What is the accepted norm in the hosting world for the time it takes to activate a hosting account ?


I would like to offer the ability to my clients where they can activate their accounts instantly e.g. buy on line, credit card stuff and then have instant access to their control panel to perform work.

However, I realise that DNS transfer take 48 hours to effect properly, so in theory, a client cannot do anything for this period.

Is this normal or do people expect to access their control panels immediately even if DNS has not taken effect ?

I've seen some hosts advertise instant setup. I assume the do only CC processing to verify the charge. As for transfers, I suppose you could give the customer the IP to use temporarily until the name is moved.

Personally I want to look things over before an account is setup. Most people won't mind waiting a couple of hours to be setup, especially if you send out an order confirmation email.

We give our clients instant access through their dedicated IP until their domain name propogates....some people do ask us if they will get instant access with an IP number before they sign up.