After three months at the latest, teamspace moves on from the rollout, through going live, into productive operation. That doesn’t mean we are no longer there for you – we simply plan and block our time differently, mostly for new rollout projects and larger consulting engagements. From now on, questions no longer go through fixed, recurring appointments: you come to us, and we find a free time slot.
The question often comes up of whether a support contract makes sense. That is a fundamental decision: how important is teamspace to you? Do you manage on your own, have you worked your way in deeply, are there deviations from the standard – and how closely should a consultant keep engaging with your processes? Regular contact helps enormously, because over time we work with many customers and processes.
The support contract: response speed
The most important feature is the response speed (each measured against office hours):
- Basic support: in the worst case up to 48 hours.
- Standard support: up to 12 hours.
Because these are office hours, without a support contract it can in extreme cases take more than a week; with a contract, at most one and a half days. In both cases we are usually considerably faster – it is like a fast lane at the airport: when things are quiet, both are fast; when things are busy, you are given priority.
The annual audit workshop
From our point of view, this is the genuinely valuable part. We keep developing the system every year and send out newsletters four times a year – yet a customer often doesn’t know whether their way of using teamspace is still the best one.
In the audit workshop a consultant looks over the shoulder of your processes and points out where you can improve:
- It is exclusively about you and how you currently use teamspace – not about new modules or new training.
- The mini audit lasts at most half a day (4 hours); if you are finished after an hour, that is fine too.
- What matters is that the key users on your side are present. This keeps the contact alive, and you find out what’s new or can put forward your wishes.
The feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 100% of customers find that this half day noticeably improves their system and its value.
Notes
- As a small extra, support time comes at slightly lower rates – but that shouldn’t be the main reason for a contract, just something to make the decision easier.
- Recommendation: take out a support contract and make use of the audit once a year to check whether you are still doing things right.
- How 5 POINT uses teamspace in its own day-to-day work is shown in How we use teamspace ourselves.