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Introduction
You have entrusted your online sales and key guest engagement platforms with us, and that is a responsibility we are honored to support you in and take very seriously. Our team of experts is here to augment and boost our customer’s teams 365 days a year. We have an experienced and talented team of mountain enthusiasts who understand the challenges that resorts face. You’re in good hands with our team of 9 ski e-commerce experts focused on offering top service to our customers with over 100 combined years of relevant experience in the areas that matter most, including e-commerce, software implementation, education, marketing, technical writing, SQL, customer service, Ski POS, and years spent working at ski areas.
We deeply understand that the way orders are fulfilled and managed in the resort can make or break the guest and staff experience. We focus on the overall experience from online booking, through to fulfillment, and the in-resort experience and have resources to guide you every step of the way to achieve your goals.
About this guide
The goal of this guide is to provide a user-friendly and more detailed explanation of what is outlined in your existing service agreements so that you are aware of what great services and benefits you have available to you in your partnership with Aspenware out of the box, and also the additional professional services offerings that you can leverage periodically to further boost your implementation of Aspenware’s platforms, your overall guest experience, and operational efficiencies.
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We value our customers so deeply and look forward every day to coming to work with you to help solve your problems, reach your goals, and hopefully, sometimes, brighten your day. Thanks for being our customer!
1. Included Aspenware Services
With your annual maintenance and service agreement, you get access to the following included services. Services not outlined in this section are professional services.
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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. |
2. Professional Services
Want more? Aspenware’s team of experts can come alongside customers to drive strategic goals and augment your team to a greater extent with our professional services offerings. Professional Services can be requested by customers through the self-service portal. The capacity and timeline to provide these services will be at Aspenware’s sole discretion and time spent on these requests will be charged professional service fees and require planning/communication with Aspenware.
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HINT: If you are hoping to take advantage of a new feature that requires setting up training outside of providing documentation, webinars, and reviewing in monthly calls, professional service fees may apply.
3. Meet the Service Team
The Team | Focus | Background | ||||||
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Jen Dixon | Customer Success | Jen has been with Aspenware for 3 years, implementing over 18 resorts and servicing over 26 customers in this time. Jen came to Aspenware with a strong background in marketing in the tech industry. Fun fact: Jen’s Golden Retriever, Louie, goes on more adventures than most people. | ||||||
Danny Koressel | Implementation and Professional Services | Danny has been with Aspenware for over 2 years, implementing at both RTP and Siriusware resorts. Danny worked on managing complex software implementations for hospital systems prior to coming to Aspenware. Fun fact: Danny recently became an uncle! | ||||||
Jenni Buonanni | Customer Success, Implementations, Supporting Services, and Professional Services | Jenni has been with Aspenware for over 4 years. Jenni worked as a product manager, UX researcher, and teacher prior to coming to Aspenware. Fun fact: Jenni started a local art start up website in her college town of Fort Collins with her dad during college. | ||||||
Sarah Holst | Supporting Services | Sarah has been with Aspenware for 7 months. Sarah has deep experience in technical writing and teaching. She was a teacher for 9 years, experience that is invaluable in fantastic technical documentation. Fun fact: Sarah helped found Girls on the Run of the Rockies and teaches Yoga. | ||||||
Jake Swihart | Professional Services | Jake has been with Aspenware for 3 years. Jake is a 2021 graduate from CU Boulder, and worked as an intern on Aspenware’s service team throughout his studies. Fun Fact: Jake spent some of his childhood living in India. | ||||||
Marty Niessen | Implementation and Professional Services | Marty has been with Aspenware for 2 years. Marty worked on payroll and HR software implementations, and in strategy consulting and marketing prior to working at Aspenware. Fun Fact: Marty spent 5 months working as a raft guide in 2015 and still leads raft trips today. | ||||||
Irish Milandin | Customer Success | Irish has been with Aspenware for over 1 year. Irish spent 10 years at Mt. Bachelor as Director of IT and Base Operations and held other relevant roles in IT and management before joining the Aspenware team. Fun Fact: Irish coaches High School Basketball for Trinity Luthern. Go Saints! | ||||||
Kevin Vogle | Supporting Services, Customer Success, Implementations | Kevin has been with Aspenware for over 3 years. Kevin is Aspenware’s fore-most expert in Ski POS systems with over 20 years of experience working at RTP, Keystone, and running his own consultancy prior to coming to Aspenware. Fun Fact: Kevin is an avid skiier and golfer. | ||||||
Becky Haire | Customer Success | Becky is Aspenware’s newest service team member and has been at Aspenware since late April. Becky worked at Arapahoe Basin for 14 years in various roles from guest services supervisor to product and database manager. Fun Fact: Becky’s 4 year old daughter is already tough to keep up with on her Strider bike on the mountain bike trails in Summit County, CO. |
4. Aspenware Hours Availability
The following timeframes are our stated “Business Hours” and “After-Hours On-Call” period.
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 workday.
New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Black Friday
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
5. Understanding Service Level Guidelines
A support ticket submission is required for all issues before they can even be triaged as a level 1 - 4. If an issue is received via another communication channel, it will not be considered an official request until it appears in Aspenware’s ticketing system. See Appendix A for ticket submission requirements.
Quick Sheet: Service Level Guidelines
Level | Quick Definition | Expected Response Time | Expected Resolution Time |
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Level 1 (Most Urgent) *Level 1 issues are the only issue type handled during the After-Hours On-Call Period. | 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 | Within 1 hr of submission if submitted during Business Hours or After-Hours On-Call Period. | Within 24 hrs of submission (Except when a new version is required, in which case resolution in the code will be completed during business hours) |
Level 2 (High Importance) | 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 | Expect the first response from a service agent within 9 business hours if submitted during business hours. | Within 5 business days assuming proper notification and planning guidelines were met (Except when a new version is required, in which case we have 2 release versions to address a fix in code). |
Level 3 (Medium importance) | 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. | Expect the first response from a service agent within 3 business days of submission if submitted during business hours. | Within 10 business days (Except when a release is required, in which case we have 6 release versions to address and resolution is ultimately at Aspenware’s sole discretion to address). |
Level 4 (Low importance) | Classification used when there is an Error that is minor or that is cosmetic in nature and does not result in reduced performance. | Expect the first response from a service agent within 5 business days of submission if submitted during business hours. | Within 20 business days (Except when a release is required, in which there is no expectation that the code change will be addressed as Level 4 software defects are at Aspenware’s sole discretion). |
Glossary for Service Level Guidelines
Configuration Issue
Issue classified as standard support service provided (Detailed in Section 1). Issues, questions, and requests that arise with features with Aspenware supported systems as specified in Aspenware’s Documentation. The resolution of this issue type is handled solely within the service team and can be resolved using Aspenware Commerce or Arrival Admin and does not require custom SQL knowledge or DB updates.
Infrastructure Issue
Issues classified as a standard maintenance service provided, such as Upgrade related activities, or issues and questions with Infrastructure and/or Azure. The resolution of this issue type requires technical expertise, and/or the dev-ops team to complete. This issue type is not resolved within Aspenware Commerce or Arrival Admin, but resolved by updating config files, running SQL, Azure updates, initiating upgrades, and more.
Software Defect
Issue classified as a reproducible defect in the Supported Program or Documentation when operated on a Supported Environment which causes the Supported Program not to operate substantially in accordance with the Documentation. The resolution of this issue type requires the development team and the release of a new code version in order to complete.
Level 1 (Most Urgent)
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 imminent due to guest arrival.
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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 https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Flash-Sale-or-Product-Launch-Scaling-Preparation.1298334147.html 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 (High Importance)
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.
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Software Defect - A visual issue that causes a significant hindrance to the guest. Inventory is being oversold on a non-primary* (see primary definition above) product because of a defect in the supported inventory functionality.
Configuration Issue - The wrong product code was booked for a primary product in the Point of Sale.
Infrastructure Issue - A plugin that is used was inadvertently uninstalled during the last upgrade.
Level 3 (Medium Importance)
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 an issue causing a Supported element of the system to fail but it is limited to a single device or a cosmetic error that significantly distracts from the guest experience, etc.
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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 (Low Importance)
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 the text more configurable, color changes, etc.)
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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.
Appendix A: Guidelines on Submitting Tickets
If reporting an issue that has not yet been reproduced, 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. 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
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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, Aspenware has sole discretion to determine the priority of submitted issues and will de-escalate any ticket marked Urgent that is not a Level 1. |
Appendix B: 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.
B1: Upgrade Guidelines
Customers should not fall further than 4 releases behind in their production code at any time. Not staying on current versions can result in the lack of resolution of bugs, errors, and other issues with Aspenware products within the expected resolution times.
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.
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 or on Fridays.
B2: 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:
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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.
Appendix C: Test Environments
Test environment issues are not held to the same resolution times as production-related issues.
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.
C1: Copy Live to Test Details
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 a copy regularly.
If a customer requests a copy 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 copies 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, Aspenware reserves the right to run a copy and will charge professional service fees for all development, dev-ops, and services time to upgrade the customer until they are within compliance.
Aspenware has sole discretion to run a copy live to test in the case of L1 or L2 troubleshooting, or if a customer is out of compliance 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 can be run without such approval.
Appendix D: Scheduled/Unscheduled Aspenware Related Infrastructure Configuration Changes
Aspenware must be informed of all impactful 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 the after-hours on-call period - 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 changes outside of business hours and after-hours on-call period - 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.
Appendix E: 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.
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