FrontLine Support Resolution Processes
When you experience a problem or encounter a question about product usage, there are several avenues that you may want to investigate:
- Reference product documentation
- Search , the technical support web site
- Use the product's internal help topics
If you have not been able to satisfactorily resolve your issue, the next step is to call the product support hotline at (800) 538-7822 or your local support office. Calls can be serviced most effectively if you can provide the following information:
- Compuware customer number
- Company name
- Caller's name
- Phone number
- Fax number
- Email address
- Product name and version number
- Platform
- Operating system and version number
- Database type and version number
- Description of the problem
- Error messages, if any
- Problem priority
After reporting the issue, you will receive a unique 8-digit call reference number. This reference number will be used to track all conversations and activities surrounding your call. Your call will be dispatched to the appropriate subject matter expert in one of four areas:
- Product usage and product issues
- License administration and product security
- License management and contracts
- Sales
Your assigned expert will work with you to resolve or recreate the problem. If the issue cannot be satisfactorily resolved at the first level of contact, each product expert area has their own escalation process to keep open calls moving towards completion.
Description of Priority Levels
When logging a call you will be asked to assign a priority number to your issue. The following table provides a guideline to help you select the priority:
| Priority |
Response Time |
Description |
1 (Critical Problem)
|
1 business hour
|
- Major functional failure for which there is no workaround at the time the call is logged
- Causes the software or operating system to fail completely
- Requires constant restarting of the software or operating system
- Prevents the installation of the software
- Irretrievable data loss/corruption or severe memory leak
|
2 (Major Problem)
|
4 business hours |
- Explicitly documented major functionality of the software is missing or not usable.
- Obscure, difficult to reproduce, infrequent crashes or hangs
- Software cannot be used as designed, advertised or documented.
- Documentation defect has caused a severe error, installation failure or data corruption.
|
3 (Normal Problem)
|
8 business hours
|
- It does not meet the criteria of a priority 1 or priority 2
- Incorrect functionality, cosmetic issue or documentation issues that do not impact core functionality of the product.
- Problem does not cause the product to abort or abend.
- Defect found in a minor function.
- Misspellings in documentation or in product screens
|
4 (Minor Problem)
|
2 business days |
- It does not meet the criteria of the previous priorities
- Low priority requests for information
- A defect in a very obscure product functionality
- Cosmetic problem
|
Priority Management and Escalation Process
After a call has been opened and a priority assigned to it, customers may find that the impact of the issue in their environment or business operations is greater than originally expected. In those cases customers may request the priority of the call to be changed, explaining the reason for the modification. A similar process should be followed in the event the call was opened as a high priority issue but its impact has later been reduced, perhaps due to the availability of a temporary workaround or changes in the customer's environment.
Should you ever have a concern with the level of service provided by Customer Support please request to be transferred to the Team Lead or the Manager at your local Support Center. You will be asked to provide the product name and the call number associated to the issue you are escalating, as well as your concerns.
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