Support and Escalation Procedures. (incorporating Dispute Resolution Framework)

Transcription

1 Support and Escalation Procedures (incorporating Dispute Resolution Framework) Contents Introduction to aql and our services... 2 Purpose of this Code of Practice... 2 Terms and conditions... 2 How to contact us... 2 Fault Reporting... 3 Failure Reporting - The Process... 3 Target Response & Fix Times... 4 Escalation Contacts... 5 Cancellation of services... 6 Complaints... 6 Escalation of complaints via CISAS... 6 Data protection... 8 Escalation and resolution policy version 5, Dec 10 1

2 Introduction to aql and our services (aq) limited t/a aql was established in 1999 as a provider of internet and telephony services for business users. The Company is a wholesale carrier of SMS and telecoms services and is regulated by Ofcom. aql is governed by its terms and conditions found at: of this Code of Practice Purpose of this Code of Practice The Code informs you about our products, services, and customer care policies. Our code of practice on complaint handling and dispute resolutions has been approved by Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK communications industries for the purpose of section 52 of the communications Act Terms and conditions All aql services are subject to our standard terms and condition, found here: Copies can also be requested in writing by calling or by writing to us at the above address. Some aql services will require a contract.. If you have any questions, please phone our Customer Service Team on We may carry out a credit check as part of our assessment procedures. We aim to provide services purchased from our online portal at the time of purchase, subject to availability and, where appropriate, licensing. Any services require custom work and above and beyond the terms specified in an aql contract will need to be discussed with an account manager, or customer services representative. How to contact us Please contact our Customer Service Team Office open Monday to Friday. By phone: By [email protected] By fax: Website: By letter: (aq) Limited, Hunslet Road, Leeds, LS10 1JQ Via website: Escalation and resolution policy version 5, Dec 10 2

3 Fault Reporting Should you have any issues regarding any of our offered services, you should in the first instance check that the answer does not already exist within our FAQs or Support Documents found on If you have a support query which cannot be answered from either of the above, please make use of our Customer Ticketing System to resolve your query. If your problem has been encountered before, you can search your previous requests when logged in to the support system The support system is managed both in and out of office hours, from 9am - 8pm Mon-Fri, and 10am - 8pm Sat-Sun. You can expect confirmation that we have received your support request within approximately 20 minutes of your query being raised, at which time the investigating agent should be able to advise on a resolution time. If your request is time critical, please make the support agent aware of this within the original or a follow up request. In the event the query cannot be resolved immediately we will keep you appraised of progress, and a member of staff can contact you at a convenient time to discuss further should you require. Please note that we do require all account related requests to be logged within the support system for future reference, and that we cannot undertake action on requests made outside of our support system (such as by or telephone call). When raising a support request please endeavour to make as much relevant information available as possible - where we need to request this information would only delay our investigation of your problem. aql will ensure that the right people are put to work to resolve the issue within aql. That will be done at the right level of escalation depending on what level you have requested, and according to set escalation timescales. We will set a timeframe within which your calls must be returned by us to you, and we will work to ensure that this meets your expectations. We will also agree on the frequency with which you will be given updates Failure Reporting - The Process Customer shall report Failures to aql using the following methods: By logging in and raising a support ticket via The target Response and fix times are applicable to Priority 1 tickets raised with sufficient information provided by the Customer for the Duty Engineer to investigate the problem. Tickets raised with a Priority other than 1 will be regarded as enquiries which fall outside the scope of the Target Response and Fix times; or Priority I - Urgent Service is Down Priority II - High Priority III Normal Priority Priority IV General Enquiry Escalation and resolution policy version 5, Dec 10 3

4 Priority V - Suggestion/Feedback If the support ticket system is inaccessible, by paging a duty engineer via our pager line ( ) calls charged at 1 per minute at all times; or by Calling our office during office hours 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. There is also a non-premium rate number which can be obtained from your account manager. aql will use all reasonable endeavors to respond to the Target Response Time and Target Maximum Fix Time set out in Paragraph below: Target Response & Fix Times Failure Severity Target Response Time (where reported by priority1 ticket) Target Maximum Fix Time Progress Reports I 3 hours 8 hours Every 60 minutes until resolution II 3 hours 10 hours Every 4 hours until resolution III 8 hours 2 days At resolution or as agreed for specific Failure IV 2 days 8 days At resolution Target Maximum Fix Time applies only to Failures within the direct control of aql; no Target Maximum Fix Time shall be deemed to apply to any other types of Failure. Escalation Matrix Severity I Severity II Severity III Severity IV Support Immediate Immediate Immediate Immediate system Level I Immediate 8 hours 24 hours 5 days Level II 4 hours 24 hours 2 days 2 weeks Level III 8 hours 2 days 3 days n/a Escalation Paths Technical Commercial Level I Duty Engineer Account Manager Level II Operations Director Account Manager Level III Director Director The above matrix is followed internally by aql. If the Customer wishes to escalate, the Customer must inform the Service Desk or Account Manager who will escalate to the relevant person. Escalation and resolution policy version 5, Dec 10 4

5 Escalation Contacts Should you encounter any issues in reaching a resolution within the support system, you should notify your account manager who will be happy to help resolve the issue. Your Account Mangers details shall appear as soon as you log into the aql.com Portal. Our full online escalation procedure can be viewed online, once logged in at: Each account has a tailored escalation path starting with their account manager - the example below can be used as an example of a typical escalation path: Escalation and resolution policy version 5, Dec 10 5

6 Cancellation of services In the unlikely event that you should wish to cancel a service we provide, you should write, or raise a support ticket on your account instructing us what you wish to cancel and when you wish it to be effective. There may be a charge for early termination of your contract and this will be explained to you. Further information can be found in our Terms and Conditions, under section 7: Termination. Unless defined in a contact, or in the case of pre-paid credits aql require 30 days notice to terminate services. Pre-paid SMS credits expire after 12 month Complaints We make every effort to ensure that our customers are happy with the level of service, and the products and service they receive from us. In the unlikely event that you would like to make a complaint, please write to us detailing full information of the nature of your complaint: By [email protected] By letter: (aq) Limited, Hunslet Road, Leeds, LS10 1JQ By By Fax : Despite our best efforts, things can go wrong. We take customer complaints very seriously and we aim to resolve them quickly and efficiently. If you have a complaint about any part of our service, please contact our Customer Service Team on Our advisors will ask you for details about your complaint and seek to resolve the problem while you are on the line. You may be required to supply your username and password to authenticate your call. We will try to resolve your complaint quickly and efficiently, and to keep you informed at all times. If your complaint is not resolved to you satisfaction, you can take it further within aql by contacting the Operations manager and ultimately to the Managing Director at the above address. If your complaint has been outstanding for more than 8 weeks or you have received a letter from us saying that you complaint has reached "deadlock" then you may ask for help from CISAS (see Escalation of complaints via CISAS below) Escalation of complaints via CISAS CISAS is an independent organisation which is approved by Ofcom to provide alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service. Ofcom-approved ADR services sort out disputes between communication providers and their consumer and small business customers. Their job is to investigate complaints fairly by listening to both sides of the story. They look at the facts given to them before deciding any action that may be needed to put things right. Escalation and resolution policy version 5, Dec 10 6

7 The Procedure as outlined on Stage 1 You should fill in the application form and send it to us. If you prefer, you can fill in the form online. If you need more information or help to fill in the form, phone us on It is important that you fill in the application form as carefully as possible and provide documents to support your case. In order to make a decision, the adjudicator will read and rely on the information you and the company provide. Stage 2 When we receive your form and documents to support your complaint we will send a copy to the company. The company will then have 14 days to reply. They will need to consider all of the points you have made, and give their response. Stage 3 When we receive the company s response, we will send you a copy. If you want to comment on that response you must send us your comments within seven days. If you do provide comments, they must concentrate on any points the company made. You cannot add new information that you forgot to mention earlier. We will send a copy of your comments to the company. Stage 4 Either when we receive your comments or at the end of the seven-day period, we will appoint an adjudicator and tell you and the company the adjudicator s name. We will send you and the company a copy of the decision the adjudicator makes. Stage 5 After receiving the decision, you must tell us within six weeks whether or not you want to accept the decision. Escalation and resolution policy version 5, Dec 10 7

8 Services for people with special needs We are committed to helping all our customers to communicate easily. We offer the following additional services for customer who are older or who may have a disability, including: Written correspondence via or letter, where requested. A text to speech service for visually impaired customers. Copies of this Code, and our terms and conditions in larger print. Data protection We comply fully with our obligations under the Data Protection Act Our Data Protection Act Registration Number is PZ809682X Escalation and resolution policy version 5, Dec 10 8