Promptlink’s Broadband CPE Testing and Network Monitoring Product Support Plan

Customers under a current software support contract receive technical support for all user activities associated with the software. This includes training, troubleshooting and remote troubleshooting for all system components covered by the support contract.

Customers under a current hardware support contract receive support for all hardware-related issues. This includes remotely accessed configuration and troubleshooting for covered hardware purchased from Promptlink. Our technicians can usually reconfigure and repair a device within minutes. If a covered component is deemed defective by our technicians, a replacement unit is shipped out using the fastest possible shipping method.

Support work is initiated by live online chat, filling out our web support form or by emailing

Ticketing System

The Promptlink ticketing system combines standard functions of operations centers with software support desks. It features automated methods for routing and dispatching tickets so that processing of specific types of tickets is done by the appropriate support personnel. For example, general networking issues are routed to network engineers while software bugs go to software developers and application engineers.

Software bug tracking is initially entered into the main ticketing system, and is then migrated to our Bug Tracking System. This allows us to maintain customer service related to the operations ticketing system, while also maintaining software configuration control using the bug tracking system. Also, software bugs are simply handled by a different process than that used for resolving network issues, so we use a different ticketing process.

All customer interaction is managed by an around-the-clock support center that is adept in handling diverse issues. Upon receipt of customer issues (via e-mail, phone call, or even automated means such as SNMP traps and events), the support center tickets the issue. We recognize that many of the customer calls to the support center are information requests, so we use sophisticated tools to make our support center effective at offering help and dispensing the information desired.

Implementation and Deployment

Promptlink supports the orderly design and deployment of our Broadband CPE Testing and Network Monitoring Product Support and services through the use of a complete Installation and Deployment Plan. The Plan goes through five typical phases:

  1. Analysis of Customer Needs and Design Constraints.
  2. Detailed Design
  3. Installation and Configuration, with Initial Testing and Operation
  4. Operational Support, and
  5. Completion.

These phases of the overall plan support effective work to install and configure the specific Promptlink solution for customers. Promptlink develops an individual Deployment Plan for each customer. The overall objective is to effectively deploy the Promptlink solution to meet specific requirements and constraints, and to establish the service infrastructure for the Promptlink customer. Another objective addressed by the plan is to deploy in the most cost effective and reliable manner.

The Deployment Plan creates a structure to implement and deploy the solution, and covers efforts required to:

  1. Install Promptlink software, systems and any related hardware and conduct basic configuration such that the system may operate effectively in the customer network;
  2. Configure the application with customer specific or industry-standard settings.
  3. Verify that the customer’s deployment is operational in accordance with customer expectations.

Upon completion of these tasks, the solution will be ready for production operation.

Prioritization and Escalation Matrix

Promptlink Support uses an issue prioritization process to assign the appropriate resources to customer reported issues. This process is used for operations support for Managed Service contracts. Incoming issues are evaluated and assigned an initial priority by Tier 1 personnel handling the reported issue, with category definitions as follows.

Priority 1. Production network and/or systems are down causing critical impact to business operations if services are not restored quickly. No work-around is available. Customer is willing to commit substantial resources around the clock to resolve the situation.

Priority 2. Production network and/or systems are severely degraded impacting significant aspects of business operations. No work-around is available. Customer is willing to commit full-time resources during business hours to resolve the situation.

Priority 3. Network and/or systems performance is degraded. Network and/or systems functionality is impaired but most business operations continue.

Priority 4. Customer requires information or assistance on installation or configuration.

Standard Duties of Promptlink’s Support Specialists (until ticket resolved)

  1. Informing the customer at regular intervals of every 2 hours for Priority 1 status; end of day for Priority 2; and Priority 3, weekly for Priority 4.
  2. Updating "Notification" parties identified above.
  3. Entering information into ticket tracking database.

Training Services

For the software applications, courses are targeted towards technical users of the Promptlink’s software tools (typically: network engineers, NOC analysts, Call Center agents, Plant Maintenance dispatchers and Field Technicians), specifically aiming to teach them how to navigate the tools, use the applications for managing networks, and for making use of advanced features such as the generation of configuration files and conducting firmware upgrades.

Onsite training courses are offered as two-day courses for customer personnel. For some specific Promptlink’s products, particularly the Network NoiseHawk, on-site training courses can be extended to provide a few days of assisted initial operation. The customer is responsible to provide a suitable training room with projector, whiteboard, student workstations with Internet access, and potentially other specific training requirements that will be communicated within two weeks of the training course. Promptlink will supply all student materials.

For Promptlink’s Test Platforms of CPE devices, on-site basic training sessions are included in the package of installation services. The basic training is targeted to operators and supervisors, specially oriented to familiarize users with the hardware and software of the test platforms, teach them to efficiently perform all basic operational tasks (like loading/unloading devices in their test positions, connection-disconnection of cables, scanning barcodes, turning equipment off-on, etc.), and to understand and make proper use of the platforms’ operating software, select test profiles and configurations, make correct interpretations of test results, obtain test reports and statistics, and export the results as wanted. Moreover, the basic course includes training on recommended preventive maintenance practices of the hardware, and how to interact efficiently with Promptlink’s Support team via dedicated chat client and/or Email.

Customer Support Team

Promptlink utilizes its own internal resources for first level customer support and maintains a staff of consultant-level engineers ready to support its customers, as needed, with second level support. We also maintain a full life-cycle software development team, that is able to quickly and effectively resolve customer reported software issues. We apply a holistic, team-based approach that benefits from strong interaction among all team members.