From credential chasing to registrar-level control

About Panda Rose

Panda Rose is a full-service digital solutions firm. They partner with clients long-term and tailor their services based on a full-picture understanding of each client’s business. They often explain what they do as “Build, Support, Market,” covering everything from developing products and cross-system integrations, to managing and maintaining what they’ve built, to executing targeted digital marketing strategies that help clients grow. Over the years, their clients have ranged from global enterprises like Johnson & Johnson to one-person local businesses, reflecting both the flexibility of their model and the depth of their expertise.

The challenge: a full-service offering — and a gap

Panda Rose takes care of a lot for their clients. They build and market customer-facing products and design technical solutions to solve complex business problems. In some cases, they function as the client’s primary technology partner, handling the entire tech stack, managing hosting across cloud providers, and overseeing DNS and traffic routing. But despite this sophisticated, end-to-end setup, a foundational layer remained outside their control: domain names.

Panda Rose usually requires registrar-level DNS management access, but with domains living in client-owned accounts scattered across different providers, this wasn’t always easy. 

Most solo developers, digital agencies, and MSPs can probably relate. A forgotten password, lapsed renewal, or DNS misconfiguration can take down a client’s website or email. And when something breaks, the client doesn’t reach out to their domain provider. They call Panda Rose. They’re the ones fixing issues that, with full registrar-level access, could have been resolved in minutes or entirely avoided.

The impact went beyond troubleshooting. Every new client onboarding or hosting change required having up-to-date client credentials, often adding unnecessary friction to workflows that could have been seamless. For a consultancy built on end-to-end service delivery, the dependency on third-party domain providers was a gap that needed closing.

Why OpenSRS: registrar-level control, without the cost or complexity

Kelly Rose, Panda Rose’s founder, wanted to manage clients’ domains as seamlessly as everything else the consultancy handled. But there was a condition: the solution or setup would need to be high-leverage.

“I’m constantly watching for opportunities where we can provide better services without us having to take on a load that’s just not worth our time.”

This is how Kelly discovered OpenSRS and, more specifically, OpenSRS Storefront.

“I ran into the program, and thought it looked practical, low-risk, and easy enough to try.”

From the start, there were a few things he really appreciated. 

“Quick-and-easy” setup

“We were able to throw up the Domains page and have clients use it.” Panda Rose would send the link, and the client could register or transfer in the domain themselves.

The client experience was on-brand

“The domain search and checkout experience reflect our branding. There’s no question in the client’s mind about where they’re at.”

Simple management

Kelly finds the Storefront Admin Console effective for essential tasks like adjusting clients’ DNS and contact information. But one feature he particularly likes is the “Log in as customer” option, which makes assisting clients a lot easier.

“I don’t need their password, and I can see exactly what they are seeing. Being able to send screenshots and be like, ‘click on this, do this…’ it keeps them happy and keeps us happy.”

“It works well, and it gets better”

Kelly doesn’t stick with things out of inertia. As someone in the business of building solutions and simplifying operations, he likes that Storefront is improving, with regular feature releases.

For example, when OpenSRS Storefront launched multi-currency support, Panda Rose was able to switch to charging its many Canadian clients in CAD rather than USD, a welcome improvement. 

The solution: domains as part of the service, not an afterthought

Domain names are now a part of Panda Rose’s offering. They’ve got a “Domain Registrar” option on their website that links to their client-facing Storefront. And Kelly’s team regularly points clients to this domains.pandarose.com page when domain registration or management comes up.

“A lot of the time, we’ll talk with our clients and say, ‘Let’s move your domain to our service. This gives us access to your domains directly at the registrar level, so we can now do all of this work for you.’”

This conversation is becoming a natural part of both client onboarding and ongoing administration, whether it’s setting up managed IT, migrating a website, or configuring DNS for business email. In all cases, the client is directed to Panda Rose’s branded domain search, where they can find and purchase the domain they need, or initiate the transfer of one they already own. 

“Transfer your domain to us, then it’s easier for everybody to maintain.”

Storefront has not only cut down on time spent chasing client credentials but also given Kelly’s team the visibility and control they need to work more efficiently, avoid renewal issues, and better assist clients.

Day-to-day management in the Storefront Manager

This is where Panda Rose manages their domains business by configuring its branding, and setting and adjusting pricing across currencies. It’s also where they complete behind-the-scenes work like adjusting DNS records, updating client contact information, and managing renewals.

Client support and self-management

In the process of registering or transferring in their first domain, clients create their own Storefront account, where they can manage their domains and update their billing information. This setup enables Panda Rose to let technically inclined clients self-manage, with the option to “Log in as customer” to see exactly what the client sees and provide tailored support.

The result: easier operations and grateful clients

Onboarding new clients used to mean inheriting whatever registrar they happened to use, each with different interfaces and processes. Now it means registering or transferring in a domain under Panda Rose’s brand. 

“That registrar-level access that OpenSRS gave us, that allowed us to actually upgrade our services for a lot of clients. Before, we kept running into situations where the password would change, and then we couldn’t get in to do what we needed. So stuff is down longer than I’d like. And Storefront sort of just resolves it all, and clients appreciate it.”

Domain access issues are eliminated. Renewals more predictable. Clients who want full-service get it, and clients who want independence get that too. And by bringing domains in-house, Panda Rose has turned what was once a source of friction into a straightforward part of their offering.

“We’re slightly more expensive than some domain providers, but clients are willing to pay that little premium because they know they’re going to get better service.”

As their clients gradually transition to Panda Rose’s Storefront, Kelly’s team increasingly has the controls they need — without the credential chasing — and more time to focus on the work they were hired to do.

Takeaways for agencies and technical consultancies

For Panda Rose, domains weren’t a headline service, but they were a foundational missing piece. Without registrar-level access, their otherwise seamless services, most notably managed IT, had an unnecessary layer of friction.

Storefront gave them a low-lift, high-impact way to bring domains in-house: 

• DNS changes are less and less dependent on client credentials

• Onboarding new clients is faster and more consistent

• Clients get a familiar, on-brand experience at every touchpoint

• Clients are willing to pay a small premium for domain management because the service quality justifies it