A Control Panel is a web-based user interface through which you can handle various aspects of your web presence. For instance, you can easily create or modify website files, create and check emails, handle databases, check visitor statistics etc. These things are done via buttons and menus in a web browser and the Control Panel can also be called ‘back office’, i.e. the administration area associated with your hosting account. Most Control Panels these days will allow you to manage all hosting-related matters, but you'll often need a different system to control payments or to get a new domain name when the company offers domain registrations. With respect to the platform they utilize, you can be able to use the billing account to open a support ticket to ask a question or to diagnose an issue as well, or you may have to employ a third system.