Premium Support

EpiSensor aim to provide world-class support for our products by publishing all documentation, how-to guides and keeping our FAQ page up to date. You can access our help-desk by registering for an account, logging in, clicking on Helpdesk and opening a support ticket.

Some of our customers who use our systems in critical environments require a more flexible support and maintenance package, which we call premium support. The packages offer direct access to our engineering team to solve problems quickly and efficiently.

* Assuming issues have been escalated via normal channels. Travel and living expenses not included. Travel time will consume engineering hours allocation.

This support policy page defines what you can expect from each of EpiSensor’s premium support packages listed above. If you have any questions about our policies, please feel free to contact us for more information. We may amend this support policy from time to time, so you should check this page to ensure that you are aware of any changes that have been made. If you require engineering support but don’t have an active support policy with us, we can provide an ad-hoc quotation – please contact us here for more information.

Raising a support ticket

When you sign up for one of our premium support packages, your user account will be put into a special category depending on the package you have selected. The process of raising a support ticket and escalating an issue is the same for all packages, but the response times, communications channels available, number of Gateways covered and engineering hours vary based on the tables above. To raise a support ticket, click here.

Status and Ticket Type

When you submit a ticket, you will be asked to select a type such as Question, Problem, Feature Request, etc. A ticket will be marked as ‘Open’ until the support request has been concluded, when it will be marked as ‘Closed’. Email notifications will be sent when a ticket has been received, replied to or updated by our support team. All support requests must originate from the helpdesk page as a support ticket.

Ticket Classification

Please include information on the severity of the issue when submitting the ticket so it can be prioritised accordingly. Problems or potential faults are classified as (a) Critical, (b) Major and (c) Minor. The class of each problem is to be agreed mutually by the Customer and EpiSensor Support staff at the time of reporting the issue. The following general principles apply to the classification of issues.

(a) Critical
A Critical fault is defined as an error which makes impossible the performance of one or more critical functions of the system, i.e. the system or one of its major subsystems cannot perform the basic functions for which it was intended. This category is typically resulting in loss of data, and impacting on the reporting or other critical activity on a customer site.

(b) Major
A major fault is defined as one where there is a severe reduction in performance i.e. the system performs the basic function for which it was intended, but some major functions are impaired or the overall performance is reduced. Also in this category are faults that prevent data from flowing, but are not likely to result in data loss, and will result in a delay in reporting or data being produced.

(c) Minor
A minor issue is one which does not impair the performance or continued performance of any critical functions of the system. EpiSensor support staff will respond with a workaround or a plan to resolve minor faults, track reported bugs or suggest an alternative approach that resolves the issue.

Cover and Payment

EpiSensor premium support accounts are valid for 365 days from receipt of payment. A renewal notification will be sent as the renewal date approaches, but customers will not be automatically invoiced. Payment is required in advance for all EpiSensor premium support accounts. Please note that re-activating an expired premium support account requires payment in advance, which can take a number of business days to clear. Allocation of stock and extended product warranty are not included in EpiSensor premium support accounts as standard. EpiSensor recommends that spare parts are kept on site for systems deployed in critical environments. Prices above are ex. VAT.

Software Updates

We regularly release new versions of our Gateway software and we make these updates available to premium support account holders via our website. To request the latest Gateway software version, simply raise a ticket from the helpdesk and we will email you a download link for the Gateway software update. For information on applying these updates, see the Documentation section on our website. Software updates provided within your premium support account do not cover updates to ZAP or node firmware. Your engineering time allocation can be used to assist with deploying software updates.

Allocated Engineering Time

Premium support accounts are allocated a number of one-to-one engineering hours which can be used for troubleshooting system issues, training or advice on system design etc. If the allocation of engineering hours has been consumed within the year, the user will be notified and has the option of purchasing ad-hoc engineering time or upgrading the premium support account. All other features of the premium support account will remain the same, such as software updates and access to the helpdesk. If engineering time has not been consumed and the premium support account is renewed, the engineering time allocation does not carry-over to the following year. Travel and living expenses associated with site visits are not included and will be passed on at cost – detailed rates are available from EpiSensor on request.

Support for 3rd Party Product

From time to time, EpiSensor will supply accessories, peripherals and other 3rd party products or services alongside core EpiSensor product to simplify system deployment and provide additional functionality. While we will make reasonable efforts to answer technical questions and troubleshoot 3rd party products that we have supplied, it is often not possible to offer the same level of support as with our own product range. This support contract is intended to cover products designed, manufactured and maintained by EpiSensor only. In cases where there are problems with 3rd party product that EpiSensor’s technical support team can’t resolve, we will refer questions to the manufacturers or suppliers of that product, and if additional support, warranty or professional services are required from those companies to resolve the issue, the costs will be passed on.

Office Hours & Language

Our normal support hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:30 GMT excluding public holidays in the Republic of Ireland. Support will be provided in English only, unless otherwise agreed. We try to answer all support questions as quickly as possible, but response times will vary depending on the volume of requests we receive and the complexity of the enquiry. EpiSensor’s helpdesk is closed between 24th December and 1st January inclusive.

Glossary

• “Electronic Communications” means any text, voice, sound, image or video message sent over an electronic communications network which can be stored in the network or in the recipient’s terminal equipment until it is collected by the recipient or on the recipient’s behalf;
• Helpdesk means the service available within your account interface on our Website where you can raise support tickets and check status updates.
• Software Updates means newly released version of EpiSensor Gateway software.
• Live Chat refers to instant messaging services such as Skype and Google Hangouts.
• Account Manager refers to an EpiSensor support engineer that will be assigned to manage your account.
• Remote Support Sessions refer to remote desktop / screen-sharing sessions hosted by EpiSensor’s technical support team.

Effective Date: 1st January 2019