MENTOR GRAPHICS CUSTOMER CARE GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION... 4 Customer Support Welcome... 4 Customer Support Overview... 5 About This Guide... 5 MENTOR GRAPHICS SUPPORT PLANS... 6 Mentor Graphics Standard Support Plan... 6 End User Support Terms... 7 What is Support?... 7 ADDITIONAL SERVICES... 8 Mentor Select Services... 8 Mentor Education Services... 9 Support Renewals... 9 SUPPORTNET, MENTOR S COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT PORTAL...10 Accessing SupportNet... 10 Searching SupportNet... 11 Mentor Communities... 11 SUPPORT LEVEL GUIDELINES...13 Severity Level Definitions... 13 Response Times... 13 Resolution Times... 14 SERVICE REQUESTS...15 Service Request Definition... 15 Opening a New Service Request... 15 What Information to Provide When You Open a Service Request... 15 Adding Attachments to a Service Request... 16 Checking the Status or Updating an Existing Service Request... 17 supportnet.mentor.com Page 2
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION...18 Customer Support Incident Survey... 18 SupportNet Survey... 19 APPENDIX...20 About Mentor Graphics Corporation... 20 supportnet.mentor.com Page 3
INTRODUCTION Customer Support Welcome Thank you for your recent purchase of Mentor Graphics software. We would like to welcome you as a new customer to our company. We hope Mentor software will quickly improve your productivity and reduce your design time. We are pleased you placed your trust in Mentor Graphics. We want to provide timely, effective support, and to do all we can to ensure your success with Mentor products. Following is additional information that may help you navigate our processes and support systems. In addition, please feel free to visit SupportNet at any time to access our vast database of answers to your technical questions. We value your business and look forward to an enduring relationship. Sincerely, Shaun Mammen General Manager, Customer Support Division Mentor Graphics Corporation gm_csd@mentor.com supportnet.mentor.com Page 4
Customer Support Overview It takes more than just innovative design tools to be successful. Stellar customer support that stands behind the tools is just as critical. At Mentor Graphics our high performance tools are backed by an award-winning global customer support organization that is leading the way in Design Automation software support. From frequent product enhancements and new releases to timely answers from our expert support team to comprehensive online support from SupportNet, we provide fast response and highly effective technical assistance. We work hard so you can be as productive as possible. About This Guide We developed this Customer Care Guide to introduce you to our Customer Support organization. Our goal is to help you navigate our support processes, introduce you to our support services, set clear expectations, and assure you are as successful as possible with Mentor Graphics software. This guide is intended for users who have current support contracts with Mentor Graphics. The Customer Support Guide Reviews the benefits of your Customer Support plan Provides an overview of our support processes Tells you how to access SupportNet to find answers to your technical questions Highlights best practices to maximize your Customer Support experience with Mentor Graphics Please note this guide is subject to change at Mentor s discretion, and it will be updated periodically. You can view the latest version on the SupportNet, Mentor s customer support portal. supportnet.mentor.com Page 5
MENTOR GRAPHICS SUPPORT PLANS Mentor Graphics Standard Support Plan As a Mentor Graphics support customer, a number of benefits are available to accelerate product development and increase quality: Software enhancements to bring you the latest improvements in product functionality, usability and performance. SupportNet, our support website, offers rapid, secure self-service access to Service Request management, release/patch downloads, Knowledge Base access, license reports and more. Technical support backed by an award-winning support organization to provide accurate responses to your technical issues. Specific features available with Mentor Graphics Support are outlined below. Updates Software Product Updates Software Patches Documentation Updates Version Support Length Online Support Key Features SupportNet Online Access 24 x 7 # of Users Who Access SupportNet TechNotes Mentor Communities View & Post Mentor Ideas for Enhancement Requests (If Available) SupportPro Technical Newsletter Technical Support Technical Assistance from Customer Application Engineers Service Request Submittal Hours of Availability Response Method Remote Support (e.g. via WebEx) Test Cases Hardware Support (If Applicable) Technical Advice from Support Engineers Repair or Replacement of Malfunctioning Hardware Parts Remedial Support Services to Keep Hardware in Good Operating Condition Support Plan 2 Years Unlimited All Site Named Technical Coordinator & Alternate 8 Hours per Business Day (Local Time) Phone, Email, Web Customer Supplied supportnet.mentor.com Page 6
SUPPORT TERMS End User Support Terms You can view the latest support and maintenance terms and conditions on-line at http://supportnet.mentor.com/about/legal What is Support? Software support is providing technical help for product usage issues, answering questions for your authorized support contacts, and supplying updates or patches for issues within the software application. What IS covered with your 5-STAR Standard Support Contract Mentor software related questions not addressed on line or in our help files Troubleshooting Mentor product software error messages Software defect troubleshooting and support Access to on-line tools for self-service (TechNotes, AppNotes, Communities) What IS NOT covered with your 5 STAR Standard Support Contract Product training or assistance that would normally be covered in training classes Customizations (creating custom code, scripts, or reports) Third party product support or troubleshooting of issues caused by third party applications System administration duties (upgrading licensing software, etc) Troubleshooting performance or network / computer issues not directly related to Mentor software Repairing corrupted databases Guidance or recommendations on unique configurations or processes On-site troubleshooting services Development of IP (models, rule decks, recipes) supportnet.mentor.com Page 7
ADDITIONAL SERVICES Mentor Select Services Mentor Customer Support offers a variety of Select Services that complement your support contract with high value training and services. Select Services leverage Mentor s core competency in design technology. Our trained experts will apply years of design experience with services that help you adopt new environment and technologies faster, free up your internal resources, accelerate response and resolution, and maintain up time. The results are that you improve your design team s productivity and maximize your investment in Mentor tools Mentor offers Select Services for each of the phases of the Product Lifecycle Details of Mentor s Select Services may be found on SupportNet, and include: PIVOT services for product installation, validation, optimization and training to rapidly ramp up your design projects. Support Account Management services to accelerate response and resolution and advocate for your top priorities. Validation Services to assess your environment and validate your design with the latest Mentor release to enable faster adoption and reduce risk of schedule delays. supportnet.mentor.com Page 8
Mission Critical Services to protect your tape-out with a designated support engineer standing by on your schedule. High Speed Model Validation Services to validate your signal integrity and DDRx timing models and aid you with their quick adoption and use in HyperLynx SI/PI Mentor Education Services Mentor Graphics offers a full range of learning solutions, developed specifically for electronics designers and engineers. We offer training courses for key Mentor Graphics products and technologies, available in our training centers around the world, live on-line, or at your site. Mentor training is available in publicly scheduled classes (anyone may attend), online as e- learning modules, in private sessions at our training center or at your site, or as custom/onsitementoring Classroom Training - Mentor Graphics provides instructor-led training in our training centers located in major cities around the world. Our courses teach best-in-class EDA processes based on decades of design experience by our team of highly qualified industry experts. They understand the challenges faced by today s designers because they have electronic design experience themselves. View our upcoming classes or our complete course catalog. Custom Mentoring - Mentor Graphics offers intensive, targeted training, in your own design environment, personalized for your company's specific requirements. Custom Mentoring targeted training can provide on-the-job coaching to strengthen your employees' design skills, enhance knowledge transfer from the classroom to the job, or to assist with design flow migration. Live On-line - Mentor Graphics offers the convenience of on-line learning with the interactivity and depth of a traditional classroom setting. The entire instructor-led course is live and on-line on your own computer. Labs are included and can be completed between live instructor sessions. The number of class days varies depending on the course. Typically, the student receives four or five hours with the instructor, followed by independent lab exercises. Support Renewals Support renewals for your perpetual seats are automatically sent to your site s primary contact 90 days ahead of your contract expiration date. If you have questions about your support contract renewal, please contact support_offer@mentor.com. Renewals for your time-based seats will be presented to you by your Account Manager. As part of your renewal, your Support Sales Representative may send a Renewal Value Pack that includes data about your use of support throughout the year and highlights of the releases that have been delivered for your products in the past twelve months supportnet.mentor.com Page 9
SUPPORTNET, MENTOR S COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT PORTAL Accessing SupportNet To access our award-winning support site, login by typing supportnet.mentor.com in your web browser or by following the Support link on our company homepage at www.mentor.com. Your USER NAME is your company email address, and your PASSWORD is whatever word you have chosen. You may take a tour of SupportNet by viewing a short tutorial. SupportNet is the best resource for answers, providing convenient 24-hour access to technical information that keeps your designers productive and your designs moving forward. SupportNet Feature Benefit Customize My Profile Decrease Resolution Time with Robust Searches Download Releases and Patches Access SupportNet KnowledgeBase Reference Product Documentation Review AppNotes Subscribe to SupportPro Newsletter Participate in Discussion Forums Download Complete License Files Manage Assets with License Reports Understand Supported Configurations Manage Service Requests Send us Feedback Personalize technical information for your individual product set Receive more accurate search results Search using electronic design terms and acronyms Look at complete technical information, including product documentation Update your software with the latest features and functionality Load crucial patches immediately Solve issues with up-to-date technical information Understand what issues other users have found Benefit from the experience of our CAEs Review the latest manuals, release notes, product details Schedule detailed procedures at your convenience Receive automatic technical updates via email Get notification of the latest product releases and newest patches on a weekly basis Interact directly with other users to exchange information about products and methodologies Click and download your site s authorization codes Control software entitlements and licenses Assure your environment meets qualified configurations Submit design issues online from anywhere Get status around the clock View service requests Assure that your support expectations are being met by Mentor Graphics Support in EDA supportnet.mentor.com Page 10
Searching SupportNet You may use the search box in the upper right corner of every SupportNet page to do a simple search on the product you are viewing and its related products. If you check the Search All My Products box, SupportNet searches on the product you are viewing and all products in your product list. This button remains checked until you uncheck it. These guidelines will result in effective keyword searches: Keep it simple! Describe what you need with as few terms as possible Use keywords instead of whole sentences Use specific descriptive words (not general words) for better results; for example: o License error on Linux o Internal clock buffers on HCLK nets o Error in Expedition draw mode copy Use advanced search to broaden your search or add filters. With advanced search you can search across multiple products or all of SupportNet, or limit your search to specific content types (e.g. TechNotes only). Here are other helpful tips for effective searches: You can search on TechNote or AppNote numbers (e.g. MG1234) Use double quotes to force an exact match (e.g. error 5678 for error messages) Use Boolean Operators in upper case (e.g. OR) with keywords Use a hyphen to exclude terms from search. Place the hyphen directly in front of the word to be excluded (e.g. download software will return matches on download that do not include the term software Mentor Communities In Mentor Communities, you can learn, share, and network with over 25,000 peers around the world. Mentor Communities give you the opportunity to hear from technical experts, understand best practices to improve productivity, and network with professionals in multiple industries who may have discovered a more effective solution to the same technical problem you are facing. You may post questions and participate in discussions with other design engineers. supportnet.mentor.com Page 11
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SUPPORT LEVEL GUIDELINES Our priority is to respond to and resolve your Service Requests in a timely way. However, given the challenging nature of supporting complex software applications, our response and resolution times may vary. Severity Level Definitions Although we try to resolve all technical issues in a timely manner, we use severity levels to differentiate critical cases from day-to-day questions in order to respond more appropriately to each request. The severity level is determined when your Service Request is initially created. Impact Definition Priority Levels Critical o Problem prevents use of tool on customer's critical path and there is no acceptable workaround o Action: requires immediate acceptable workaround or patch High o Problem prevents use of tool soon to be on customer s critical path and there is no acceptable workaround Medium o Problem impairs but does not prevent use of tool, and there is an acceptable workaround Low o Problem affects productivity but is a minor inconvenience and an acceptable workaround exists Response Times When you use SupportNet, over 75% of the time you are likely to find an answer immediately from the SupportNet Knowledge Base. Response time is the elapsed business hours from the time you open a service request until a Customer Applications Engineer contacts you. supportnet.mentor.com Page 13
Resolution Times Resolution time is the total time it takes to resolve a support issue. Since each situation is different, we do not have a universal resolution standard. Our goal is to make sure you are satisfied with the resolution time. Our Incident Surveys measure your satisfaction with how your Service Request was handled. Specifically, on our Incident Surveys, our goal is to have 90% of our customers satisfied (rating of 5, 6, or 7 on a 7 point scale) with their resolution time. supportnet.mentor.com Page 14
SERVICE REQUESTS Service Request Definition If you are unable to resolve your technical support issue through the SupportNet Knowledge Base, your support contract includes access to Mentor Graphics global SupportCenters staffed with industry-experienced engineers who provide technical assistance for Mentor Graphics products. SupportCenters are situated in all regions of the world. A Service Request is a single, reproducible issue, problem or symptom that you require assistance from Mentor Customer Support in order to resolve. Service Requests can be opened through SupportNet. Mentor response time will be based on the severity of your Service Request and the defined response targets for your level of support. Opening a New Service Request When you open a Service Request on SupportNet it allows us to capture all the necessary information, and route your issue to the most appropriate Customer Application Engineer (CAE). To confirm support coverage for your products, you will be asked for your site ID. If the call relates to an existing Service Request, you will be asked to provide the SR number. When you open a Service Request (SR) through SupportNet, a unique identification number is assigned to each new issue. We log every contact about the issue into the Service Request. One SR may include many different interactions with the support team. You can view and update these records on-line on SupportNet. The Service Request number will be referenced in all automatic emails you receive regarding your issue. What Information to Provide When You Open a Service Request The more details you can supply about a problem or issue, the sooner a Customer Application Engineer can provide accurate technical help. Be prepared to provide the following important information: Product Operating system and software version (accuracy is very important here) Sequence of events that led to your question, issue or crash If it is a crash, the traceback Any non-mentor Graphics tools or customized software that may be involved supportnet.mentor.com Page 15
Adding Attachments to a Service Request 1. Scroll to the Attachments section of the SR detail 2. Click the Browse button to browse your desktop or enter the path of the file you wish to attach 3. Select a file from your desktop and click open to add the file to the attachment section 4. The file name should appear in the text box, and the Upload button should be active 5. Click the Upload button to upload your file 6. Once your file has been transferred you should see a message underneath the upload button. You should also see the file name under the File Attachments text in the file upload section 7. To add another file, follow steps 1-5. To remove any file from the file attachment list, click the remove link to the right of each file name 8. Add a file description or comments to the Add Comments text field below 9. Click Submit to submit the attachment 10. The next page will display a Thank You message. An activity is added to the Updates section of the Service Request detail page, indicating you have submitted a web attachment. The attachment itself will appear after the file has been scanned. It may take a few minutes to indicate the file was successfully scanned. supportnet.mentor.com Page 16
Checking the Status or Updating an Existing Service Request To check the status of your Service Request, log on to SupportNet, and click on the Service Request tab, then the Service Request History sub tab. supportnet.mentor.com Page 17
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION At Mentor Graphics we are committed to providing world-class support to you. Customer feedback drives many changes and improvements made to Customer Support Division processes and practices. CSD solicits feedback from our customers at many different levels. The various feedback opportunities, and the gathering of that feedback, is organized within CSD as the Customer Listening Program. We also share this insight throughout the company at many different levels. Customer Support Incident Survey Whenever one of your Service Requests is closed, we will send you a survey to gauge your satisfaction with the level of support you received. Your responses are important to us, and every response is read. supportnet.mentor.com Page 18
SupportNet Survey When you visit SupportNet, Mentor Graphics sends you a survey asking a few simple questions about your experience. Because it is important for us to continue improving SupportNet, we appreciate your feedback on your recent visit. Confirmit, an independent provider of customer experience management systems, has been engaged to conduct a short web-based survey on our behalf. It should take about 5 minutes to complete. supportnet.mentor.com Page 19
APPENDIX About Mentor Graphics Corporation Publicly held (NASDAQ: Ment) Founded in 1981 Headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon Revenue in last reported 12 months: about $1, 015 million Over 70 offices worldwide Over 4,000 employees worldwide http://www.mentor.com Toll Free Phone: 1-800-547-3000 (in US) Mentor Graphics is a leading supplier of products and services used by companies worldwide in the design of the electronic content of their products. We are unique in providing solutions for both the hardware components (the chips and boards) and the software components (the embedded operating systems and applications/drivers that control the product's operation). Our strength lies in helping customers design leading-edge products for fast-paced markets (e.g. wireless communications, and internet network servers) with shorter product development cycles and minimal technology risk. In essence, we help our customers build better electronic products, sooner -- improving their profit potential. supportnet.mentor.com Page 20