Those who have moved from cPanel

energizedit

energizedit

Member
For those that have moved away from cPanel to something else, which of these did you do?

  • Asked them for permission/feedback first
  • Just moved to new control panel then announced to customers
  • Gave customers options to choose from
  • Announced migration first and then moved customers to new control panel
 
I think the best way is to alert everyone of a migration to a different panel at the same pricing/lower pricing, and give alternative to those who don't wish to migrate to remain with cPanel at an additional extra.
 
You can host current users on cPanel for a while and only put new customers on the new control panel.
After some time, ask your users to transfer their hosting to the new control panel at a slightly lower price.
Finally, you may have to have a cPanel server for a relatively long time alongside the server with the new control panel.
 
It is an interesting question, but so important.

It may be fair to assume a good number of companies who have been moving away from cPanel have been doing so because of price increases. In this respect, asking clients for feedback becomes counterproductive, as most may choose to stay with cPanel. If your business does not want to carry the elevated fees, I'd recommend committing to a new decision, prep for the move to take place (triple test if necessary) and then make a formal announcement on the upcoming change. Give a good amount of time for your customers to familiarize with the new software.
 
I would definitely announce the change at least a month in advance, it would cost another expensive month of cPanel, but reputation is important...

On top of the announcement, I would also offer a free website transfer - so we would migrate from cPanel to Direct Admin for them (using Direct Admin as an example here...)
 
energizedit said:
For those that have moved away from cPanel to something else, which of these did you do?

  • Asked them for permission/feedback first
  • Just moved to new control panel then announced to customers
  • Gave customers options to choose from
  • Announced migration first and then moved customers to new control panel
Click to expand...
We moved clients to Plesk and announced it to them to keep the affordability the same for them to which they were appreciative of; we did have some clients wanting cPanel and were happy with the price increase as we explained this was from the wholesaler.
 
Well, when I first started at 0 customers, I went from cPanel (because it was paid) to CyberPanel (which is what I am still using today, and will hopefully continue to use).
Cyberpanel is free, lightweight, has a good design, and it basically does the same thing as cPanel.
The only few differences is that cPanel is more modern, has been in the industry for longer, and has more features. It's also easier.
But, if you don't like spending loads of money on a control panel, CyberPanel is definitely a great alternative.
 
I have used ISPConfig forever. Either way interrogating your customers to see if they would prefer to pay more each month and keep CPanel or pay the same and use another control panel (or less for a free to use/open source control panel) would not be a bad idea. I would just be wary of pushing customers away by forcing a price hike.
 
Giving customers a choice is always going to hurt you when it comes to things like this. Come up with a timeline for the move, thoroughly test your practices and move everything over.

Of course, you need to give them a viable heads up, but giving them the option to stay where you are defeats the purpose of moving things and creates more work in the end
 
I think if you can provide multiple control panels then in this situation you can give your customers options to choose anyone. But if cPanel's price is affecting your business then you cannot offer both control panels and would want to quickly move to an alternative panel.

Therefore in such a case, I will first announce the migration, and then migrate to the alternative control panel on the scheduled time.
 
We use Enhance Panel - it's great. Still very new and lots of features to be built but we fully expect it to replace our needs for Plesk/cPanel completely.

They plan on introducing .Net Core and MSSQL all within Linux - this is accomplished with Docker. I have spent a few months using this product as a personal hosting solution and a commercial hosting solutions for a few brands we've worked with in our time hosting.

To answer your question, I would give your customers the option to pick which platform they'd like to use - if you're already using one. Then offer free migrations to that platform/test accounts to try it.

For us, we choose to use this product and this product only, as it's what our team is comfortable in - so we can provide the best level of service to our customers.

I hope this input helps you in making your decision. :)
 
I had a glimpse and Enhance looks terrific. Comes across like a fresh piece of technology that is built for the future.
 
Artashes said:
I had a glimpse and Enhance looks terrific. Comes across like a fresh piece of technology that is built for the future.
Click to expand...

Honestly, it's a breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, it lacks in some regard - cPanel/Plesk have been players for a long time. We got fed up of deploying new systems, which comes with more cost - i.e CloudLinux, BitNinja (for WAF) and lastly the cPanel License itself.

Whereas, Enhance is using the underlaying technologies of these software's baked into its own solution and you only need to buy one license and you can expand your infrastructure sideways without and extra cost. You are also only ever going to have one point of access to the systems, so we can say goodbye to multiple SSH keys and hostnames and access our systems via one nice neat panel.
 
When i decided to move a cPanel server over to DA. at first i informed all clients on the server of possible change in control panels.
i then got a cheap server and installed DA and set up a domain on this server. i then gave all clients a login to this DA account, so they could play about with it to see if they liked DA.
the results were 50/50 as some like it and some did not and some could not care less as long as their website was running.
 
You're right, there are really a lot of nuances here. The approach to migrating the control panel should be chosen based on the needs of customers and the capabilities of the company. Here is a summary of your points:
  1. Gather Customer Feedback First
    It's important to understand whether your customers need the change. While you may have reasons to transition to a new control panel, some of your clients' applications may not be compatible with the new panel, which could create difficulties for them. However, if you offer assistance during the migration, they are likely to appreciate the extra support.
  2. Migrate First, Notify Later
    This approach can be quick for your team, but it often leads to significant negative feedback from customers. Most likely, you’ll face complaints, and your support team will be overwhelmed with helping clients adjust to the new panel. While it's a faster transition on your end, it could be a highly undesirable experience for your clients.
  3. Offer Clients a Choice
    Providing customers with options is often the best solution. Yes, this will require more effort to maintain multiple control panels, but it could give you a competitive advantage. Customers may appreciate the flexibility and feel more in control of their experience, which can lead to higher satisfaction.
  4. Announce the Migration in Advance, Then Move Customers
    This is probably the most common approach. Announcing the migration first gives you the opportunity to highlight the benefits of the new control panel and set expectations for the timeline. It also allows clients to decide whether to stay with your service and use the new panel, or to migrate elsewhere. A transparent approach like this is generally well-received, as clients tend to appreciate the open communication.
Ultimately, the best choice depends on your company’s resources and capabilities, but supporting multiple control panels might be the most effective way to meet customer needs and stay ahead of competitors.
 
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