Veson Nautical Support Process

View Working with Veson Nautical documentation in the Help Center.

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:

• Veson Nautical Support Process#Accessing Help
• Veson Nautical Support Process#Reporting Issues
• Processing & Resolving
• Veson Nautical Support Process#Priority Setting
• Veson Nautical Support Process#Escalation Protocol

Accessing Help

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

1. Search help articles and tutorials provided in the Knowledge Base, which you can access in several different ways.
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.

Reporting Issues

We recommend submitting Veson Nautical support tickets through the Help Center, including all relevant issue details and attachments.

The Technical Solutions team will respond to support inquiries. If a case requires escalation, Veson Nautical follows an Veson Nautical Support Process#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 Help Center

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

In the Help Center, 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.

Creating an Account

To sign up for the Help Center:

1. Go to the "Sign up" page.
   
2. Enter your email address and then click Send Link. You will receive an email with further instructions to access the Help Center.

Logging In

To log in:

1. Go to the "Log in" page.
2. Enter your Email and then click Next.
   
3. Enter your Password and then click Log in.

Resetting Your Password

To reset your password:

1. Go to the "Log in" page.
2. Enter your Email and then click Next.
   
3. Click Forgot your password? You will receive an email with further instructions to reset your password.

Using the Client Center

IMOS enterprise clients can log in to the Veson Nautical Client Center to access IMOS release, Distances release, and license file downloads. A reminder that all support issues and Knowledge Base materials are managed through the Help Center and not the Client Center.

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 submit a ticket via the Help Center 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.

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 Help Center 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).

Sample template to copy and paste in the Help Center:

Category

<insert text>

Priority

<insert text>

Prod/Test

<insert text>

Version #

<insert text>

Frequency

<insert text>

Current Result

<insert text>

Steps to Reproduce

Vessel/Voyage: <insert text>

1. 

2.

3.

4.

5.

Expected Result:

<insert text>

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.

Feature Requests

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.

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.

Priority Setting

When the customer provides a suggested priority, the item is reviewed by Technical Solutions and priority set appropriately. Direct communication with the client ensures the expectations are correct. The below table provides common examples and mandatory response times.

Escalation Protocol

For Priority 1-A issues we recommend the normal issue submission process is followed including additional priority information to help us better handle your escalation. During non-business hours, after you submit your issue we recommend calling our 24 Hr Support Line and noting that you have submitted a critical issue. 

The below diagram describes Veson Nautical's escalation steps regarding client assistance. Our 24 Hour Support Line will escalate your issue according to priority and provide direct phone access if necessary. If you call our regional offices, you will be routed through our automated escalation system.

24 Hour Support Line: +1.617.723.2727

*All customers have an assigned Account Manager after project completion.