| Table of Contents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Service Level
...
Guidelines
Aspenware Hours Availability
The following timeframes will be referred to throughout this document as “Business Hours” and “After-Hours On-Call”.
Business Hours: 8 am - 5 pm (Mountain Time), Monday - Friday, Holidays Excluded.
After-Hours On-Call Period:
Weekdays (Holidays Excluded): 5 pm - 8 pm (Mountain Time), Monday - Friday
Weekends and Holidays: 8 am - 8 pm (Mountain Time)
Holidays
Aspenware observes the following holidays. If one of these holidays falls on a weekend it is Observed during a work day.
New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Black Friday
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Level 1
Definition:
Used when there is an error that causes the Software to entirely fail to function and/or crash the system on which the Software is installed (I.e. shop is entirely down, log in and create an account does not work, majority of guests can’t checkout.)
Results in restricting the majority of guests from using the site and/or the customer’s ability to collect revenue are significantly impacted. For example, an error that makes a primary product* that was online prior unable to be sold online.
*A primary product refers to a product that drives 50% or more online revenue at the time the ticket is submitted, for example, lift tickets in the middle of winter.
An error that prevents the majority of orders from transferring to the POS and the need to fulfill these orders is immediate because guests need to fulfill these orders imminently.
...
| Note |
|---|
IMPORTANT: Some issues that meet the Level 1 definition cannot be resolved by Aspenware and must be resolved externally. In the case that a root cause is determined as an outside incident (see the Outside Incident section below) Aspenware cannot guarantee any SLAs these resolution times when the resolution of the error is not within its control. Examples of outside incident Level 1 issues include Azure outage, Internet outage at the customer ski area, Email provider outage, Payment outage, external header outage, a ransomware attack, etc. |
...
| Info |
|---|
NOTE: One potentially avoidable Level 1 if proper planning and communication are done ahead of time is traffic to the site that is higher than what the Azure levels are able to handle. This incident can cause a slow-performing site at best, and an outage at worst. See the section on auto-scaling below for Aspenware’s recommendations and stated customer responsibilities around helping your store handle high traffic. Aspenware cannot guarantee an immediate resolution to any incidents caused by volume surges if proper planning and communication with Aspenware were not completed. |
Level 2
Definition:
Used when there is an error that causes supported elements of the Software to fail to operate in a material manner with no workaround but does not render the system on which the Software is installed inoperable.
A level 2 error results in restricting a large number of guests from using the site or renders the ability to fulfill orders 3x more difficult than before the issue started.
If a feature is used heavily at a particular customer but is not deemed a primary feature across Aspenware’s customer base, significant defects identified with this feature will be resolved as a Level 2 rather than Level 1.
Response Time: Level 2 issues will be responded to and resolved during Business Hours only. (The After-Hours On-Call Period is reserved for responding to and troubleshooting Level 1s). Expect the first response from a service agent within 8 business hours if submitted during Business Hours.
...
If it is a configuration or infrastructure request, we will work to resolve the issue within 5 business days assuming proper notification protocol was met. *See sections on customer communication expectations for configuration and infrastructure requests below.
If the issue is a Level 2 software defect, Aspenware will first attempt to deploy a version of the software where this defect is not present within 5 business days.
If deploying another version to resolve the issue is not possible, we will work to resolve the issue within 2 release versions, within commercially reasonable efforts. (Aspenware releases a new version approximately every 4 weeks.)
...
Infrastructure Issue - A plugin that is used was inadvertently uninstalled during the last upgrade.
Level 3
Definition: Used when there is an error that produces an inconvenient situation in which the Software operates substantially in accordance with the Specifications but nevertheless causes or results in substandard or erratic performance. An example of a Level 3 may be a level 2 issue an issue causing a Supported element of the system to fail but it is limited to a single less popular device , or a cosmetic error that significantly distracts from the guest experience, etc.
...
Software Defect - Extra spaces in Username and Email in the POS prevents login
Configuration Issue - Support for test environment configuration around an upcoming product launch.
Infrastructure Issue - Configuring new functions and plugins needed for taking advantage of a new feature for an upcoming product launch.
Level 4
Definition: Classification used when there is an Error that is minor or that is cosmetic in nature and does not result in reduced performance. (I.e. text changes or making text more configurable, color changes, etc.)
...
Software Defect - A cosmetic issue that does not result in reduced performance.
Configuration Issue - Request to change a language string/content in an HTML widget.
Infrastructure Issue - Configuring new functions and plugins needed for taking advantage of a new feature for a down-the-road product launch.
Guidelines on Submitting Tickets
If reporting an issue that has not yet been reproduced by you or a member of your team, first attempt to reproduce. Take notes on the steps taken, and collect necessary information and details (accounts experiencing the issue, products experiencing the issue including links to the customer-facing PDP and admin editor page, steps to reproduce, browser and OS used, time of occurrence, etc.) that will help troubleshoot the issue.
When creating a ticket, include additional contacts, enter a subject, a description, and attach any necessary files. If reporting a bug or defect, please include as much of the following context as possible:
Detailed steps to reproduce
Impacted product header code, and component code
Links to the impacted product (guest-facing link to the PDP and links to the admin product editor page)
Screenshots/Screen recordings (the more legible, the better) We recommend using http://loom.com.
The device, browser, and version details of the guest experiencing the issue if unable to reproduce across all browsers
The exact time of day when this started happening (including time zone information)
Specific user details if relevant (email, account setup in RTP)
Order details if relevant (alternate order id, products ordered, etc.)
Any helpful background information
...
| Note |
|---|
IMPORTANT: If your ticket is Urgent, only meaning it meets Level 1 criteria as described above, add URGENT to the subject line or body and our automation rules will pick it up as a Level 1 ticket. If your ticket is not a Level 1 as described below please DO NOT add Urgent to the subject line. |
...
Azure and Unity Management/Monitoring Services
As part of your Aspenware service agreement, we configure, maintain, and monitor most elements of your Aspenware platform environments and infrastructure. Unless otherwise specified in your agreement, Aspenware does not pay the customer’s hosting fees (typically monthly Azure fees) and these are the responsibility of the customer. The following sections on Hosting, Monitoring, Auto-scaling, and Scheduled/Unscheduled Network changes detail what environment management services are included out of the box, which are not, and which are available at professional service fees.
...
Azure and Unity Management
Included Services - These infrastructure-related services are available at no extra cost and are considered part of a standard Aspenware Service Agreement.
Environment set up and configuration within Azure. Typically performed during the implementation phase of the customer life cycle.
Alert configuration and monitoring for Level 1 and High Level 2 outages (see Monitoring section below)
Auto-scaling configuration and maintenance (see Auto-scaling section below)
Tracking SSL expirations and working with customers to retrieve new SSLs. Often this task requires customer participation.
Keeping Azure levels SKUs and infrastructure up to date with the latest Aspenware recommendations for optimized configurationMaintaining multi-factor security on all Azure systems as well as following secure password storage protocols. Limiting access to required individuals.Annual internal environment load testing on core software packages (commerce) where bottle-necks in performance are identified and considered as roadmap activities
Available Add-on Services - Unless otherwise specified in your package, these infrastructure-related services are available but will require professional service fees and require planning/communication with Aspenware.
Manual scaling and Azure intervention for traffic surge events. If auto-scaling, which is included for all customers is insufficient to handle upcoming traffic surges, please notify and work with your Aspenware representative to manually scale up and down your Azure resources to accommodate traffic surges. Details on when to notify your Aspenware representative of upcoming surges are defined here https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Flash-Sale-or-Product-Launch-Scaling-Preparation.1298334147.html. In the event of a manual scale, professional service fees will apply for planning, scaling activities, and monitoring time. Scaling up and down activities are limited to business hours, so if a sale is running over a weekend, we’d scale you up on a Friday and down on a Monday. Note there are additional fees for Azure associated with manual scaling.
Queue-It is a 3rd party service Aspenware optionally provides its customers as an add-on. Queue-It is a virtual waiting room for high traffic events and requires a separate license and implementation. Queue-It provides digital queueing capabilities for planned, high-traffic events and a “SafetyNet” feature for unexpected spikes in traffic. Queue-It is the queuing system used by high-volume providers such as Ticketmaster, StubHub, Vail Resorts, and AXS.
It is recommended for customers that plan to utilize “flash sales”, which are characterized as an announced, scheduled release of limited inventory on a specific date and time.
If interested, contact your Aspenware account executive. Queue-It implementation times vary between 6-15 hrs and are charged at a professional services rate.
Aspenware can offer dedicated monitoring services leading up to and throughout the course of important launches and sales. These In-depth monitoring activities are only available as a professional service package. With this package, Aspenware will look at historical traffic trends and recommend scaling activities leading up to the event. If you have the Queue-It add on they will help guide you on using Queue-It for this event. During the event, they can monitor and tweak system levels alongside your team to ensure optimal performance during the event. Following the event, they can return systems to normal operating levels and report out on system performance, which can be used to guide future similar traffic events. Typically these services include 1-2 hrs to plan and consult on strategy, 1 hr before the event, the duration of the event when marketing communication is sent (varies), and 1 hr after the event to return systems to normal and report out on activities. These monitoring services require 10 days' notice to Aspenware and may not be available if the launch event is outside of standard business hours (8 am - 5 pm Mon - Friday, Holidays excluded).
Customer Expectations around
...
Azure Management
The following customer expectations must be upheld by the customer in order for Aspenware to achieve and maintain its SLAs Service Level Guidelines and provide the best service possible.
Responsible for maintaining servers where Unity is hosted and keeping specs up to on these servers if Unity is hosted on premise and not in Azure.
Unless otherwise specified, the customer responsible for paying monthly Azure hosting costs.
Provide business hours and after-hours access to IT and networking personnel. After-hours contact will only be made for emergencies.
Quick response/completion of tasks on SSL renewals when necessary
Notify Aspenware of all high traffic sales events - defined here https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Flash-Sale-or-Product-Launch-Scaling-Preparation.1298334147.html
To uphold our SLAsService Level Guidelines, Aspenware designated staff needs adequate and continuous access at all times to a minimum number of services (All access to Azure, RTP|One, and the DB where unity is hosted, what else? what specific RTP permissions do we need? ) This cannot require a person approving access each day. If approval is required to access any of the on-premise or hosted applications, services, or servers, SLAs Service Levels cannot be guaranteed for these customers.
Provide Aspenware with an updated list of contacts and contact information for monitoring alerting.
Name | Title | |
Monitoring
Aspenware will monitor production Commerce, Identity, Arrival, and Unity URLs , as well as inventory and order processor functions proactively within support hours and will contact the customer, notifying them of an outage if not reported by the customer, within the SLA service level guidelines outlined above.
| Note |
|---|
IMPORTANT: Outages can occur for many reasons. Most outages, particularly with Unity, are caused by an incident/outside factor. (i.e. internet outage, a firewall issue on the customer side). If an outage is caused by an outside issue, see guidelines below on how incidents are handled and note that Aspenware cannot be held to SLAs service level resolution times where the issue resolution is out of its control. |
| Info |
|---|
NOTE: One potentially avoidable outage if proper planning and communication with Aspenware are done ahead of time are crashes caused by volume surges that are higher than what the configured Azure levels can handle. This can cause a slow-performing site at best, and an outage at worst. As part of our hosting agreement, we offer services to help your site handle most loads, but this requires customer participation and planning alongside your Aspenware representative. Aspenware cannot guarantee an immediate resolution to any incidents caused by volume surges if proper planning and communication with Aspenware were not completed. See our published guidelines on scaling and manual scaling intervention for details on when auto-scaling may not be sufficient. |
Auto-scaling
To secure the platform against sudden outages due to unexpected volume, and to ensure optimal performance of all Commerce stores, Aspenware will set all production Commerce stores to auto-scale. This means stores will be able to handle unexpected gradual* heavy loads of traffic.
...
| Note |
|---|
IMPORTANT: When a store is scaled out, any Aspenware Commerce administration changes will take about 1.5 hours to take effect for all shoppers on the site. To keep you informed about exactly when an auto-scale occurs, Aspenware will set your team members up with notifications. |
Scheduled/Unscheduled
...
Aspenware Related Infrastructure Configuration Changes
Aspenware must be informed of all impactful networking/infrastructure Aspenware Related Infrastructure changes completed by the customer 5 days in advance or as soon as possible if unscheduled.
Requests for changes within business hours - Aspenware can participate to help update its platforms for scheduled and routine infrastructure changes that occur within standard business hours (8 am - 5 pm Monday - Friday, Holidays excluded) at no extra professional service charge but must be scheduled 5 business days in advance with Aspenware.
Requests for changes within on-call hours - Customers can request professional services to have Aspenware’s participation in networking/infrastructure changes that occur outside of business hours, but within our on-call period (8 am - 8 pm Mountain Time). These requests must be scheduled 10 business days in advance and professional service fees will be charged for all activities completed outside of standard business hours.
Requests for late-night and early morning changes - Networking/infrastructure changes made outside of after-hours on-call windows and business hours will not be considered. For example, if the customer is making changes at 2 am, the Aspenware portion could be completed starting at 8 am the next morning.
Incident/Outside Factors
When issues are raised, Aspenware will help identify the priority of the issue, its role in the issue, and in the case of issues where multiple parties are involved, help pull together / recommend any relevant partners for troubleshooting activities. It is ultimately the customer’s responsibility to align disparate parties and facilitate communication between responsible parties.
If it is determined that the responsibility for a reported issue is out of Aspenware’s control, Aspenware cannot be held to any SLAs stated resolution times for these incidents.
While some incidents may have a workaround to help lessen the impact of the issue, which Aspenware will do its best to identify a workaround, many incidents do not have a workaround and require a resolution that is out of Aspenware’s control, i.e. internet goes down at the customer ski area, Azure outage, IP address change, ransomware event, etc. Once the underlying issue is resolved, if there is anything required of Aspenware to resolve the incident, such as networking changes, etc. we will work promptly within outlined SLAs service level resolution times to support the customer in resolving the situation.
Included Support
These services are available at no extra cost and are considered part of a standard Aspenware Service Agreement.
A regular (typically monthly) sync call with your service rep to review AGENDA DETAILS HERE Jen Dixon
Clarification of documentation, functions, and features - Our products are well documented and we love helping you get the most out of these products by sharing relevant areas of documentation, links to articles, release notes, and configuration guides to answer your specific questions around your desired setup. If documentation is unclear, Aspenware services will provide additional color and direction to help you better understand existing documentation.
Note: Additional clarification and configuration support may be timeboxed. If a configuration request takes over 30 minutes, your Aspenware Representative may indicate that Professional Services time is required to complete the request.
Assistance in identifying and verifying the causes of suspected errors, and advice on bypassing errors in the system - If you find errors with supported features in the Aspenware platform, Aspenware’s service team will work with you to reproduce the issues you are experiencing, understand the root cause and whether there is a workaround so that we can prioritize and pass on issues to our development team, and help you bypass errors if possible according to our SLAsService Level resolution times.
Access to all Upgrades - As releases and hotfixes become available, the Aspenware service team equips customers to be prepared for and informed about what’s coming in an upcoming release. They support you in testing, installing, and troubleshooting these releases.
Note: If you are hoping to take advantage of a new feature that requires setting up training outside of providing documentation and reviewing in monthly calls, professional service fees may apply.
| Info |
|---|
NOTE: Customers are expected to keep Aspenware informed of the following dates for all product launches and follow reasonable build and test planning efforts before launching products.
If an unexpected launch pops up, or if a launch was not communicated with your Aspenware representatives or planned for within these outlined minimums and you require more urgent support, Aspenware is happy to help so long as it is within standard business hours and our availability allows it, however, Aspenware reserves the right to direct these last-minute configuration requests to the professional services team and time spent troubleshooting these tickets will be billable at your Professional Services rate. |
Upgrades
Aspenware offers releases approximately every 4 weeks. For more details on our release processes and methodology, see https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Aspenware-Release-and-Update-Process.1385824260.html.
Customers should not fall further than 4 major versions releases behind in their production code at any time.
Production environments will not be updated/changed without first notifying the customer. In the case of a Level 1 issue, Aspenware may begin upgrade/infrastructure change activities without the consent of the customer, but to swap and make material changes to versions, and significant infrastructure changes, the customer must be informed, and in the case of upgrading software versions, provide consent. This raises the importance of customer contact availability - see customer availability expectations section.
If a bug is fixed in a future release and a customer declines to take a release, ticket resolution within SLAs the stated resolution times is not guaranteed.
Before scheduling a release to production, customers are expected to smoke test and approve the code version for their production environment. All functionality that is unique to the customer and not widely adopted should be tested by the customer with each upgrade. For example, if you use subscriptions these should be specially tested with each upgrade.
We offer scheduled release timelines within business hours and do not offer routine releases outside of Business Hours.
Customer Expectations During Upgrades
To ensure that Aspenware has the ability to reach out to customer contacts in the case of emergencies and for code upgrades, customers must provide Aspenware with the following emergency contacts:
...
These defined contacts are determined as release decision-makers and stakeholders. Permission to turn sites from maintenance mode to live mode following a deployment must be granted by one of these contacts, otherwise, the site will remain under construction until permission has been granted.
Professional Services
The following services are available but will incur professional service fees and require planning/communication with Aspenware.
Training - As you hire new employees, need refresher training, or are hoping to take advantage of new features and functions, we can train you and your team on these products and features.
Configuration - Aspenware can help with configuration requests by providing relevant documentation links and occasionally may help with infrastructure configuration like installing required functions in Azure, etc. however configuration requests that take >30 minutes are at Aspenware’s discretion to transition the request to a Professional Services request. If you would like Aspenware to assist with setting up products, prototyping options, etc. That is always considered Professional Services.
Best Practices Consultation - Aspenware has worked with many ski areas on various product configurations, shop setups, and more. We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t and can consult around best practices for product setup and getting more out of your store, helping you think through a new and different way to sell rentals, lift, lessons, and more.
Consulting - As experts in commerce as well as ski POS systems, we're equipped to help you think through any new product being offered from both the commerce shopping experience and the fulfillment experience.
Project Management - There are a lot of moving parts and parties involved in getting a store ready for the winter or summer season, with Aspenware’s knowledge of your personnel, business, and products gained through running your implementation and supporting you, we can help project manage e-commerce and arrival related projects to ensure these projects are on time and a smashing success.
Test Environments
Aspenware offers regular opportunities to copy production commerce configuration so that test configuration mirrors production configuration. Aspenware currently sends out available dates and customers can sign up for one copy every month.
If a customer requests a copy live to test outside of these published time-frames, Aspenware can coordinate, but these outside requests will require professional service fees for the copy. Typically 1 hr for dev ops and 1 hr for service, so typically these unscheduled copys require a minimum of 2 professional service hours.
Aspenware requires that customers complete a copy live to test for both their commerce and POS environments every 3 months at a minimum. If a copy has not been completed within a 3-month window, any reported issues production issues that cannot be reproduced in the test environment cannot be held to SLAsService Level Guidelines resolution times.
Test environment issues are not held to the same SLAs resolution times as production-related issues.
Aspenware has sole discretion to run a copy live to test in the case of L1 or L2 troubleshooting without the consent of the customer. Aspenware will always seek to notify and obtain customer approval before completing copy live to test, however, if approval cannot be obtained promptly, a copy live to test can be run without such approval.
Aspenware has full autonomy to make changes/updates/infrastructure changes to test environments without the consent of the customer. Aspenware will attempt to notify and receive consent from the customer on major changes to test environments, such as upgrades, adaptations to major products, etc, however, if consent is not received, Aspenware can proceed without being in violation for troubleshooting efforts as it is a test environment and is purposed to help evaluate which efforts will positively impact production.
...