Versions Compared

Key

  • This line was added.
  • This line was removed.
  • Formatting was changed.

Description

This document provides the guidelines and details on the Veson Nautical Support Process by which Software Support Analysts will perform their responsibilities and service clients.

...

:

Table of Contents
maxLevel2
minLevel2

Accessing Help

It is preferred that a client follows these steps before sending an issue to Technical Solutions:

  1. Search help documentation articles and tutorials provided in the Veson Knowledge Base. This , which can be accessed from within the Veslink IMOS Platform by clicking on Image Removed.
    Tutorials are available to help you familiar yourself with navigating the product and accessing help Veson Nautical solutions, the Support Portal, and the Client Center. For more information, see Accessing Help.
  2. Release Notes are published regularly to detail improvements being made to the product. You can review by a specific date range or product area to see what's being improved.
  3. Verify the issue with your local Project Owner, System Admin, Business Process Owner (BPO), or Super User.

Emailing support@veson.com

...

Reporting Issues

You can submit a support ticket to Veson Nautical, including all relevant issue details and attachments, using one of the following methods:

Table of Contents
maxLevel3
minLevel3
exclude.*\.[Defects]

The Technical Solutions team will respond to support inquiries related to Veson Nautical solutions, the Support Portal, the Knowledge Base, and the Client Center. If a case requires escalation, Veson Nautical follows an Escalation Protocol.

Veson Nautical uses Atlassian Jira Service Desk as an issue tracking platform. During your implementation, our Project and Support Team personnel will provide an introductory training on how to best interact through this issue tracking platform.

Using the Support Portal

Veson Nautical offers a centralized Support Portal, through which clients can self-service with help articles and tutorials or contact support.

In the portal, you can:

  • Search for documentation, videos, and release notes in the Knowledge Base.
  • Contact Veson Nautical about issues, suggestions, and user education needs.
  • Monitor open support cases and share them with colleagues.

Sending an Email

If you send an email to support@veson.com, a ticket will appear in the Veson Nautical's internal tracking system.  An An automated response email provides a tracking number. The Software Support Analysts follows up with a response according to the priority setting. The auto response details instructions regarding how to update an existing case number.

Calling Veson Nautical Offices

As a full service support team, our doors are always open. If necessary, a phone call may be required. Please note that this is a secondary method of contact due to the absence of a tracking number. If this method is used, the customer still needs to send an email to support@veson.com. It submit a ticket via the Support Portal or email. It is preferred that the customer sends this notification to ensure we have all the issue details necessary from the business. This ensures accountability and a documented communication path.

Veson Nautical is using Atlassian JIRA Service Desk as an issue tracking platform. This offers a Client Portal which allows customers to submit, interact, and view all their issues. During your implementation our Project and Support Team personnel will provide an introductory training on how to best interact through this issue tracking platform.

Issue Details

It is essential that Software Support Analysts gather the proper information necessary to resolve a customer inquiry. Below outlines the suggested criteria that all customers should provide to reduce resolution time for a given issue:

  1. Category: Inquiry, Defect, Feature Request
  2. Priority:
    1. Extreme: Priority A
    2. Major: Priority B
    3. Minor: Priority C 
    4. Cosmetic: Priority D 
  3. Prod/Test: Is this a production issue or a test issue.
  4. Version #: Environment where issue exists.
  5. Frequency: How often does the issue occur? Does it occur across multiple scenarios?
  6. Current Result: Briefly describe the issue and what the current result is.
  7. Steps to Reproduce: Include vessel/voyage if possible, step by step list of how to reproduce the problem from a user perspective.
  8. Expected Result: In addition to steps to reproduce, how does the customer expect the product to behave?
    *Screenshots: Preferred method is attaching or copy/pasting images into the email sent to support@veson.comthe Support Portal inquiry or email. Another method is sending a MS Word or MS Excel document explaining steps to reproduce.
    *Special Instructions: Any extra detail regarding communication sent from Veson Nautical regarding the reported issue. Also, include any previous correspondent or discussions with another Veson Nautical employee (such as a consultant).

...

Expected Result:

<insert text>

Non-IMOS Cases

Knowledge Base Case Submission

For all issues concerning the Knowledge Base, please submit a case to support@veson.com. The Technical Solutions team will resolve a majority of these cases. If a case requires escalation, Technical Solutions will assign the case to the Knowledge Base Administrator, Laura Burns.

Client Center Case Submission

For all issues concerning the Client Center, please submit a case to support@veson.com. The Technical Solutions team will resolve a majority of these cases. If a case requires escalation, see Escalation Protocol.

Processing & Resolving

Defects

Resource time for defects is not billable and falls under maintenance agreement.

  • An Extreme defect is an error that renders the software inoperative or causes such software to interrupt business processes. Such errors require immediate attention.
  • A Major defect is an error that substantially degrades the software or restricts a customer's use of the software. Emergency fixes for such issues are released to the customer as soon as possible depending on the severity expressed by the customer. There is typically no reasonable workaround.
  • A Minor defect is an error that causes a minor impact on the customer's use of the software. A temporary workaround typically exists for a minor defect. Items are assigned for fixing in the next scheduled release and the client is notified.
  • A Cosmetic defect is something simple such as a spelling error or a field name change. These, like minor defects, do not need immediate fixes. Items are assigned for fixing in a future release and the client is notified.

A defect is assigned to Development only after being evaluated by Software Support Analysts. Priority is determined basis discussions between Technical Solutions and the client. Once a defect is fixed, the case is assigned to Quality Assurance for testing. Clients are notified of the fix when it is available in a release on the Client Center.

...

Resource time for Non-contracted Features is not billable and falls under maintenance agreement. Resource time for Contracted Features is billable.

  • Contracted Features are changes to the base IMOS functionality that require significant development time. For this process, reference the Veson Nautical Client Engagement Process.
  • Non-contracted Features include regular maintenance activities. This includes new port request to the Distance Tables, features included as part of internal roadmap development, and other improvement features.
  • Client Engagement Process: For system changes that are appropriate for customization, before further evaluation, estimation, and a Statement of Work (SOW), Veson informs the client that any work from that point on is billable as T&M. Efforts will hold until the client decides to proceed. If not, the case is closed or the request assigned to the Product Management for analysis and review.

Anchor
_Toc311127154
_Toc311127154
Inquiries and Suggestions

Resource time to examine Inquiries and Suggestions are typically not billable. If issues indicate material time to research and respond, or the need for additional training or consulting, Technical Solutions may request permission from the client to proceed with billable efforts. For this process, reference the Veson Nautical Client Engagement Process.

  • An Inquiry from a customer is regarding general use of IMOS, Veslink, or other products. If an inquiry transforms into a defect or feature request then they are processed as such. If an inquiry is identified as product training, then Veson will request permission to continue as a billable engagement.
  • A Suggestion is a feature not contracted through Statement of Work or included in the Veson Nautical roadmap for implementation. These are assigned to Product Management for analysis and review.

Anchor
_Toc311127155
_Toc311127155
Priority Setting

...