Customer Support FAQ
Who supports my MKS Toolkit product?
MKS Toolkit products are supported by MKS Software and by several of our distributors worldwide. The sales representative from whom you purchased the product can direct you to the company that supports your product. Or, you can send an e-mail to us at tk_support@mkssoftware.com and we can tell you who supports your product.
Why do I need to register before I can obtain support?
We ask you to register for support because at many companies, the purchaser of the software is not the user of that software. When we send notifications of patches and updates, we want to send them to our users, not purchasing departments. We strongly recommend that all users of MKS Toolkit at a given location register with us, to ensure timely communication about patches and updates. Registration is a simple and relatively painless process that you can do at the time of installation, via the internet, e-mail, fax, or telephone. Finally, registration identifies you as a purchaser of our product so that when you request support, we already know who you are and can process your support request without delay.
What do you do with my personal registration information?
Your privacy is important to us. We use your registration information to create an entry for you in our support database, with which we track any issues you may report. We do not provide this information to anyone outside our company. When you register, if you elect to receive our customer support newsletter, we will use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter. We may also contact you from time-to-time to ask about the quality of our support.
What are your support offerings?
PCS is a 12-month contract that entitles you to unlimited customer support during normal support hours for the duration of the contract. You may contact us any number of times via telephone, e-mail, fax, or the web site. In addition, you are entitled to all patches, bug fixes, and product upgrades for the duration of the contract. Finally, you may elect to receive periodic mailings from our customer support organization. These mailings outline new features, give tips for using features, discuss how to solve common problems, and provide other frequently requested information.
Other support offerings to meet your needs are available by special arrangement.
Do you offer 24x7 support?
We do offer customized 24x7 support via special arrangement. Contact your sales representative.
What are your normal support hours?
How can I contact your support organization?
What information do I need when I contact your support organization?
If you have registered for support, you will need to identify yourself and the company that you work for. If you have not registered, you should do so on the web, before you contact us, at http://www.mkssoftware.com/support/register.asp.
In most cases, we will need a test case to understand and diagnose your problem. If you have a test case, send it and the test procedure to us via e-mail at tk_support@mkssoftware.com.
We will also need to know what operating system you are using, what version of our products you are using, and any other specifics you think are relevant.
How do you prioritize issues?
MKS defines three priority levels: one, two, and three. A priority one problem is a showstopper problem with no workaround. A priority two problem is a serious problem resulting in degraded functionality, but with a reasonable workaround. All other problems and all enhancement requests are priority three.
MKS will use best efforts to fix priority one problems as soon as possible, typically in a patch release. MKS will use best efforts to fix priority two problems in a forthcoming release. Priority three problems and enhancements may be scheduled for fixes or implementation, as resources become available.
MKS will try to give an initial response to all priority one problems within one hour of receipt. MKS will try to give an initial response to all other problem reports by the close of the following business day. The response may be a prioritization of the problem or a request for more information.
If you disagree with our prioritization or handling of an issue, you may always escalate the issue using the procedure below.
How can I escalate an issue?
To escalate an issue, ask your support or sales representative to escalate it to the Manager of Customer Support. If you are unable to arrive at resolution, ask for the issue to be escalated to the Vice President of Product Development. If you still are not satisfied, you may appeal to the General Manager of MKS Software.
How frequently do you update the product?
In any given 12-month period, MKS typically releases one minor update (maintenance), one major update (new features), and several patches.
How do I receive updates?
Updates, if small enough, are placed on the support section of our website, http://www.mkssoftware.com/support. If they are too large to download, we make them available on CD at your request, as long as you have a current PCS support and maintenance contract.
We notify customers of updates via our Interoperability Times newsletter, via our customer support newsletter, via e-mail if you have reported a problem that is fixed in the update, and by announcement on the web site.
How do I get patches?
Patches, if small enough, are placed on the support section of our website, http://www.mkssoftware.com/support. If they are too large to download, we make them available on CD. Patches are password-protected. To get the password, you must have a current PCS support and maintenance contract. You can request the password from the patches page of the web site, or by speaking with your support representative.
We notify you directly via e-mail when we release a patch containing a fix to a problem that you have reported. We also put links to the patch and a description of the patch on the patches page of the web site.
How can I participate in beta testing?
If you have requested a new feature or enhancement that we are going to implement, we will ask you to participate in the specification and testing of that feature or enhancement. Otherwise, let your customer support representative know if you would like to participate in beta testing of new products.
How can I get a status update on my issues?
Currently, the best way to get a status update is to send us an e-mail containing the tracking number for the issue and we will send you a status update via return e-mail. We are working on a more automated process.
How do I find out about new support-related issues?
The best way to find out about new support-related issues and to get tips on using your MKS Toolkit product is to ask your support representative to add your e-mail address to our support newsletter distribution list.
What is your commitment to support new releases of Windows?
We make best efforts to support new operating system versions within 30 days of their release. We generally have products in beta at the same time the operating system is in beta.
How long do you support releases of Windows?
We make best efforts to support releases of Windows for as long as Microsoft supports them. In any case, we notify customers that we are dropping support for a particular release of the operating system one year in advance. We can also support older operating system versions by special arrangement.
How long do you support releases of your products?
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