1. The initial installation, configuration, and training of your POS, Inventory Control, and Customer Tracking Systems was covered under your original Statement of Work (SOW), and those deliverables cover your Support Services.
The following will be initially covered services, until root cause identification occurs or a remediation path is recommended.
Initial problem source identification and problem resolution related to software operations of the POS and/or Inventory Control System, including:
Master file (department categories, vendors, inventory items, and customers) adding and maintaining;
Preference parameters
Security Administration features
Purchasing, Receiving, and Tagging (except tag design development):
Transfers (Transfer Slips and Transfer Orders)
Sales and Returns (receipts, electronic payments, discounts, store credits, split tenders, end of day close out, etc.)
Advanced and Auto Features (Min/Max, Auto Min/Max, Auto PO, Auto Transfers, etc.)
Supplied Reports Assistance (problems with running and filtering)
IMS Supplied Hardware Operation and Assistance on getting manufacturer maintenance
IMS Supplied Backup and Recovery procedures
Installation of POS Core Updates at your Main Location (not version or release upgrades)
Assistance on Reconstructing files when appropriate.
2. Exclusions:
The following services are not typically covered unless specifically listed in the Services Covered Section.:
Installation or re-installation of POS software, POS hardware or new POS peripheral devices
Pre-season prep work including problems related to movement, setup, retesting, re-configuration of hardware and peripherals
Changing settings and preferences in POS software
Addition of users or licenses
Training
Business Process or Workflow Review or Re-engineering
Data management, including:
Data Import and Export to/from POS system
Data quality
Disaster recovery of data from backup system
Systems and data integration to third party external systems
Obtaining maintenance from third party hardware or software providers
Resolution of Power and Network Cabling issues
Custom development including Customized Reports or plug-ins
Installation of POS Core Updates on remote locations
Installation of major version upgrades on main and remote locations
Receipt Designs: Including editing verbiage, updating/adding logos
Problem resolution of any system infrastructure issues including operating system, Windows, Networking, Virus, backup and recovering, user management, etc.
IMS will provide remote technical assistance and consultation to Company Sunday through Saturday (7 days/week), from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. ESTÂ midnight. All support requests should be made by going to the IMS Customer portal through the internet (http://connect.ims-pos.com/support) via supplied User ID and password, and secondarily through the IMS support telephone number, 1-866-523-3135.
IMS representatives will record all error reports and coordinate responses in the following manner: For all reported errors, IMS will assign a Call Tracking Number. Calls will be returned according to the Priority Levels indicated in Tables I – II below. IMS may provide repairs by furnishing corrective software or site-specific problem resolutions steps for Company’s installation.
3. POS Software Support Problem Management
Problem Management is the ongoing service concerned with minimizing the impact of problems affecting the availability and services of the software delivery environment, whilst minimizing expenditure of resource and maintaining the highest level of client satisfaction.
The suggested Problem Definition is: Any deviation from an expected norm. That is, a problem is any event resulting in a loss or potential loss of the availability or performance to a service delivery resource and/or its supporting environment. This includes errors related to systems, networks, workstations and their connectivity; hardware, software, and applications. The recognition of problems can come from any point in the environment and can be identified using a variety of automated and non-automated methods.
The IMS Problem Management Process Objectives are:
Minimize the impact of problems;
Minimize the duration of any related outages;
Manage problems within agreed-to time frames;
Reduce number of problems;
Prevent reoccurrence;
Perform trend analyses;
Assure performance of root cause analyses;
Maximize productivity of resources of both IMS and Company;
Monitor and measure the service; and
Automate tasks wherever possible.
IMS Problem Management Process consists of the following sub process activities:
Notification of IMS by Company
Problem Source Determination – collection, analysis, and correlation, of data to determine and isolate the cause of the problem.
Workaround and Recovery – activity to recover, workaround or circumvent the problem, and notification to the affected clients of action taken.
Problem Resolution – The identification, implementation, and verification of solutions, and notification to Company.
Tracking – The assignment of ownership for resolving problems and the follow-up activity to ensure that the goals for problem resolution are being met. It includes setting priorities and escalating issues via the appropriate system.
Reporting and Control – The production and analysis of reports, over time, to determine if the problem management process is working effectively and to identify changes that me be necessary. It also helps identify significant results and problem trends.
4. Before Contacting IMS Software Support
To resolve your software support service request in the most expedient way possible, it is important that you take the following steps before you contact a software support center. You will need to gather information about the problem and have it on hand when discussing the situation with the software support specialist. The following steps are an example of what is required:
Define the problem
If you can describe the problem and symptoms before contacting software support, you can expedite the problem solving process. It is very important to be as specific as possible when explaining a problem or question to our software support specialists. Our specialists want to give you the right solution, so, the better they understand your specific problem, the better they are able to resolve it.
Gather background information
To solve problems effectively, the software support specialist needs to have all of the relevant information about the problem. Your ability to answer the following questions will help us to solve your software problem.
What levels of software were you running when the problem occurred? Please include all relevant products, i.e.: operating system as well as related products.
Has the problem happened before, or is this an isolated problem?
What steps led to the failure?
Can the problem be recreated? If so, what steps are required?
Have any changes been made to the system? (Hardware, Network, Operating Systems (OS), or software)
Were any messages or other diagnostic information produced? If yes, what were they?
Define your technical question in specific terms and provide the version and release level of the product(s) in question.
Gather relevant diagnostic information (if possible)
It is often necessary that our software support specialists analyze specific diagnostic information, such as relevant logs, storage dumps, traces, etc., in order to resolve your problem. Gathering this information is often the most critical step in resolving your problem. Product specific diagnostic documentation can be very helpful in identifying what information is typically required to resolve problems.
Determine the severity level
Severity levels are determined during a mutual discussion by the client and support analyst, based on the business impact of the issue. If a client designated a problem as a Severity 1, IMS will work on it 7 days a week, providing the client is also available to work during those hours. Customers can change the severity level of a problem if circumstances change from when it was first entered to match current business impact conditions.
The following table defines severity levels and provides some examples.
