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GE Digital July 26 2017
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Acceleration Plans Support & Services Guide
GE Digital July 26 2017
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Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................... 4
GED Acceleration Plan: ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 Provides World Class Customer Service. ............................................................................................................................ 5 Hiring and developing talented people to support you. ...................................................................................................... 5 Listening to your feedback to improve our service delivery. ............................................................................................... 5
ACCELERATION PLAN BENEFITS ELIGIBILITY ......................................................................................................................... 6
ACCELERATION PLAN SUMMARY OF BENEFITS .................................................................................................................... 7
GLOBALCARE TO AP TRANSITION ........................................................................................................................................ 8
GENERAL SUPPORT .............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Hours of Operation ............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Contact Information ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 Customer Center (Web) Portal ............................................................................................................................................ 9 Email Address ................................................................................................................................................................... 10 24 x 7 Emergency Support ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Support Policy .................................................................................................................................................................. 12
STANDARD CASE PROCESS ................................................................................................................................................. 13
Case Creation ................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Case Priorities ................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Initial Response Rates....................................................................................................................................................... 14 Case Communication Rates ............................................................................................................................................. 14
CASE ESCALATION ............................................................................................................................................................. 16
SITE VISITS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 17
SURVEYS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 17
SECURITY ADVISORIES, PATCHES & ................................................................................................................................... 18
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENTS ............................................................................................................................................... 18
Product Security Advisories and Patches ......................................................................................................................... 18 SIMs and Service Packs .................................................................................................................................................... 18 Product Suggestions ......................................................................................................................................................... 18 Documentation Suggestions ............................................................................................................................................ 18
PRODUCT VERSION SUPPORT ............................................................................................................................................ 19
Product Code Changes ..................................................................................................................................................... 19 Product Obsolescence ...................................................................................................................................................... 19
CUSTOM APPLICATION SUPPORT ...................................................................................................................................... 19
THIRD PARTY PRODUCT SUPPORT ..................................................................................................................................... 20
Microsoft Operating System Service Packs ...................................................................................................................... 20 Microsoft Security Updates .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Third Party Product New Releases ................................................................................................................................... 20 Third Party Product Issues ............................................................................................................................................... 20
PREDIX DEVELOPER SUPPORT............................................................................................................................................ 21
EDUCATION SERVICES ........................................................................................................................................................ 21
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Educational Service Offerings ........................................................................................................................................... 21 Educational Training Credits ............................................................................................................................................ 22 Redemption & Tracking .................................................................................................................................................... 22
ADOPTION SERVICES ......................................................................................................................................................... 23
Adoption Personnel .......................................................................................................................................................... 23 Named Customer Success Manager (CSM) ...................................................................................................................... 23 Adoption Management with Assigned Personnel ............................................................................................................. 24
MANAGED SERVICES.......................................................................................................................................................... 26
GE DIGITAL AFFILIATE SUPPORT ........................................................................................................................................ 27
Meridium Support............................................................................................................................................................. 27 Wurldtech Support ........................................................................................................................................................... 27 ServiceMax Support .......................................................................................................................................................... 27 BitStew Support................................................................................................................................................................ 27
GLOBALCARE SUPPORT ..................................................................................................................................................... 27
GLOSSARY OF TERMS......................................................................................................................................................... 28
USEFUL LINKS .................................................................................................................................................................... 29
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Introduction
You need fast, effective solutions throughout your product lifecycle to maximize your technology investment and maintain a competitive edge in today’s connected world. You need easy access to deep product expertise when it comes to solving your toughest problems. You need the peace of mind that comes from having an emergency lifeline in critical plant down situations. You need the flexibility to streamline your technology investment in a way that minimizes cost, impact, and risk – when it’s most convenient for you. This is what our GE Digital (GED) customers count on – and more – from their annual support services investment! The following sections describe the Acceleration Plans (AP). Later sections will provide information related to the GlobalCare program, [Wurldtech support program], and the Meridium support program. The Acceleration program enables our Customers to select the level of support and features that align with their business needs. The following document describes our processes and approach to working with AP Customers on technical issues and inquiries for our Hosted and On-Premise solutions.
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GED Acceleration Plan:
Provides World Class Customer Service. The goal of GE Digital’s Global Customer Support Team is to provide world class service to our Customers with every interaction. Customers with an active Acceleration Plan Contract and Customer Center (Web) Portal login have access to comprehensive online resources that are available 24/7. These resources are designed to help you resolve and answer questions when they arise. In addition, our support team is available to take your calls during GE Digital business hours.
Hiring and developing talented people to support you. By establishing a global team of knowledgeable and experienced Support Professionals, we are able to provide you with a seamless customer support experience. GE Digital’s Support Professionals work closely with the R&D, Customer Response Teams, and have been equipped with the tools and information they need to support the customer and answer day-to-day questions.
Listening to your feedback to improve our service delivery. Throughout the year, we invite you to participate in the feedback process on several aspects of our support offering. Through case surveys, knowledge article and customer support site feedback, customers can provide valuable feedback to our organization that helps drive continuous improvement in our delivery of support services.
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Acceleration Plan Benefits Eligibility Current Acceleration Plan Customers are eligible to receive the Acceleration Plan program benefits outlined in this document only with an active Acceleration Plan contract term or as part of a GE Digital subscription term which specifically includes GE Digital’s Global Customer Support. All program benefits are terminated when an Acceleration Plan Support contract term lapses (i.e. is not renewed) or a subscription is not renewed. GE Digital’s Global Customer Support is included in a contract term which is provided with Acceleration Standard, Premier or Enterprise contracts as described herein.
For the avoidance of doubt, No Charge Software Version Upgrades can only be requested during an active Acceleration Plan contract term. Major Features are not available for no cost upgrades.
Customers without an active Acceleration Premier or Enterprise subscription can purchase Software Version Upgrades at standard published upgrade prices. Contact your local Acceleration Plan Sales Associate at [email protected] for additional details.
Acceleration Plan Benefits Reinstatement For on-premise customers, if your Acceleration Plan (AP) contract expires, you can reinstate it in one of the following ways –
• If the contract has been lapsed 12 months or less -- by paying back for the lapsed period, plus a minimum of one full year forward
• If the contract has been lapsed more than 12 months -- by paying the standard upgrade fee (50% of then- current Software List Price), plus a minimum of one full year forward
• If your Acceleration Plan was part of a GE Digital subscription, contact your local AP Sales Associate to reinstate your GE Digital subscription with AP Support
Acceleration Plans for New Software Purchases With exceptions as noted below, GE Digital now requires the purchase of an Acceleration Plan Support with all new software purchases. By default, twelve (12) months of Acceleration Plan Support will be quoted with all new software. Acceleration Plans start dates will align with the software delivery date (i.e. when the Order confirmation email is sent to the customer). Acceleration Plan end dates for all active assets associated with a CSN will be synchronized when site-level Acceleration Plan is renewed. Although not recommended -- especially for new GE Digital customers -- Acceleration Plans may be removed from a quote for the following software products only -- iFIX, CIMPLICITY. No SPA is required.
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Acceleration Plan Summary of Benefits GE Digital offers several different AP levels of support for our Software and Hosted Products. This section summarizes the benefits associated with the various levels of support as well as features that may be purchased separately. Standard, Premier, and Enterprise levels are available for purchase for on-premise products. Standard level is included as part of the subscription for subscription products. Premier and Enterprise levels are available for purchase for subscription.
Standard Premier Enterprise
GEN
ERA
L SU
PP
OR
T
Contact Methods
Phone Support ✔ ✔
Web Support ✔ ✔ ✔
Emergency 24x7 After Hours Support ✔ ✔
24x7 Customer Community/Online Portal ✔ ✔ ✔
Access to Extensive Knowledge Base ✔ ✔ ✔
Maintenance and Releases ✔ ✔ ✔
Initial Response
All Priority Levels: 1 business day ✔
Priority 1 - (Critical): 30 minutes (24x7 phone support) ✔ ✔
Priority 2 - (High): 4 business hours ✔ ✔
Priority 3 - (Medium): 8 business hours ✔ ✔
Priority 4 - (Low): 1 business day ✔ ✔
Premier Predix Developer Support* ✔
Enterprise Predix Developer Support* ✔
Test Environment Keys (for On Premise Products) ✔ ✔
Named Technical Account Manager** ✔
EDU
CA
TIO
N
Training
Online 24x7 Getting Started Education ✔ ✔ ✔
Online 24x7 How To Education Series ✔ ✔
Online 24x7 Advanced Education Series ✔
AD
OP
TIO
N
Adoption Personnel
Account Health Manager ✔ ✔
Named Customer Success Manager**
✔
Adoption Management with Assigned Personnel
Experience Escalation Management ✔ ✔
Annual Account Health Review ✔ ✔
Quarterly Adoption/Accelerations Review** ✔
Governance/Adoption Readiness** ✔
Adoption/ Accelerations Roadmap** ✔
Adoption/ Accelerations Realization** ✔
Solution Roadmap/Release Readiness** ✔
MA
NA
GED
SER
VIC
ES Managed Services with Assigned Personnel
Sensor Health Reporting ✔
Data Quality & Connectivity Monitoring ✔
* The inclusion of the features denoted with an asterisk will result in different pricing for the specified level of support. ** The inclusion of the features denoted with a double asterisk will result in different pricing and is offered as an a la carte option with Premier subscriptions.
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GlobalCare to AP Transition All existing GlobalCare contracts will be honored. GE will continue to service GlobalCare customers at the same level of service designated by their contract until contract expiration. Case Management and Support Guidelines for existing GlobalCare customers can be found on our website. GE Digital sent an email communication in May 2017 to all GlobalCare customers which stated the auto-renewal for GlobalCare contracts was being discontinued. In Q3 2017 GlobalCare will no longer be offered. GE Digital’s GlobalCare program has been replaced with Acceleration Plan Bundles which allows customers the flexibility to select the level of support and features to align with their business needs. There is no direct 1:1 path when converting from GlobalCare to an AP Subscription. Both new and renewal customers will need to select an AP offering and features to receive Support and Maintenance moving forward. Customers with GlobalCare contracts will receive an AP quotation during the renewal process. The customer’s existing software licenses under GlobalCare will be migrated to the AP level selected by the customer after its GlobalCare contract expires.
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General Support GE Digital Global Support Professionals are available to assist with product questions and technical issues encountered with the software or subscription products purchased.
Hours of Operation:
Americas Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
Asia Pacific Monday – Friday 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM Beijing Time
Europe, Middle East, and Africa Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Central European Time
Contact Information:
Americas
Toll-Free Toll Languages1 800-433-2682 780-420-2010 English
Asia Pacific +86-400-820-8208 +86-21-3877-7006 Chinese, English
+81-3-5544-3957 Japanese
Europe, Middle East, and Africa +800-1-433-2682 (Free Phone where available)
+420-296-183-331 English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Czech
Telephone support is provided to AP Customers who have purchased Acceleration Premier or Enterprise offerings only. When contacting your GE Digital Global Customer Support for technical assistance, please have your Customer Service Number (CSN) and/or case number available to expedite call routing. Customer Center (Web) Portal: http://digitalsupport.ge.com Web support is provided through the Customer Center (Web) Portal to AP Customers who have purchased Acceleration Standard, Premier or Enterprise offerings.
Non-Critical Issues: Our preferred Case Submission for non-critical issues is through our Customer Center (Web) Portal.
Critical Issues & 24x7 Emergency Support:
GE Digital does not allow submission of Critical cases through the Customer Center (Web) Portal. GE Digital has determined that the most effective way to address Critical issues is with direct and immediate dialog via phone support. Web case submissions can lack adequate information to allow our support professionals to begin the analysis process immediately. If assistance is required for a P1-(Critical) system down issue, please call our Support Center.
1 Language Support: We offer support in the languages listed for the different regions. Please note there may be times when staff
availability for some languages and product combinations is limited. Local Representatives and CSPs may also provide additional local language support.
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Email Address: [email protected] Customers are welcome to submit cases through email; however, initial response times are slower than using the Customer Center (Web) Portal or calling our Support Center. On average email submissions are processed within 24 hours. If immediate assistance is requested, please create a case in the Customer Center (Web) Portal, call your local representative, or call our Support Center. GE Digital does not allow submission of Critical cases through email.
24 x 7 Emergency Support During non-business hours and holidays, GE Digital’s Global Support Center provides emergency technical support services for P1-(Critical) priority plant-down and full operation stoppage emergency situations. 24x7 emergency support is available with the Acceleration Premier or Enterprise offering only. ‘P1-(Critical) priority’ is further defined in this document in the Case Priorities section. To obtain emergency technical support for Hosted or On-Premise Solutions, call your local GE Digital Global Support Center, follow the normal prompts to technical support, and leave a message for the support professional on call. Please ensure to include your name, a call back number, and a brief description of the issue (or case number) when initiating an emergency support request.
• Initial Response Times: GE Digital strives to respond to customers within 30 minutes of initiating an Emergency Support Request. The on-call support professional will work directly with the customer to resolve the emergency. The goal of the 24x7 emergency support process is to restore operations as fast as possible by mitigating the emergency. Once this is achieved, the case priority may be downgraded and further work on the case will be performed as defined in this guide.
Technical Account Managers A GE Technical Account Manager (TAM) is a way to extend your support advocacy when your support needs are complex and vast. TAMs are senior product experts who work collaboratively with your organization to advance performance and growth of your GE solution. They provide guidance to ensure a stable and secure product experience.
TAM responsibilities:
✓ Assess your solutions relative to our extensive product roadmaps ✓ Understand the operating environment of your solution ✓ Quickly bring together deep technical knowledge and understanding of your unique business
needs, while leveraging the power of GE’s vast resources ✓ Be your primary point of escalation for all your support needs ✓ Be matched based on complexity, operating parameters and solution requirements ✓ Build a direct relationship with a senior technical advisor who has in-depth knowledge of your
critical environment and your operating parameters. ✓ Gain access to product improvements for your business through a dedicated line of
communication to our products, technologies, and engineering organizations.
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✓ Prevent issues before they arise with proactive planning, regularly scheduled technical reviews, and optional on-site visits.
✓ Get priority access to product feature requests and fixes. ✓ Carry out your technology initiatives more efficiently working with your teams to mitigate
any challenges.
TAM deliverables:
• Case metrics reports and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) reviews for cases requiring RCA • Upgrade/update recommendations base on product roadmap and configuration • Advanced input and review of product features and fixes • Internal recommendations for operating parameters should those be identified • Knowledge sharing and transfers to your internal teams where necessary • Strategic planning guidance
What is the difference between a TAM and a CSM? In general, your GE Customer Success Manager (CSM) works with you more broadly to ensure the overall health of your solution and ensuring maximum value creation. A CSM will collaborate with you to provide experienced escalation management, to create release readiness plans and to establish user adoption, education, asset alignment, outcomes readiness and realization plans. Your TAM is focused on the support and operability of the solution and partners with your CSM when there are opportunities to obtain further value for you from your solution. You may have a TAM even when you don’t have a broader CSM. Local Representatives GE Digital’s Local Representative2 are located around the world and staff Certified Support Professionals (CSPs) to assist customers with technical product issues. Product specific support may be limited based on the CSP’s certification level 3 . Customers are encouraged to work directly with their local representative for GE Digital product issue.
• Initial Response Times: Hours or operation for Local Representatives who staff Certified Solution Providers vary. Local Representatives respond to inquiries as quickly as possible.
Customer Center (Web) Portal Full access to GE Digital’s Customer Center (Web) Portal requires you to register for a “Customer Center” account and have an active AP Contract. Your “Customer Center” account, provides real time access to invaluable resources that will assist you in getting the most out of your GE Digital Software Solutions.
• Customer Center (Web) Portal: A self-service portal that allows customers to manage technical support cases, access knowledge articles, and participate in communities to
2 Local Representatives are partners of GE Digital who sell and service GE Digital products. 3 Local Representatives staff CSP’s that are certified to support specific GE Digital Products. Support by CSP’s is limited to the product certifications obtained.
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discover answers and solutions to product issues. The Customer Center (Web) Portal is available 24x7. Visit it first to find the answers and solution you need.
• Knowledge Base: Search technical articles, best practices, tips and tricks, product documentation, download Service Packs and SIMs, and have real time access to product alerts and videos.
• Community: Post questions, collaborate with other members across the world in our community forums, and search existing content for solutions to problems.
• Cases: Review, update or submit a technical support case online. • Ideas: Create product suggestions.
Support Policy Customers must consult with GE Digital before performing any upgrades on any third-party Software required to run the GE Software. GE shall not be required to provide support relating to problems or issues arising from third-party Software or under the following conditions:
• Modified or abnormal operating conditions • Customer’s use of the GE Software in a manner for which it was not designed • Damage to the computer on which the GE Software is installed • Customer’s negligence, misuse or modification of the GE Software or its configuration
(including SQL) • Versions of the GE Software other than those designated in the applicable Customer Support
Guide • Systems that do not meet the specifications or configurations, if any, specified by GE • Effects of external systems (network, data feeds, shared/virtual hardware, other products), • Customer failure to keep current with backups, virus protection, operating system/database
patches, or other IT best practices, or • Accessing the Software or data except through the official API.
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Standard Case Process
When an AP Customer contacts GE Digital’s Global Support Center with a question or product issue, the following process is used to communicate and document the interaction.
Case Creation Technical issues submitted through the web portal, email or phone will be documented within GE Digital’s Case Management System and will be assigned a unique case number. All information and communication regarding the issue is entered under this case number and is kept in the Case Management System for later reference. Customers can access the Case Management System and view case details on the Customer Center (Web) Portal.
When contacting GE Digital’s Global Support Center, customers should be prepared to provide the following information to expedite case resolution:
• Customer Service Number (CSN) and contact information • The name and version(s) of the product(s) affected • A description of the issue being reported • Type of Environment: Production, Test, Development • Screenshots, Error Messages, logfiles, and/or steps to reproduce • The urgency and impact of the issue
Case Ownership A Support Professional will be designated as the case owner while the case is being worked. The case owner is responsible for all communication with the customer and for documenting case work in the technical support case. Communications regarding case status, updates, and requests for information by the case owner will be done by email or direct telephone contact.
Case Priorities All cases are assigned a case priority, based on the impact and urgency of the issue. Support professionals use case priorities to help determine the order of precedence for managing their workload. The case owner will discuss the case priority with the customer to ensure the impact and urgency of the issue are understood. The case priority may change during the lifecycle of the case. Below are the definitions of case priorities in order from the highest to lowest priority.
Priority Impact Urgency
P1-(Critical)4 • Total system outage
• Service outage that causes severe disruption to production
• Essential product functionality is inoperable
Immediate attention is required to restore production, outside normal business hours if necessary.
4 The case priority may be lowered, if there is additional work to complete after the outage has been addressed or if the
customer is unavailable to assist in the diagnostic process.
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• Data loss • Substantial economic impact
Note: P1 issues require the customer is available to assist in the diagnostic process and/or GE Digital has access to the system to expedite resolution.
P2-(High)5 • Issue substantially impacts
production • Data integrity issues • Functionality with no work around. • Issue causes a complete barrier to
development work and project completion
Needs attention and resolution as soon as possible. Cases are worked during normal business hours.
P3-(Medium)
• Appropriate for single user issues • General product functionality issues
with a known workaround • Development issues • Product questions
Normal urgency; cases are worked during normal business hours.
P4-(Low) • Informational request • Question • Documentation request • Minor problem • No risk to other functionality or
service
No urgency to the issue.
Initial Response Rates The case owner will attempt to resolve the issue during the initial customer contact. If the case owner successfully resolves the case, information regarding the issue will be documented in the case and the case status will be set to ‘Closed’. See the Case Status section of this guide for more information on case statuses. The initial response rate6 is determined based on the case priority and AP Tier level purchased, as outlined below.
Tier P1 – (Critical) P2 – (High) P3 – (Medium) P4 – (Low)
Standard N/A 1 Business Day 1 Business Day 1 Business Day
Premier 30 Minutes 4 Business Hours 8 Business Hours 1 Business Day
Enterprise 30 Minutes 4 Business Hours 8 Business Hours 1 Business Day
* Case submissions through email have a 24-hour response time for all tiers.
Case Communication Rates For cases, which require ongoing investigation, the case owner will discuss the next technical actions with the customer, agree on the case priority and next communication. As troubleshooting and case work continues, the case owner will communicate with the customer based upon the targeted communication rates or a mutually agreed upon frequency.
5 The case priority may be lowered, if a reasonable workaround has been provided to complete case work or the
customer is unavailable to assist in the diagnostic process. 6 The initial Response Rates outlined are an average. GE Digital strives to deliver to the targets outlined 90% of the time. Rates may vary depending on the complexity of the technical issue reported.
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The targeted case communication rate7 is determined based on the case priority and AP Tier level purchased, as outlined below.
Tier P1 – (Critical) P2 – (High) P3 – (Medium) P4 – (Low)
Premier 1 Hour 4 Business Hours 2 Business Days 1 Week
Enterprise 1 Hour 4 Business Hours 2 Business Days 1 Week
Tier P1 – (Critical) P2 – (High) P3 – (Medium) P4 – (Low)
Standard 1 Hour 2 Business Days 1 Week 1 Week
.
Case Status Each technical support case is assigned a case status to identify the stage and awaiting actions of the case. The status of a case is maintained in the Case Management System and is updated as the case progresses to resolution. Below are the most common case statuses used.
Active Case Status Case Status Definition
Support Investigate:
The case is being investigated by the case owner and GE Digital’s Global Support Team.
Customer Action:
The customer has actions or tasks to complete before support investigation can continue.
Solution Provided:
A solution has been provided and is being implemented or verified by the customer.
Eng Investigate:
The issue requires product code changes or code-level troubleshooting and is under investigation by engineering resources.
Awaiting Services:
The issue requires custom application code changes or code-level troubleshooting, investigation of platform hosted applications and is under investigation by services resources.
Disclaimer: When referring cases to Professional Services, standard third-party charges may apply unless a defined agreement with Professional Services exists to provide support for customizations and extensions to the product functionality.
Closed Statuses Cases are closed when there is no further communication to take place on an issue. If a case owner does not hear back from a customer, the case owner will try at least twice to contact the customer before closing the case. The case will remain open for a minimum of two weeks pending a reply from the customer.
7 The Communications Rates outlined are an average. GE Digital strives to deliver to the targets outlined 90% of the time. Rates may vary depending on the complexity of the technical issue reported.
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When appropriate, closed cases can be re-opened to re-investigate an issue. Contact a local Representative or the GE Digital’s Global Support Center to request that a case be re-opened.
Closed Case Status Case Status Definition
Closed:
Issue has been resolved, customer and case owner have agreed to no longer pursue the issue, or no response was received from customer.
Closed Admin:
Case has been closed due to an administrative issue (i.e. duplicate case record).
Case Escalation
If a customer feels, for any reason, that their case is not progressing to their needs, they may request that their case be ‘escalated’. This method is offered beyond the normal case management process to ensure that customers have a way to raise their hand when they need additional assistance. Customers should not escalate cases at the time of the initial case submission. The case priority and information on the impact of the technical issue by the Customer is used to properly assess new case submissions. When a customer requests a case escalation, a Technical Account Manager will review the case within two business hours and work with the customer, case owner, and other GE Digital resources to determine how to best address the situation. In some cases, the priority may be changed, or additional resources engaged. Once the situation is addressed the case may be de-escalated and worked through the standard case process. If a case requires ongoing escalation, a Technical Account Manager will remain engaged with the case owner and customer to provide additional oversight and communication to ensure the case progresses to the customer’s satisfaction. The following are potential reasons why a customer may request to escalate a case:
Case Inactivity: Unsatisfactory rate of communication regarding status of case
Commercial Impact: Sale, project, or contract renewal delayed pending case resolution
Financial Impact: Unresolved issue impacts ability to make product or impacts the customer financially
Time To Solve: Actively communicating but case has been open an excessive period of time
The following are ways to escalate a case: • Escalate the case online using the Customer Center (Web) Portal or • Contact the case owner to request they escalate the case or • Send email to [email protected] including the case number and reason for escalation
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Site Visits
GE Digital’s Global Support Teams have many tools and options available to troubleshoot customer issues remotely, however occasionally on-site technical support may be necessary. If GE Digital’s Global Support and the customer mutually agree that the case is not progressing and remote options are insufficient to resolve the issue, GE Digital will determine a plan for a site visit and coordinate resources to provide on-site assistance if necessary.
GE Digital will require the customer to provide a purchase order prior to the site visit. The cost of the visit and a service rate may be charged to the AP customer if the issue is determined to be an application/integration issue and not due to a product issue.
Surveys
The goal of GE Digital’s Global Support Center is to provide World Class Service to AP Customers. When a case is closed, a brief survey will be sent to the customer to get their feedback on the experience. All survey feedback is reviewed and valued at every level within GE Digital – from the case owner to the CEO.
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Security Advisories, Patches & Product Improvements
This section describes the processes used for code changes or documentation changes to products.
Product Security Advisories and Patches Security is, and always will be, an area of focus at GE Digital. We work with customers, industry working groups and standards bodies, government agencies, and the security research community to continually improve the security of industrial control systems and global infrastructure. Visit our website for the latest information on product security advisories and patches, to report product vulnerability or security concerns, and to sign up to be notified of product security advisories.
SIMs and Service Packs When GE Digital’s Global Support Team has determined that a case requires code level investigation, they will change the case status to ‘Eng Investigate’. The case owner will communicate information to the customer at an agreed upon frequency while the issue is being investigated. If code changes are made, they will be packaged into a SIM (Software Improvement Module) or Service Pack. See the Product Version Support section for more information. Cases are worked by priority to ensure the most urgent and important SIMs and Service Packs are delivered quickly.
If it is determined that the issue will not be addressed in a SIM or Service Pack, the case owner will discuss the details of the decision with the customer, the issue may be logged to be addressed in a future product release cycle, and the technical support case will be closed.
Product Suggestions If a customer has a suggestion for new product functionality or features, a support professional will document the suggestion within a technical support case, flag the case as a product suggestion, and close it. Customer feedback and suggestions are highly valued by GE Digital - all suggestions logged in cases are reviewed by technical support, engineering, and marketing as part of product release cycles. While we do not typically follow-up on individual suggestions, all new features, enhancements, and bug fixes are listed in the Important Information Guide in product manuals for each product release. Customers can also post suggestions on the Ideas section of the Customer Center (Web) Portal.
Documentation Suggestions If an omission or error is found in a product manual or eBook, a support professional will document the issue in a technical support case, flag the case as a documentation suggestion, and close the case. Manuals and eBooks are updated as part of product release cycles and all documentation cases will be reviewed for inclusion. Support professionals also regularly post and update Knowledge Base articles with product alerts, product information, and product feature examples.
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All suggestions (whether product or documentation) provided to GE regarding any existing or potential GE Software, product, feature, functionality or the like becomes the sole property of GE. GE determines in its sole discretion whether or not it will act on any suggestion. To the extent GE acts, in its absolute discretion and in whole or in part, or any customer suggestion, GE retain all rights arising therefrom or relating thereto, and customer shall not be entitled for any compensation, credit, recognition, royalty or otherwise related to such suggestion.
Product Version Support
GE Digital’s Global Support Team will respond to questions and inquiries from AP Customers for all non-obsolete GE Digital Software products. GE Digital will use reasonable efforts to assist customers with products that have initiated obsolescence, however supportability may be limited.
Product Code Changes For issues that GE Digital’s Global Support determines require product code changes, SIMs and Service Packs will be created for active product versions that have not initiated obsolescence. SIMs and Service Packs for all non-obsolete products are published in the Knowledge Base section of the Customer Center (Web) Portal and are available to active, registered AP Customers.
Product Obsolescence To allow customers ample notification, GE Digital follows a formal process when rendering a product or release obsolete. Visit our Customer Center (Web) Portal for the latest information on our Software Lifecycle Policies and Obsolescence Announcements.
Custom Application Support
GE Digital’s Global Support Teams are available to assist customers with a wide range of technical product issues and questions; however, AP Support does not include support for developing or debugging custom code, or for consultation in developing your individual application. Your system design team, system integrator, or service provider is responsible for making changes to your individual application. As such, GE Digital’s Global Support Teams may refer you to one of these resources; standard third-party charges may apply. Visit our website to find a Service Provider.
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Third Party Product Support
GE Digital publishes third party product compatibility and support information in the product eBooks and manuals. The Technology Profile and Interoperability Matrix also provides information on product interoperability and supported versions for Products, Operating Systems, and third-party technologies. GE Digital will provide support for all GE Licensed Products and Third Party Products based on the support fulfillment documentation provided with your AP confirmation.
Review the manuals installed with the product or download them from the Knowledge Base on the Customer Center (Web) Portal.
Microsoft Operating System Service Packs GE Digital has implemented a continuous testing model which ensures we validate the latest Microsoft Operating System Service Packs updates every time we create a SIM or Service Pack.
Microsoft Security Updates GE Digital has implemented a continuous testing model which ensures we validate the latest Microsoft Critical updates every time we create a SIM or Service Pack.
Third Party Product New Releases If a customer requests information regarding whether an existing GE Digital software product version can be supported for use with a new release of a third-party product, a support professional will document the request within a case and work with Product Marketing resources to assess whether the new version can be supported within existing product releases or whether to consider it for an inclusion in a future release. The support professional will document the supportability within a Knowledge Base article.
Third Party Product Issues In some cases, the GE Digital’s Global Support Teams will not be able to resolve an issue because it falls outside of the scope of GE Digital products. For example, problems caused by underlying operating system issues, third party functional constraints, or performance limits of hardware components. The case owner will work with the customer to identify if the issue is within GE Digital product scope, or whether they need to pursue the issue with another vendor. If, in good faith, GE provides advice or assistance to a Customer that is not required by the customer’s level of AP support, GE will not be subject to any liability under any theory.
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Predix Developer Support Given the particular customer needs with respect to Predix Developer, the material in this AP Guide does not apply to Predix Developer Support. For information and support related to Predix Developer, reference the websites below.
• Predix Website: https://www.predix.io/support • Predix Technical Support Policies: https://www.predix.io/legal/predix-technical-support-policy • Predix Scheduled Maintenance Windows: https://www.predix.com/sla • Predix Platform Services (Operational Status): https://www.status.predix.io
Education Services GE Digital has a complete portfolio of Education Services offerings for Digital Industrial solutions & disciplines which are available world-wide, in the classroom or virtual classrooms across a variety of time zones and locations. We are here to ensure access to our experienced, knowledgeable instructors, hand on labs, tools and resources are readily available to increase your team’s proficiencies and ensure successful outcomes.
Educational Service Offerings AP subscription members receive access to regularly updated on-demand web-based training modules covering the GE Digital product portfolio. This provides a flexible training offering to help you quickly develop the skills required to deliver your business outcomes. This is ideal for supplementing classroom or virtual training, which can be purchased separately. Customers can access materials as a just-in-time reference, and/or provide training to those who cannot travel or afford time away from the office. The online offerings included in the Acceleration Plans are available to ALL your employees and provide full site access for the length of your Acceleration contract. New content will be posted monthly to continue to grow the value of this offering. Based on your Acceleration contract, you will receive 24x7 online access to one of the following educational offerings:
• Online 24 X7 Getting Started Education - online content that provides an understanding of the
product, its components, capabilities and its position within the Pillars. o Required Subscription Level: Acceleration Standard, Premier, or Enterprise.
• Online 24X7 How to Education Series – in-depth online training content that provides working
knowledge of the software including end user capabilities, and understanding of the product features and where to get help.
o Required Subscription Level: Acceleration Premier or Enterprise.
• Online 24X7 Advanced Education Series - more advanced training is available including best
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practices and processes. The advanced topics will take your knowledge to the highest level. o Required Subscription Level: Acceleration Enterprise.
Educational Training Credits GE Digital’s Educational Services helps to equip you and your teams with the capabilities needed to journey from adoption readiness to product proficiency to outcome attainment, leading to digital industrial transformation. As projects are being defined, scoped and budgeted, specific training requirements are not always well known. Educational Training Credits allow organizations to budget for their critical training needs up front, yet have flexibility to set the classes and timing that will functionally deliver the desired business outcomes. GE Digital Educational Services Training Credits (“Training Credits”) exist to provide your organization with the maximum flexibility to purchase and redeem training throughout a 12-month period from the date of the GE invoice reflecting your purchase.
Redemption & Tracking When an Acceleration Plan is purchased you will be provided with your Customer Service Number (CSN). Each prospective student or contact must create their own account in EDGE. When accessing GE Digital’s learning management system, ensure that your CSN is entered to access the online educational benefits. Students can verify their company CSN in their profile, after the account is created to ensure they are registered as a student in your organization. The AP Customer must also provide a Primary Contact, with an EDGE account, to the primary contact for administering the purchased Training Credits. The Primary Contact will have the authority to make decisions regarding the Training Credits, for validating that all students identified with your organization’s CSN(s) are authorized to use Training Credits, be responsible for and manage the use of all Training Credits by the students who have access to the specified CSN(s). For more information, visit our website to access our Training Credits Customer Guide. For questions or comments, please Contact US.
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Adoption Services
Digital transformation and the adoption of disruptive technology can be challenging – a lot of time and capital are invested in evolving your organizations IT and OT capabilities. During your transformation evolution, change becomes a constant, rapid time to value a necessity, and ultimate outcome realization a business imperative. With this reality in mind, we’ve developed a leading approach to adoption and Acceleration management. GED’s Adoption Services provide the appropriate people, process, and tools to guide you to success and satisfaction.
Adoption Personnel Account Health Manager (AHM) – Individual identified to monitor key account health leading indicators
including commercial health, service project health, technical support health, product health, and adoption health. This individual will proactively monitor your account to identify need for issues escalation or triage – giving you an extra pair of eyes and an internal seat at the table.
Named Customer Success Manager (CSM) A GE Customer Success Manager’s (CSM) primary focus is to decrease the time required to realize value and outcomes from your solution and enable a more effortless project success trajectory. CSMs are senior industry experts who work collaboratively with your organization to support technology adoption/utilization, develop and manage an Accelerations-focused Success Plan, and proactively monitor 5 key health indicators to support your satisfaction Your CSM is focused on decreasing the time it takes to realize value from your organization’s solution utilization and proactively action health indicators to support your satisfaction. You may have a CSM even when you don’t have a TAM. CSM Responsibilities:
✓ Develop a governance model creating clear paths for communication and escalation ✓ Manage and track progress against stated business Acceleration goals ✓ Deliver an Adoption Readiness Assessment and enablement plan to identify and remove
barriers related to site/user adoption ✓ Monitor and take proactive action on 5 key health indicators to support satisfaction ✓ Serve as a trusted advisor and focal point for post-sales communication and feedback ✓ Build a direct relationship with a senior industry advisor who has in-depth knowledge of your
operating environment and business objectives. ✓ Gain access to a cross-functional internal advocate via a named line of communication ✓ Prevent issues before they arise via comprehensive proactive health monitoring ✓ Carry out your adoption and Acceleration attainment initiatives more efficiently in order to
minimize your time to value
CSM Deliverables: • Review current state of 5 key account health indicators: Adoption, Product, Project, Support,
and Commercial • Review Adoption Plan and tracking toward adoption goals
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• Review Success Plan and tracking toward Acceleration goals • Advanced input and review of product roadmaps and best practices • Joint definition of plans to accelerate success following review
What is the difference between a CSM and a TAM? TAMs are senior product experts who work collaboratively with your organization to advance performance and growth of your GE solution. Your GE Technical Account Manager (TAM) works with you to extend your support advocacy when your support needs are complex and vast. They provide guidance to ensure a stable and secure product experience. Your CSM is focused on decreasing the time it takes to realize value from your organization’s solution utilization and proactively action health indicators to support your satisfaction. You may have a CSM even when you don’t have a TAM. However, greater value is realized when you have both as they work quickly and collaboratively to support your overall success.
Adoption Management with Assigned Personnel Experience Escalation Management - AHM led process for on-going non-technical issue management
and escalation. Allows communication channel and resolution mechanism for non-support related account health issues. Annual Account Health Review - AHM led yearly operating mechanism for reviewing account health
indicators: commercial, product, project, support, and adoption. Enables both party’s an opportunity to review issue remediation progress, identify any barriers to success, and agree on path forward – Alignment. Quarterly Adoption/Accelerations Review - CSM led quarterly operating mechanism for reviewing
account health indicators, adoption and Accelerations progress, and strategy. Enables both party’s an opportunity to review issue remediation progress, identify any barriers to success, and agree on path forward – Alignment. Governance/Adoption Readiness - For new projects, CSM outlines appropriate stakeholders at each
hierarchy layer and defines regular operating mechanisms/escalation path for each group. Also, assesses and identifies adoption barriers/hurdles in advance of go-live. Predefines operating mechanisms and escalation paths for overall account management. Identifies barriers to adoption in advance of go-live.
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Adoption/Accelerations Roadmap - Prior to go-live, CSM translates outcomes desired into an attainment
plan and multi-generation roadmap. Establishes pathway to success. Adoption/Accelerations Realization - CSM manages process for adoption attainment and solution
utilization to support realization of desired outcomes throughout the post go-live timeframe. Manages process toward success.
Solution Roadmap/Release Readiness - CSM provides an overview of upcoming releases and best-
practices. Early input about changes coming and feedback into roadmap.
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Managed Services GE Digital Managed Services is offering a monitoring service to improve data connectivity and quality for Licensed GE applications. Improvement of connectivity and data quality increases confidence in key performance indicators and analytic output accuracy and validity. GE Digital Managed Services for data connectivity and quality will include support for the following products:
• Monitoring of data flowing into applicable GE software licensed by the customer • Exception reporting on data connectivity issues
✓ Loss of connectivity coming from the customer equipment into the GE products. • Regular sensor health/quality reporting
✓ Individual instrumentation issues flowing into GE products. • Troubleshooting connectivity problems and creation of tickets to engage GE and/or Customer IT
staff to resolve connectivity issues (access dependent) ✓ Connectivity issues for large subsets of instrumentation from distributed system to GE
product. • Monitoring of key performance indicators and metrics indicating server health affecting
connectivity and quality where GE products are installed. Monitoring and reporting will be optimized to ensure server uptime and reliability. Examples of key metrics that may be monitored include:
✓ Machine CPU Usage (%) ✓ Machine Memory Usage (%) ✓ Disk Space Usage (%) ✓ Queue Space Usage (%) ✓ Queue Data Rate (Kb/Min) ✓ Performance Metrics related to GE Software and business outcomes
Assumptions: • For premise installations performance indicator and Data Connectivity/Quality data will need to
be transmitted to the GE network either via sFTP or a data collector that pushes the indicators to Predix.
• Customer will provide GED Managed Services staff remote access (cost covered by the customer) to the machines where GE software is installed to run tools to execute upon the service.
Refer to the GE Digital Managed Services Guide section: Data Connectivity and Quality Monitoring Services on our website for the current list of products for which Managed Services is available
8 Customer is not entitled to any sort of prorated refund where the customer’s software is not a Supported Software.
Supported Software8: Coming Soon:
• SmartSignal Versions 5.5-6.3 • Plant Applications
• Proficy Historian Version 7.0 • Workflow
• Tracker
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Given the particular customer needs with respect to Meridium, Wurldtech, ServiceMax and BitStew support the materials in this AP guide do not apply to Meridium, Wurldtech, ServiceMax and BitStew support.
Meridium Support For information and support related to Meridium, reference the website below.
• Meridium Website: https://www.meridium.com/support
Wurldtech Support For information and support related to Wurldtech, reference the website below.
• Wurldtech Website: http://digitalsupport.ge.com
ServiceMax Support For information and support related to ServiceMax, reference the website below.
• ServiceMax Website: https://community.servicemax.com/community/support/support-login • ServiceMax Support Policy: https://community.servicemax.com/docs/DOC-1893 • ServiceMax Maintenance Windows: Active Maintenance Window
BitStew Support For information and support related to BitStew, reference the website below.
• BitStew Website: http://support.bitstew.com/
GlobalCare Support
• GlobalCare Website: http://digitalsupport.ge.com • GlobalCare Case Management & Support Guide:
https://digitalsupport.ge.com/communities/en_US/Article/GE-Digital-Support-Services-Guide DISCLAIMER: This document is a procedural guideline of GE Digital and is subject to change at GE’s discretion at any time with or without notice. It is provided for informational purposes only. GE makes no representation or warranty, whether express, implied, or statutory, with respect to, and assumes no responsibility for, the accuracy, completeness, sufficiency, or reliability of the guideline, and disclaims any liability of any kind whatsoever for any claims resulting from the disclosure of,
GE Digital Affiliate Support
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or any reliance upon, or any conformance or non-conformance to, the guideline. No warranties of merchantability or fitness for a purpose shall apply.
Glossary of Terms
Case Management System – A secure database used to store information and history related to technical support cases.
Certified Solution Professional (CSP) - A GE Representative who has completed technical product training and exams to certify them to provide technical support to AP Customers.
Customer Center (Web) Portal – Website for customers to access case management tools, product downloads, knowledge base articles, customer community, order and asset information.
Customer Service Number (CSN) - A unique number assigned to each customer's account. The CSN is used by GE Digital phone systems to allow AP customers direct access to technical support.
Community - A section on the Customer Center (Web) Portal for customers to discuss and share information related to GE Digital products.
GE Digitals (GED) Global Customer Support Team - The many resources that provide support and technical assistance to AP Customers. This includes GE Digital Support Professionals, CSPs, Engineering, QA Teams, Product Marketing, Documentation, and Acceleration Sales Teams.
Knowledge Base (KB) – A section on the Customer Center (Web) Portal to house technical product information.
Local Representative - Partners of GE Digital who sell and service GE Digital products.
Product Release – A new product version (i.e. 2.0 or 2.1) or product level (i.e. 6.0 to 7.0)
Product Release Cycle - The stages of development from initial concept to release for software products.
Service Pack (SP) - An installation of product files and enhancements that will patch an entire product. Service Packs receive full regression testing to ensure complete product functionality.
Service Provider - Sometimes referred to as ‘Solution Provider’ or ‘Systems Integrator’. A company that specializes in developing customer applications using GE Digital software products. Software Improvement Module (SIM) - Also referred to as a ‘hot fix’ or ‘patch’. An installation of product files to address a product issue in a specific area of a product. SIMs are unit tested in the areas of the product affected by code changes.
Support Professional - An individual or CSP who provides technical support to AP customers.
Technical Support Case - Information, activities, communication, and files related to a customer issue. Each case is assigned a unique case number and is housed in a Case Management System accessible to customers through Customer Center (Web) Portal.
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World Class Service - At GE Digital it means listening to our customers, staffing professionals with deep technical expertise, and providing solutions that enable our customers to realize the highest possible value from their GE technology investments.
Useful Links
GE Digital Site www.ge.com/digital Customer Center (Web) Portal http://digitalsupport.ge.com Create a Technical Support Case Online http://digitalsupport.ge.com Meridium Support https://www.meridium.com/support WurldTech Support http://digitalsupport.ge.com Contact Acceleration Sales [email protected] Find a Service Provider http://www.geautomation.com/integration-services Get Product Training http://www.geautomation.com/global-training-services Learn about Acceleration http://www.geautomation.com/products/acceleration-support Support Phone System map https://digitalsupport.ge.com/communities/en_US/Article/Phone-Navigation
Contact us for support Americas: + 1 800 433 2682 or + 1 434 978 5100 Global regional phone numbers are listed by location on our web site https://digitalsupport.ge.com ©2016 General Electric. All rights reserved. *Trademark of General Electric. All other brands or names are property of their respective holders. Specifications are subject to change without notice. 07 2016
