The SERV Access Plan was years ago to meet support needs of our clients. The goal was to provide a higher level of service that not only handled the typical “reactive” or “break fix” needs, but to also give clients additional access to our consulting group for “pro-active” requests.
These plan options are designed to meet your requirements for support regardless of whether you are a small business, middle sized company, or enterprise client. All plans include some variation of a set list of components.
The first component available in all three options is unlimited diagnostic support. This means that you can call once a month, once a day or multiple times a day based on your specific needs for support. We actually want you to call us whenever you want and not just for “break fix” issues. We want to transfer knowledge from our consulting staff to you and your end users. For example, call us with a list of questions about the application, E-mail a screen shot for guidance on setting up personal options, call when you need to find a report, ask about recommendations on where to find knowledge articles, inquire about what is the difference between the current version and the most recent release and yes, even when you have an “error” or the application is not working.
All of the above is good and great, but becomes even more valuable because you are calling someone who knows you. The familiar voice on the phone will be a consultant that knows both the product, you and your staff. They will know what modules you use, how long you’ve been on the product, what version you are running, what reports you utilize, your critical business processes and why you have your software configured a certain way. And because they know you, they will know the impact support requests have on your business.
Software publishers are great with “errors” and “bugs”, but each time you call in it is more than likely that you will be connected to someone new. They will need an education on who you are and how you use the system. As one of our clients stated, “I will call directly to the publisher on occasion about simple technical questions, but I do not have the time to make a twenty minute introduction each and every time I call. I like that the CS3 team knows our software installation and can get right to work.”
Other components of the SERV access plan include a written response time and authorized named callers. Based on the plan selected you can chose an eight, four or two hour response time. Response times are guaranteed and we will write you a check, if we do not meet the required time commitment. How many of your other vendors provide a money back guarantee for support calls?
Additionally, we will provide you with options for assigning either two, four or unlimited authorized callers for support. We know that each client is different and that your needs could range from just having a couple users in the system to having multiple users in numerous locations. We give you, the client, an ability to tailor this component based on need.
When you sign up for the SERV access plan your company will be given a “free” CS3 assessment of your application. This is conducted either once or twice a year depending on the plan selected. It is a three part engagement that is a great value for our clients, because in a word, it verifies the “health” of your software application on a yearly or bi-yearly basis. As a point of reference, the CS3 assessment purchased “a la carte” outside of the SERV plan starts around $3,000 and goes up based on the type of application.
The first part of the assessment is a review of the application. This includes reviewing functionality being utilized, current reporting, active modules, integration jobs, setup, current version, user experience, roles of end users in the system and documentation of any performance issues. Our consultants also consider the processes and transactions being accomplished through your software application.
Next, the security setup for the application is reviewed and verified to confirm that users have appropriate access based on their roles and responsibilities. For example, we make sure that users that need access to sales and accounts receivable data, don’t also mistakenly have access to information like employee and payroll data. We also review system requirements in comparison to the current server and workstation environment.
Then, the assigned consultant writes up the findings and recommendations for review with you and your team. This ensures that whether you’ve been using the application for one year or ten that you will have “peace of mind” knowing that your application is “healthy”. The true value of software is does it assist in making my organization both more efficient and effective?
SERV Access plan clients needing on-site consulting work voiced the need for priority when scheduling those appointments, and we agree. As a result, that is a component of the SERV plan as well.
This component of the SERV is available to those that select either the Reserve or VIP plans. You will be sponsored by a CS3 executive. The executive sponsor will be available for CS3 strategy sessions for the establishment of a technology road map. The road map will be designed specifically to support your company’s business plan. These sessions will result in a written document for review and planning purposes.
Education
This part of the plan gives all staff members in your firm an invitation to the CS3 monthly user group meeting, SmartTalks. Additionally, you will have access to the CS3 University where all prior user group meetings can be heard at anytime.
At the heart of the SERV plan is one of CS3 Technology’s 18 Service Pillars - Engage in Knowledge Transfer. We believe that knowledge transfer has occurred when you the client are self-sufficient in your day-to-day operations. Our hope is that you maximize what is offered through the SERV plan, so that you will receive a tremendous return on the investment from your software application.
