ShoWorks Technical Support Policy
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Introduction
Gladstone strives to provide the highest level of technical support for our customers. Our goal is to handle each and every support request with respect and act quickly to resolve any difficulty you may be having.
Our support is designed to assist the customer with problems or issues in understanding how to use the software. Custom programming or modifications of the software are not included under the support policy.
Self-help solutions, including our support Web site help articles and in-program help, are usually the best and quickest way to resolve support questions. Over 90% of our support questions can be answered via our self-help solutions. To access the support options from within the software, click the Help menu on the toolbar.
If you are unable to obtain your answer via self-help, feel free to contact us. While we are always glad to speak with our customers, please consider E-mail. This method allows a more thorough answer and provides you with a written reference of the question. We strive to answer E-mails within one business day, and many times within a few hours.
If you have any questions about this support statement, please contact Gladstone.
Tips Before Contacting Support
- Ensure you backup your data file often by saving your data as a different file name. The process is accessible by selecting File, then Backup or Restore .
- Ensure you have downloaded and installed the most recent update. If your machine is connected to the Internet, select Help, then Check for Updates, or visit our updates page.
- If you contact us and your question is already answered in our self-help resources, we will simply point you to the relevant section. This is not meant to be awkward, but this documentation has been carefully developed and refined to provide you with instructions that are consistent and easy to understand. It also serves as a printable source that you can keep and record your own notes on. With the exception of our Urgent Care Support service (see below), we are unable to "walk you through" performing tasks already documented in the self-help support.
Contacting Support
- Please provide your name, fair name, as well as the version found in the Help and About ShoWorks menu (including sub-version such as 16.0.1).
- Record program messages in detail and exact wording. Saying "it crashed" or "it gave me an error" does not provide enough information and will only increase the time to resolve the problem.
- Please provide steps to reproduce your problem or question.
- Please listen carefully and be patient. You may be asked to try several basic steps as the support representative narrows down the possibilities. Regardless of computer knowledge, please follow the exact directions provided.
A Few Things To Remember
- We reserve the right to withdraw all services and support without refund from any customer at our discretion, for reasons including but not limited to excessive demands, nuisance or spurious requests, unprofessional conduct, or any action that we deem unproductive and non-conducive to our business philosophy and desire to serve customers.
- Though we are often quick in responding to support incidents, we do not guarantee a response, bug fix, or feature enhancement within a certain timeframe.
- Technical support is only available for Gladstone, Inc.'s products and is not provided for products not developed by Gladstone. For assistance, please contact the product manufacturer. This includes: Windows, MS Access, spreadsheets, word processors, E-mail, web browsers, printers, and networks.
- We are unable to support basic computer operations such as copying and moving of files, downloading from the web, and E-mailing file attachments. Please refer to your computer manual for assistance.
- We reserve the right to temporarily suspend (pause) a support phone call for long waits such as uninstalling, reinstalling, rebooting, being placed on hold, or transfers, at the discrepancy of a technician, for the sake of efficiency should he/she need to address another support ticket in the queue. Should such a suspension occur, the technician will make every attempt possible to return the call in the earliest and urgent manner once the next support ticket has been completed.
- All support incidents are recorded, including date, time of day, support representative, and nature of incident. This is for future reference and enables us to provide better support.
Support Plans (per fair)
| Resource | How to access the resource | Response Time |
|---|---|---|
| User Manual | Click Help menu button in ShoWorks | Available 24/7 |
| Quick Start Guide | Click Help menu button in ShoWorks | Available 24/7 |
| Training Videos | http://fairsoftware.com/videos | Available 24/7 |
| Support Website | http://fairsoftware.com/support | Available 24/7 |
| E-Support (non-Service Plan) | http://fairsoftware.com/contact | 1 to 2 business days* |
| E-Support Expedite §(Service Plan) | http://fairsoftware.com/contact | Immediate to ½ business day* |
| Telephone Support § (Service Plan) | Toll free (888) 332-2419 | 1 business day* |
| Urgent Care Support † (on-call) | Available upon purchase and completion of Urgent Care Support contract | Available 24/7 Immediate (during nights, weekends and all holidays) |
| * Response times are estimated and will vary depending on work load and time of year. Fair season peaks in July/August with shouldering months also busy. Gladstone business hours are 9am to 5pm Central Time, M-F. § Requires yearly Service Plan – included in first year of purchase. † Requires additional contract and scheduling (see below "Urgent Care Support") |
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E-Support
E-Support (Electronic Support) is designed for fairs not needing an instant/live answer to a question however response times are often exceptionally fast. Fairs who are under the annual Service Plan (included in first year of purchase, renewable yearly and fully refunded as credit towards online entries), may enter their Service Plan Number to expedite their messages. Response times are typically immediate for current Service Plan members. Non-Service Plan submissions may take 1-2 business days. Though after hours support for E-Support is not guaranteed (see Urgent Care Support plan below for after hours guaranteed support), E-Support messages are commonly answered even into the night hours.
Telephone Support (included in first year, renewable annually, refunded as credit for online entries)
Telephone Support is designed for fairs who need an instant/live answer to a question during regular business hours*. This option is available for fairs who are under the annual Service Plan (included in first year of purchase, renewable yearly and fully refunded as credit towards online entries), and requires keying in their Service Plan Number to route their call to a technician. Response times are typically immediate unless a technician is unavailable while helping another customer, in which case voice mail is provided and a call back will usually entail within ½ a business day. After hours telephone support is available only for Urgent Care Support (see below) which must be scheduled in advance for the week of your fair.
Urgent Care Support (optional)
Urgent Care support is designed for fairs who may require immediate/live assistance 24 hours per day, 7 days per week by a Gladstone technician who is scheduled to be "on call" for the fair. This option is recommended for both first time users and those fairs with critical operations during non-business hours* of Gladstone. This option is available for purchase on a per-week basis and must be scheduled in advance. Please complete and submit the contract here and then contact to Gladstone with a follow up communication to ensure enrollment.
