Escalation and resolution policy – version 5, Dec 10 1
Support and Escalation Procedures
(incorporating Dispute Resolution Framework)
Contents
Introduction to aql and our services ... 2
Purpose of this Code of Practice ... 2
Terms and conditions ... 2
How to contact us ... 2
Fault Reporting ... 3
Failure Reporting - The Process ... 3
Target Response & Fix Times ... 4
Escalation Contacts ... 5
Cancellation of services ... 6
Complaints ... 6
Escalation of complaints via CISAS ... 6
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Introduction to aql and our services
(aq) limited t/a aql was established in 1999 as a provider of internet and telephony services for business users. The Company is a wholesale carrier of SMS and telecoms services and is regulated by Ofcom. aql is governed by its’ terms and conditions found at:
http://aql.com/site/termsofservice.phpPurpose of this Code of Practice
Purpose of this Code of Practice
The Code informs you about our products, services, and customer care policies. Our code of practice on complaint handling and dispute resolutions has been approved by Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK communications industries for the purpose of section 52 of the communications Act 2003.
Terms and conditions
All aql services are subject to our standard terms and condition, found here:
http://aql.com/site/termsofservice.php.
Copies can also be requested in writing by calling 0113 20 30 40 or by writing to us at the above address. Some aql services will require a contract.. If you have any questions, please phone our Customer Service Team on 01133203040. We may carry out a credit check as part of our assessment procedures.
We aim to provide services purchased from our online portal at the time of purchase, subject to availability and, where appropriate, licensing. Any services require custom work and above and beyond the terms specified in an aql contract will need to be discussed with an account manager, or customer services representative.
How to contact us
Please contact our Customer Service Team Office open 09.00-17.00 Monday to Friday.
By phone: 01133 20 30 40 By email: admins@uk.aql.com By fax: 01133 20 30 41
Website: www.aql.com
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Fault Reporting
Should you have any issues regarding any of our offered services, you should in the first instance check that the answer does not already exist within our FAQs or Support Documents found on www.aql.com.
If you have a support query which cannot be answered from either of the above, please make use of our Customer Ticketing System to resolve your query. If your problem has been encountered before, you can search your previous requests when logged in to the support system
The support system is managed both in and out of office hours, from 9am - 8pm Mon-Fri, and 10am - 8pm Sat-Sun. You can expect confirmation that we have received your support request within approximately 20 minutes of your query being raised, at which time the investigating agent should be able to advise on a resolution time. If your request is time critical, please make the support agent aware of this within the original or a follow up request.
In the event the query cannot be resolved immediately we will keep you appraised of progress, and a member of staff can contact you at a convenient time to discuss further should you require. Please note that we do require all account related requests to be logged within the support system for future reference, and that we cannot undertake action on requests made outside of our support system (such as by email or telephone call).
When raising a support request please endeavour to make as much relevant information available as possible - where we need to request this information would only delay our investigation of your problem.
aql will ensure that the right people are put to work to resolve the issue within aql. That will be done at the right level of escalation depending on what level you have requested, and according to set escalation timescales. We will set a timeframe within which your calls must be returned by us to you, and we will work to ensure that this meets your expectations. We will also agree on the frequency with which you will be given updates
Failure Reporting - The Process
Customer shall report Failures to aql using the following methods:
By logging in and raising a support ticket via http://aql.com. The target Response and fix times are applicable to Priority 1 tickets raised with sufficient information provided by the Customer for the Duty Engineer to investigate the problem.
Tickets raised with a Priority other than 1 will be regarded as enquiries which fall outside the scope of the Target Response and Fix times; or
Priority I - Urgent Service is Down Priority II - High
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Priority V - Suggestion/Feedback
If the support ticket system is inaccessible, by paging a duty engineer via our pager line (0906 960 5632) calls charged at £1 per minute at all times; or by Calling our office during office hours 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. There is also a non-premium rate number which can be obtained from your account manager.
aql will use all reasonable endeavors to respond to the Target Response Time and Target Maximum Fix Time set out in Paragraph below:
Target Response & Fix Times
Failure Severity Target Response Time (where reported by priority1 ticket) Target Maximum Fix Time Progress ReportsI 3 hours 8 hours Every 60 minutes until
resolution
II 3 hours 10 hours Every 4 hours until resolution
III 8 hours 2 days At resolution or as agreed for
specific Failure
IV 2 days 8 days At resolution
Target Maximum Fix Time applies only to Failures within the direct control of aql; no Target Maximum Fix Time shall be deemed to apply to any other types of Failure.
Escalation Matrix
Severity I Severity II Severity III Severity IV Support
system
Immediate Immediate Immediate Immediate
Level I Immediate 8 hours 24 hours 5 days
Level II 4 hours 24 hours 2 days 2 weeks
Level III 8 hours 2 days 3 days n/a
Escalation Paths
Technical Commercial
Level I Duty Engineer Account Manager
Level II Operations Director Account Manager
Level III Director Director
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Escalation Contacts
Should you encounter any issues in reaching a resolution within the support system, you should notify your account manager who will be happy to help resolve the issue.
Your Account Mangers details shall appear as soon as you log into the aql.com Portal. Our full on-line escalation procedure can be viewed onon-line, once logged in at:
https://www.aql.com/support/escalation/
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Cancellation of services
In the unlikely event that you should wish to cancel a service we provide, you should write, email or raise a support ticket on your account instructing us what you wish to cancel and when you wish it to be effective. There may be a charge for early termination of your contract and this will be explained to you. Further information can be found in our Terms and Conditions, under section 7: Termination. Unless defined in a contact, or in the case of pre-paid credits aql require 30 days notice to terminate services. Pre-paid SMS credits expire after 12 month
Complaints
We make every effort to ensure that our customers are happy with the level of service, and the products and service they receive from us.
In the unlikely event that you would like to make a complaint, please write to us detailing full information of the nature of your complaint:
By email: admins@uk.aql.com
By letter: (aq) Limited, 13-15 Hunslet Road, Leeds, LS10 1JQ
By email: 011 33 20 30 40
By Fax : 011 33 20 30 41
Despite our best efforts, things can go wrong. We take customer complaints very seriously and we aim to resolve them quickly and efficiently. If you have a complaint about any part of our service, please contact our Customer Service Team on 01133 20 30 40. Our advisors will ask you for details about your complaint and seek to resolve the problem while you are on the line. You may be required to supply your username and password to authenticate your call.
We will try to resolve your complaint quickly and efficiently, and to keep you informed at all times. If your complaint is not resolved to you satisfaction, you can take it further within aql by contacting the Operations manager and ultimately to the Managing Director at the above address. If your complaint has been outstanding for more than 8 weeks or you have received a letter from us saying that you complaint has reached "deadlock" then you may ask for help from CISAS (see Escalation of complaints via CISAS below)
Escalation of complaints via CISAS
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The Procedure as outlined on http://www.cisas.org.uk/
Stage 1
You should fill in the application form and send it to us. If you prefer, you can fill in the form online. If you need more information or help to fill in the form, phone us on 020 7520 3814.
It is important that you fill in the application form as carefully as possible and provide documents to support your case. In order to make a decision, the adjudicator will read and rely on the information you and the company provide.
Stage 2
When we receive your form and documents to support your complaint we will send a copy to the company. The company will then have 14 days to reply. They will need to consider all of the points you have made, and give their response.
Stage 3
When we receive the company’s response, we will send you a copy. If you want to comment on that response you must send us your comments within seven days.
If you do provide comments, they must concentrate on any points the company made. You cannot add new information that you forgot to mention earlier. We will send a copy of your comments to the company.
Stage 4
Either when we receive your comments or at the end of the seven-day period, we will appoint an adjudicator and tell you and the company the adjudicator’s name. We will send you and the company a copy of the decision the adjudicator makes.
Stage 5
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Services for people with special needs
We are committed to helping all our customers to communicate easily. We offer the following additional services for customer who are older or who may have a disability, including:
Written correspondence via email or letter, where requested. A text to speech service for visually impaired customers.
Copies of this Code, and our terms and conditions in larger print.