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Bespoke Databases - Support Options |
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Good quality
support can be critical to ensure the success of a software system. It needs
to be both effective responsive.
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Ambersoft
provides on-going hot-line and dial-in support through one of three
arrangements - Annual Support, Monthly Support, and Ad Hoc Support. |
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1) Annual Support Agreement |
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The
key features are:- § Charges. The charges are based on usage, but there is also an annual retainer fee equivalent to a one or two day fee (currently at £540 per day), depending on selection of Standard or Premium service level. Our hourly rate is reduced (currently from £85 per hour to £62.50 per hour). The minimum time charge for a Support Issue is also reduced, to half an hour.
§
Response Times. We set out target response times which are taken
very seriously. Response Times are particularly important for 'mission
critical' systems. Clients with annual (or monthly) support take priority
over other commitments. This
arrangement is suitable for bespoke databases where few change requirements
or support calls are anticipated, or where response times are particularly important. |
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2) Monthly Support Agreement |
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The
key features are:-
§
Charges. A monthly support rate is agreed with the client, based largely
on the size and complexity of the system, and on the number of users. We
would expect the fee in most cases to be about £75 per month, which is
payable by standing order. There is no annual retainer fee, and the agreement
can be cancelled at any time with one month’s notice.
§
Development Credits. 50% of the monthly fee is allocated as a
‘Development Credit’ and put into a Development Fund. The Fund gradually
accumulates with these Credits. The Credits have a maximum life of 18 months
and should therefore be used within this period.
§
Similar obligations to the Annual Support Agreement are
applicable, such as response times.
This
arrangement is suitable for a company that wants a fixed annual cost for
support, wishes to spread the cost of support over a full year, and
anticipates several change requirements or support calls during the year.
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3) Ad Hoc Support |
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§ Charges. All work is done on a time and material basis. There is a Minimum Fee per Support Item of 4 hours. All charges are based on our higher rate (currently £85/hour). § A Support Authorisation Form must signed for each Support Item, and payment made in advance for the Minimum Fee. This arrangement is flexible but more expensive for each support issue. It is also applied to non-Ambersoft systems and to ad hoc consultancy work. |
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