Pre-purchase Queries
To ask a question about how SMS could work for you, either phone: 1800 008 498 or click to send us an email.
About technical support
SMS clients can choose the level and type of support they want and save money on support they don’t want.
The support package options are:
- Software Maintenance Agreement (includes Maintenance Upgrades)
- Telephone Support Agreement
- Premium (Extended) Support (includes SMS Early Access Program)
- Pay-as-you-go
Technical support is available by:
- freecall phone (we answer our phone in person in Australia)
- email
- modem dialup
- secure web-based support direct to your computer
We currently support users via Citrix, MS Terminal Services, Symantec pcAnywhere and web-based to your computer.
Whichever contact option you choose, your query will be dealt with promptly either by a person with industry experience or a technician directly involved in developing the software.
The person who takes your call will follow it through until it is resolved.
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Software Maintenance and Support Agreements
The Standard Software Maintenance Agreement includes:
- One major product upgrade per year.
The Premium Software Maintenance Agreement includes:
- Multiple maintenance upgrades including interim upgrades
- Ongoing major product upgrades (as you request them)
The Telephone Support Agreement includes:
- Unlimited access to support by phone or email.
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Telephone Support Agreement
The fixed-price Telephone Support Agreement gives unlimited access to support by telephone during normal office hours or by email.
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Premium (Extended) Support
Our Premium (Extended) Support Contract covers remote software installation and upgrade, database rebuilds and recovery, investigation and resolution of any SMS related problems, assistance with bulk data changes and restructuring etc. Software Maintenance Upgrades and Telephone Support are covered under separate agreements. Premium (Extended) Support does not include training.
Networks and operating environments are becoming increasingly complex. What works fine at one site may experience problems at another similar site. Investigating and resolving the problems is a time consuming (and expensive) process. With Premium (Extended) Support you won’t get a bill, no matter how long it takes. It is partly an insurance policy against large, unanticipated bills, although it covers much more.
To use an example, one of our clients found their SMS Services file was locked every morning when they started work. Their IT support investigated the problem, could not find anything and concluded it must be SMS that was at fault. We had not made any changes at this site for months.
For the next three weeks we went through the release process most, but not all, mornings (fairly easy with remote support) and commenced detailed investigations. We demonstrated that it was not SMS. It was then confirmed that the client’s automated backup system was locking the file if SMS was left open.
If we were charging by the hour this resolution would have cost this client $2,244, but as they are on Premium (Extended) Support Contract they did not get a bill!
SMS Early Access Program
Premium (Extended) Support includes the SMS Early Access Program with interim upgrades between formal releases (approximately every twelve months) to take advantage of new features and reports as soon as they become available.
If a client requests a new report then the development will normally be covered by the Software Maintenance Agreement and be made available in future formal releases.
Organisations with Premium (Extended) Support do not have to wait for the next formal release as we would install the current (interim) version at no additional cost. This covers our costs of producing a production build of the software, packaging it for deployment, installation if required, perform any data upgrades necessary and resolve any problems after implementation.
We repeat this process until the user is happy with the report or feature.
The alternative to this is to pay for all labour hours involved, except for the software modification. This can be quite expensive as it is charged by the hour.
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Pay as you go Support
You can also buy support on a pay-as-you-go basis, so you pay only for the support time you actually use.
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Training
Installation of your SMS includes your choice of remote (one-on-one to your computer) or on-site group training.
SMS has a simple, intuitive interface so users can be immediately productive.
Often our clients do not need repeat training for new staff.
Additional training is optional, so you control the cost.
When you do buy training, we prefer to deliver it on-site, so we can train hands-on and your people can immediately apply and practice what they learn.
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