Custom Domain
TL;DR
A subdomain or full domain you own (e.g. repairs.yourshop.com) pointed at a hosted service so customers see your brand, not the vendor's.
A custom domain in a repair-shop SaaS context usually means pointing a subdomain you own (e.g. repairs.yourshop.com or quote.yourshop.com) at the vendor's servers via a CNAME DNS record. The hosted page is then served under your brand, with your domain in the address bar.
This matters most for customer-facing surfaces: intake forms, customer portal links, and outbound email "from" addresses. A branded page signals legitimacy and protects the brand experience.
Providers that support custom domains typically handle SSL automatically (e.g. Let's Encrypt), support apex domains via flattening, and provide DNS setup instructions for popular registrars.
Quick answers
Do I have to use a custom domain?
No. Most hosted services work fine on the vendor's default URL out of the box. Custom domains are a polish-pass for shops that care about brand consistency.
How long does custom domain setup take?
About 15 minutes of DNS work + up to an hour for DNS to propagate + a few minutes for SSL cert provisioning. Most shops are live within 90 minutes of starting.
Related
Intake Form
A web form customers fill out to submit a repair request, capturing device, issue, photos, and contact info before they show up.
SMTP(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
The protocol for sending email. In a repair-shop context, "your own SMTP" means estimates and invoices send from your address, not the vendor's.
Customer Portal
A self-serve web area where customers track repair status, approve estimates, and view invoices without calling the shop.