which isn't working at all.
Resolution: Used command-line shell to determine that file path in crontab is wrong. Helped customer determine correct file path. Additionally helped customer specify correct PHP version in crontab.
E-mail Ticket
Customer wants to renew domain name but does not see it listed in "My Account" control panel.
Resolution: Determined that customer has accidentally created two different accounts. Helped customer merge the two accounts into one.
Phone Call
Customer used our control panel to switch from PHP 5.2 to 5.5, but WordPress site now gives errors.
Resolution: First switched site back to PHP 5.2 to make it start working. Then used command-line shell and found that customer is using plugins that have not been updated in years. Suggested that customer update or remove outdated plugins to resolve compatibility problem, then upgrade PHP.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked if our shared hosting meets system requirements at <http://support.edirectory.com/customer/en/portal/articles/433519-what-are-the-system-requirements-for-edirectory-to-run-on-my-server>.
Resolution: Examined each requirement and determined that we meet many, but not all, of them. Suggest that customer contact support for the software and ask if it will work anyway.
Customer Order
Customer signed up to transfer a domain name to our company.
Resolution: Used internal tools to review order for potential fraud and then processed the order.
E-mail Ticket
Customer is receiving errors from Outlook about a "PST file in use", with existing mail unavailable as a result. Customer asked if we can restore contents of Sent Mail folder.
Resolution: Examined backups and logs to determine whether customer has been using IMAP to store Sent Mail on our servers. Found that customer is only using POP3, so Sent Mail has never been stored on our servers. Searched Internet for solution and found some similar reports; based on those, suggested customer try to repair PST file, and if that fails, contact Microsoft for support with corrupted local file.
Monitoring system alert
An account has high disk writes, causing performance issues.
Resolution: Connected to server using SSH and used "ps" to determine that an "imap" process is stuck in a loop showing the "D" state (file writing). Examined mail logs and found that customer's mail program is constantly copying, then deleting one "Junk E-Mail" folder e-mail message. Contacted customer to change Outlook settings to prevent it recurring.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked if we provide streaming media servers.
Resolution: Replied that we don't offer that service, unfortunately.
Monitoring system alert
Suspicious event on servers, with a site using "cURL" to download a file from a suspicious destination URL.
Resolution: Determined that the URL was actually not malicious and took no further action.
Phone Call
Customer called to provide new credit card for suspended "past due" site. He wanted to verify that the site would keep working if he paid the past due balance, without him needing to re-publish the site content.
Resolution: Determined that the account had merely been suspended, not closed, so it could easily be reactivated. Took customer's card number by phone and verified that site was automatically un-suspended.
E-mail Ticket
Customer is having trouble using PayPal Express on their website. PayPal asked them to ensure we don't block PayPal connections in our firewall.
Resolution: Verified that similar PayPal-using sites we host are working correctly. Assured customer that problem is not firewall-related, because it would affect other sites if it was.
Spam notification
Received third-party spam complaint that one of our customers is sending links to malware sites.
Resolution: Used complaint mail headers and mail logs to verify that messages were really being sent through our servers. Found that a low but steady amount of mail is being sent using the customer's mail password from random connections in different countries. It appears a botnet knows the e-mail password. Used internal tool to block outgoing mail until customer changes password, and notified customer of problem, instructing them to change password immediately. Set reminder to followup with phone call if customer does not do so quickly.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked us to restore a site backup, including files and databases.
Resolution: Performed security checks to verify that customer is authorized to restore data. Made additional backup because restoration will overwrite newer data. Used command-line tools to restore files and database.
Phone Call
Customer asked why a new account had not been activated after placing an order.
Resolution: Found that we have no record of new domain name, and asked customer for order confirmation number that would have appeared on screen. Customer realized she probably hadn't pressed final order form "Submit" button. Walked customer through placing order.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked to add hosting service to a parked domain name.
Resolution: Worked with customer to determine best hosting plan, then used web-based internal tool to add hosting package. Sent customer details on how to get started using hosting service.
Monitoring system alert
An account has extremely high CPU usage, impacting performance.
Resolution: Used logs to determine that one IP address is requesting the same "404 not found" URL tens of thousands of times per day, using 2 seconds of CPU time for each request. Blocked that IP address for 24 hours and set reminder to see if problem recurs when the block expires.
E-mail Ticket
Customer forwarded message from third-party mail company, asking us to add DKIM DNS records.
Resolution: Determined correct format needed for DNS record despite confusing original message from e-mail company. Used command-line "dig" tool to verify that that format matches what the e-mail company use themselves. Used web-based tool to enter DNS records for customer.
E-mail Ticket
Customer reports that all folders have disappeared from mail program.
Resolution: Determined that customer is using IMAP, so folders should be present on server. Examined backups and found that the missing folders are all present on older backups. Used command line shell to copy mail folders back to live account. Examined logs to find when mail was deleted and from what IP address; explained to customer that folders were deleted by a program or device they were using, and that it's important not to delete folders on one device that they need on another.
E-mail Ticket
Customer reports site is displaying "404 not found" messages.
Resolution: Determined that someone using customer password from IP address in foreign country had altered site. Communicated with customer, who stated that changes were not authorized and he knows nobody in that country, but that he had shared his password with a different third-party web developer in a different country. Changed customer password and used command-line tools to restore site from backup.
E-mail Ticket
Customer said site sometimes fails to load, showing only partial pages.
Resolution: Repeated testing, both from a browser and third-party tools, does not show any problem. Asked customer to give us steps to reproduce, or to contact us when it's happening.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked if the cURL extension is available within PHP.
Resolution: Confirmed that it is and showed customer <http://example.com.customers.tigertech.net/phpinfo-5.6/>, which lists all PHP extensions if they need to check more.
E-mail Ticket
Customer is receiving notifications that unknown strangers are adding themselves as users to her WordPress site.
Resolution: Explained that this is because customer has checked the "Membership: Anyone can register" checkbox within the WordPress settings. Suggested she disable that (with step-by-step instructions) and delete users she does not recognize.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked us to add a CNAME DNS record pointing to a hostname at myshopify.com, forwarding some instructions from them.
Resolution: Verified that customer is authorized to make this change, then used web interface to add DNS record on behalf of customer. Tested them using the "dig" tool. Before replying to customer, waited 30 minutes for the DNS TTL to expire so they would work reliably.
E-mail Ticket
Customer wants to use significantly more disk space in the future and asked to upgrade hosting plan.
Resolution: Used internal web tool to change hosting package. Confirmed new price with customer.
E-mail Ticket
Customer can no longer login to WordPress site.
Resolution: Asked customer for exact error message. Determined problem is caused by SSL certificate removal that customer requested several months previously (login URL is an "https" URL). Offered to install Let's Encrypt SSL certificate, and did so when customer agreed. Verified that login page now loads.
E-mail Ticket
Customer wants to login via SSH but does not know settings.
Resolution: Pointed customer to our SSH help page. Followed up with customer to verify that this is sufficient and that he can successfully login.
E-mail Ticket
Customer wants to update e-mail address on file with us and believes that she has done so, but isn't sure.
Resolution: Determined that customer has updated e-mail address within WordPress dashboard, but not within our "My Account" control panel. Customer has misplaced our password, so called customer at number on file in our records and performed security verification. Issued customer temporary password and walked her through choosing a new password and updating contact address.
Phone Call
Customer reports site is not working and wants to know why.
Resolution: Determined that site is not working due to nonpayment. Un-suspend account based on customer promise to pay within next 48 hours. Set a reminder to followup and verify that customer has paid.
Phone Call
Customer needs help setting up Windows Live mail, but didn't have email password.
Resolution: Walked customer through the control panel to reset email password, then helped customer configure settings in Windows Live Mail based on <https://support.tigertech.net/windows-live-mail-verify>.
E-mail Ticket
Customer wishes to renew expired domain name using card on file.
Resolution: Renewed domain name for customer and verify new expiration date.
E-mail Ticket
Customer reports that .htaccess files uploaded by his FTP program do not work.
Resolution: Determined that .htaccess file is somehow empty (zero bytes). Examined FTP logs and found that the size of the uploaded file is zero at upload time, so it's a problem with FTP. After inconclusive troubleshooting, suggested that the customer try another free FTP program as a test, and helped customer set it up. Other FTP program worked fine, and customer is willing to continue using it.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked how to move website elsewhere while maintaining e-mail service with us.
Resolution: Explained that e-mail service requires hosting package with us, so customer should not cancel our service. Explained that details of "pointing" a website elsewhere depend on instructions from new hosting service. Worked with customer to find those instructions and entered necessary DNS records to "point" site elsewhere.
Monitoring system alert
A script on a site that doesn't usually send mail sent thousands of messages, which were "held" for human review due to volume.
Resolution: An examination of the messages shows them to be spam. Suspended site while investigating further. Used audit logs to determine that someone logged in to WordPress (knowing the WordPress dashboard password) and added a malicious plugin. Used command-line tools to restore site, then manually changed password of that WordPress user. Deleted held spam mail. Notified customer that someone had obtained/guessed their WordPress password and urged them to choose a strong one to replace it.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked if we support 2048-bit DKIM keys.
Resolution: Determined long keys were not possible to enter into control panel due to an incorrect length restriction. Escalated issue internally, then notified customer when it was fixed.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked if canceling hosting service for one domain name cancels hosting for all domain names he owns.
Resolution: Verified exact domain names involved to avoid misunderstandings, then explained which ones can be safely canceled without affecting anything else. Provided step-by-step cancellation instructions.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked how to provide a new credit card.
Resolution: Explained that this can be done securely in our control panel, providing detailed steps. Told customer he can call us if necessary, providing phone number and billing support hours.
E-mail Ticket
Customer asked how long it takes for a refund to appear on credit card statement after canceling hosting.
Resolution: Verified that we have already issued the refund correctly. Explained it can take up to five business days to appear on statement.
E-mail Ticket
Customer forwarded message from prior domain name company saying that they cannot renew domain name.
Resolution: Double-checked that domain name was successfully transferred to us and renewed. Showed customer how to verify this in WHOIS. Assured customer that notices from previous company about this can be ignored.
Phone Call
Customer wants to transfer a domain name to a new registrar but has no idea how to do so.
Resolution: Walked customer through logging in to our control panel, unlocking domain name, obtaining EPP authcode, and verifying WHOIS contact info, as explained on <https://support.tigertech.net/domain-transfer-away>.
E-mail Ticket
Customer reports getting "bounces" and out-of-the-office replies from spam.
Resolution: Asked customer to provide detailed samples. Examined headers of bounces and used mail logs to determine that a spammer is using unrelated servers, but forging random addresses @ the customer domain name. Worked with customer to disable "catch-all" address to make domain name less attractive for forgeries, and prevent receipt of annoying bounces if it happens anyway.
E-mail Ticket
Customer has a WordPress site but has forgotten where to login.
Resolution: Explained that the correct URL is <http://www.example.com/wp-admin/>. Used command-line tool to determine WordPress username and included that in response, too.