How do I submit a technical support case?
We recommend that you submit cases using the self-service portal or online case submission tool. You will be assigned a case number for tracking your issue through to resolution. This case number should be referenced in all communications with PlateSpin support staff.
Self-Service Portal
http://www.platespin.com/support/selfservice.aspx
You may also submit a support case using the following methods:
Email Support
Email:
support@platespin.com
Telephone Support
North America: 1 877 528 3774 (1 87 PlateSpin)
Rest of World: 1 416 203 4799
Why should I use the PlateSpin Self-Service Portal?
The Self-Service Portal provides our customers with greater flexibility in managing support cases. The portal is accessible 24x 7x365 to enable customers to:
- Create new cases and generate a case number at any time
- Set the severity level for a support case
- Select a preferred communication method for interacting with PlateSpin support (email or “call me back”)
- Add updates, files and comments to active cases
- Review closed case history
What are the technical support business hours?
Our regular business hours are 8x5 local hours support, Monday to Friday. To service our global customer base, our support desk is staffed 24x 7x365.
Premium customers and partners receive 24/7/365 support for Severity 1 critical cases.
Does PlateSpin provide weekend support?
Yes. Premium Support customers will receive weekend support for their Severity 1 critical cases. For customers with standard support, weekend support can be obtained by purchasing an Incident Pack upon request. Please contact your account manager or our support line as noted above to purchase weekend support.
Does PlateSpin offer onsite support services?
Yes. Clients have access to this billable service for hands-on technical field support for critical issues. Our onsite services can be purchased where deemed necessary by the customer. All requests will be considered and discussed with the customer to determine the appropriate timeframe.
PlateSpin support will endeavor to meet the timeframes required by the customer when arranging for a technical support team member to be onsite.
How do I submit a product feature request?
You may submit a feature request by logging a Severity 4 support request.
How do I obtain login access for the Self-Service Portal or PlateSpin Knowledge base?
All customers with active support and maintenance agreements with PlateSpin are eligible to access the Self-Service Portal. Please refer to your support order confirmation email for information on requesting a login.
If you are unable to locate your support order confirmation email, please contact
support@platespin.com with your company name and email address.
How do I request an evaluation key for PlateSpin products?
Please send an email to PlateSpin Sales at
sales@platespin.com to inquire about software evaluation and purchasing.
How do I escalate an existing support case?
Any case previously submitted to our support center can be escalated upon request. All escalations are treated as serious commitments to the customer’s business operations and are addressed accordingly.
To escalate a request, contact our Support Center via email at
support@platespin.com or by calling 1-877-528-3774 (North American Toll Free) or 1-416-203-4799 (Rest of World).
How does PlateSpin handle issue escalation?
PlateSpin has a proven escalation process for ensuring that customer issues are resolved quickly and to the customer’s satisfaction.
- Yellow, Orange and Red definitions determine criticality
- All levels of management involvement where determined
- Defined SLAs with Level 3 Engineering Team
How is the severity of an issue determined?
The customer will assign a severity according to the criticality of the problem experienced in their environment. Customers are asked to accurately assess the nature and the business impact on the issue prior to submitting their case. If it is determined by the PlateSpin team that the case severity can be downgraded, they will reach an agreement with the customer prior to downgrading the severity level. We encourage our customers to assist us in the accurate identification of problems to ensure our focus is always on the most urgent priorities.
All of our target response times are minimum targets. Wherever possible the PlateSpin team will endeavor to better these response time targets.
Severity Levels for Support Issues
| Severity 1 – Critical |
The customer’s use of the PlateSpin software is preventing a critical IT service from being provided and/or the customer’s use of the PlateSpin software is either stopped completely or functionality is severely reduced. |
| Severity 2 – Major |
A problem has been identified but the resolution is not critical to the IT service being provided. |
| Severity 3 – Minor |
The customer has a minor loss of operational functionality. |
| Severity 4 – Low |
The customer has a question or request for information about the product, its features and/or its functionality. This severity level is used for customers to request change and feature requests. |
For detailed Severity description please see our
PlateSpin Support Policy.
When is a support incident considered resolved?
A support incident is resolved when the customer is able to complete the attempted task through a PlateSpin provided workaround, configuration change or software hot-fix. PlateSpin technical support will then request approval to close the support case.
What response times can I expect from PlateSpin support?
PlateSpin will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide an initial response, as well as regular updates to the requested information, support or product documentation. Response time objectives for both Standard and Premium Support are defined for each level of issue severity. Please refer to our
PlateSpin Support Policy Guidelines for further details.
What software updates am I entitled to as part of my maintenance agreement?
All users with active maintenance and support agreements are entitled to:
- Upgrades of purchased module.
- Premium Support Customers receive all hot fixes to purchased modules
- Standard Support Customers receive hot fixes as determined by the Engineering Team
- Any minor releases to the edition or product packaging that was purchased
- The major release to the edition or product packaging that was purchased
- Updates to driver repositories and RAM disks (PlateSpin PowerConvert only)
How do I obtain product updates and patches?
You may download the latest product updates by logging in to the Resource Center at
http://www.platespin.com/downloads. Please contact
support@platespin.com if you do not have a username/password or if you have questions about specific fixes.
I already receive standard support. Why do I need premium?
The Premium Support offering provides the highest quality of service for our customers that are supporting mission-critical applications in their IT/data centers. By purchasing Premium Support, you get a proactive, personalized support experience that goes beyond Standard levels.
Premium Support enhances your operational readiness by providing mission critical support assistance and response time on a 24x7x365 basis. Priority escalation paths and a proven investigation process ensure rapid issue resolution by our support staff. Named contacts provide personalized support and help to develop internal subject matter expertise.
How do I renew or upgrade my support contract?
Please contact your account manager to renew your support contract. If you are not sure who your account manager is, please send an email with
support@platespin.com.
How do I request product training?
Please visit
http://www.platespin.com/services/training.aspx for PlateSpin’s product training schedule and registration guidelines.
What types of resources can I find in the PlateSpin knowledge base?
The PlateSpin Support Knowledge Base provides 24x7x365 access to comprehensive information on tips and tricks, known issues and workarounds. We recommend that customers visit the
Knowledge Base first when encountering any issues.
Customers can also access up-to-date and context-sensitive articles directly from PowerConvert and PowerRecon using the HelpLink feature.