Interlated provides a proactive support service that seeks to ensure ongoing reliability with a minimum of fuss.
Model for Support
Where possible MountainRiver CMS would like to manage support proactively. MountainRiver CMS prefers to use a common hosting service. We have spent time setting up infrastructure to maximise efficiency and provide critical services such as monitoring and development process support.
At the start of a maintenance agreement MountainRiver CMS will sit down and determine the level of support desired. We will track effort on a site and if a level of maintence above basic is chosen we will work on activities down an agreed priority list. To ensure value for money, the allocated time does not expire, except annually on the anniversary of the maintenance agreement.
At a minimum hosting/support/maintenance/monitoring agreements facilitate:
- A monthly 'catch up' so that we can keep in touch.
- Security updates as required at both the system level and application level. The more applications you have, for example Drupal, Drupal Commerce and CiviCRM, the more updates there are likely to be.
- Maintenance updates. We apply updates regularly, at least quarterly.
- Monitoring. A check to see that the server and applications are up at a minimum. This lets us find out that things are broken before too many other people do and track the real availability of the site. Uptime availability can be extended through to security checking and source code integrity check e.g. send an alert if the software is different to that in version control or when an update is made.
- Support. Answer your questions on why my site doesn't have something, or how to publish something else. Our sites are designed to be easy to use, but they often have a lot of depth to them meaning that there are always new things to do and there are always things that we can do better with a website.
Get Online and Minimise Costs
We will charge you a hosting cost in keeping with one of our packages and adjusted depending on the resources required to run the site. Our starter packages are listed on interlated.net.
Be Independent - With Professional Advice
Activities that we can offer include:
- Review of statistics, customise and tailor statistics.
- Graphic support production.
- Regular changes to key 'message areas' and display boards.
- Develop keywords, collaborate to determine appropriate market verticals.
- Check the general quality of the site. Review placement of elements, links, image quality, accessibility etc.
- Review of social media effectiveness.
- Content review and recommendations.
- Help with publishing to a mailing list.
- Reviewing shop ordering efficiency.
- Gain an understanding of popular products and links between products.
Focus on Business Not Website
In this case it is found that managing the website is a distraction to running your business and you don't want to 'stay on top of' publishing, social media and web statistics. In this case MountainRiver CMS can:
- Develop an understanding of your business goals and competitive advantage.
- Work to develop a content and website marketing strategy.
- Determine a schedule for publishing various items and develop a library of content that can be published at appropriate times on the website and across social media.
- Become part of a promotions pipeline receiving news of significant milestones in the organisation.
- Running competitions or managing submissions from users.
- Moderating forums, verifying users, responding to chats and social media and reworking across media.
The help that we provide is more online publishing than 'PR'. We have worked with numerous organisations and journalists that do 'PR' and can recommend collaborate with them. Humour, comics - something different - http://www.stoplaughing.com.au/
Technical Details
MountainRiver CMS uses RimuHosting with a linux vps to host servers. We use nagios for monitoring. Google analytics is the default statistics package.
Support Hours and Response Times
Business level users can negotiate specific service levels with MountainRiver CMS. For cost effectiveness we recommend 'business hours' 8am to 6pm support with 'best effort' outside of business hours. Out of hours work (whether scheduled, best effort or contracted) will be considered to use twice the resource of business hours support.
Rimuhosting provides a 24x7 chat service and support service that can be used for emergency support, such as restarting the server in the case that the whole server has become unavailable.
Location of Support Employees
Martin is principally in charge of support and are located in Blackheath NSW. John Robens is located in Sydney.
Software Support
The support process involves raising a ticket in our ticket system, or calling one of the support numbers. We recognise that many people prefer to use the telephone rather than ticket systems.
Development and Configuration of Enhancements
Enhancements may be applied throughout the life of the software solution. A monthly window will be allocated to perform scheduled updates.