Support Handbook
Your Guide to the Northwoods Support
Center
Prepared by Northwoods Support
September 25, 2015
Northwoods Support Handbook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview ........................................................................................................... 1
Customer System Administration Responsibilities ............................................. 2
Application Maintenance ................................................................................... 2
3rd Party Applications ......................................................................................... 3
License Maintenance ......................................................................................... 3
General Duties ................................................................................................... 3
Preferred Skills ................................................................................................... 4
Contacting the Northwoods Support Center ...................................................... 4
When You Call.................................................................................................... 4
How to Contact Support .................................................................................... 5
Contact Information and Hours of Operation ................................................. 5
Northwoods Customer Portal ......................................................................... 6
Information to Gather Before You Call............................................................... 6
Basic Information ............................................................................................ 6
Troubleshooting Information .......................................................................... 7
Additional Customer Support Information ........................................................ 8
Northwoods Holiday Closures ............................................................................ 8
Remote Server/Software Access ........................................................................ 8
Help Files ........................................................................................................... 8
Cases Closed for Inactivity ................................................................................. 8
Case Severity Level............................................................................................. 9
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Case Escalation Process ....................................................................................10
Test Environments ............................................................................................11
Installing and Upgrading Compass Software .....................................................11
Product Change Requests .................................................................................12
Enhancement Requests ....................................................................................12
Release Notes and Upgrade Information ..........................................................12
Support Handbook Contact Information ...........................................................12
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Copyright and Trademarks Notice
Copyright and Trademarks Notice
Copyright © 2012 Northwoods Consulting Partners, Inc. All rights reserved.
Northwoods, the Northwoods Bear Logo, the Northwoods tagline, and Compass are trademarks and service
marks of Northwoods Consulting Partners, Inc. Rather than repeat the trademark and service mark attributions
throughout this document, Northwoods hereby asserts its rights for all of its products and services.
All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Unless stated to the
contrary, no association with any other company or product is intended nor inferred.
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Overview
Overview
The Northwoods Customer Relations Department is organized into two teams: the Northwoods Support Center
and the Northwoods Upgrade Team. Our team members develop strong working relationships with each other
and our clients, enabling them to quickly identify issues and resolve problems as they are reported. Northwoods
Support Center team members have a wide variety of professional certifications ranging from database
configuration and maintenance to network and operating system administration. The Northwoods Customer
Relations Department serves a key role in supporting the diverse community of Northwoods customers
throughout the United States and its territories.
When a call comes into the Northwoods Support Center, a Support Case is opened and a notification is sent via
email to the designated System Administrator(s) for the customer who reported the issue. The notification will
indicate the Support Case Number and a short description of the issue. If you already have an open Support
Case, please provide the Support Case Number when calling in.
Support calls are prioritized in accordance with the demonstrable impact on your Compass solution in a
production environment. Northwoods Support Center team members are empowered to determine an issue’s
impact on your solution and its users, and can obtain immediate attention by a team of Customer Support
Analysts and development personnel to assist with achieving issue resolution.
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Customer System Administration Responsibilities
Customer System Administration
Responsibilities
Northwoods customers and their designated System Administrator(s) are expected to provide first line support
to their end users. If the Northwoods Support Center receives a call from an end user, the Northwoods Support
Center will redirect the end user to their designated System Administrator(s). Designated System Administrators
have the ability to work closely with the Northwoods Support Center. Habitual support relationships have proven
successful in promoting a better understanding of the supported solution. Additionally, this collaboration helps
to reduce issue resolution time and improve customer satisfaction.
The Northwoods Support Center should be contacted when the System Administrator(s) has exhausted their
abilities or a software/system defect has been found. Some areas to look for troubleshooting information include
your Maintenance or Administration Manuals, Database Reporting Guide, past closed tickets, etc.
When calling into the Northwoods Support Center, you should be prepared to describe the issue and
communicate any necessary troubleshooting information so the Northwoods Support Center can resolve your
issues in a timely fashion.
The System Administrator(s) should be able to coordinate or perform the following tasks:
Application Maintenance




Add, edit, and disable user accounts and passwords in Compass and DMS
Create, replace, and remove document types in Compass and DMS
Perform role, profile, and user group affiliation and permission administration in Compass and DMS
If applicable, maintain client data import process:
o
o


2
Ensure the client data file is created and placed in the appropriate location for import
Ensure the client data import process executes and completes successfully
Knowledge of integration points between Compass and the agency/state line of business applications
(i.e. CRISe, SETS, Data Warehouse, Nomads, CalWin, CalLearn, etc.)
Maintain knowledge and understanding of use and integration between Compass and DMS
applications
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Customer System Administration Responsibilities
3rd Party Applications

Maintain third-party applications (RightFax, antivirus software, Server OS, etc.):
o
o

Perform basic database administration:
o
o
o

Ensuring applications are updated with all recent patches, updates, etc.
Add, edit, and disable user accounts and passwords
Be able to query Compass and DMS databases to troubleshoot an issue(s)
Ensure daily, weekly, and monthly jobs complete successfully
Maintain SQL settings related performance (memory allocation, drive space, etc.)
Perform DMS maintenance (license administration, service administration, document retention, etc.)
License Maintenance

Maintain licensing for third-party applications (Remote Print Manager, Leadtools, RightFax, Backup
Exec, Swiftview, etc.)
General Duties







Follow instructions and provide detailed issue descriptions and screenshots
Have authorization to make system configuration changes and business process changes that are
impacted by system configuration
Perform troubleshooting and triage of issues
Access servers and end user desktops both physically and remotely
Re-image end users workstations
Deploy software to workstations
Perform preventative maintenance including, but not limited to the following:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Monitoring backup jobs and changing backup tapes
Monitoring database jobs and perform necessary maintenance
Monitoring hard disk space and usage
Performing basic hardware maintenance (scanners, label printers, sig-pads, etc.)
Applying Windows and 3rd party software updates
Administering and maintaining anti-virus software
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Contacting the Northwoods Support Center
Preferred Skills






Knowledge of computer operation and basic troubleshooting skills
Understanding of county and state processes
Basic understanding of user administration as it relates to their county/state environment (i.e.
Microsoft Active Directory, Novell GroupWise, Novell E-Directory, user profiles, etc.)
Ability to function outside of normal business hours as needed for System Administration and
upgrades
Authority to facilitate user assistance in troubleshooting user specific issues
Ability to perform basic database maintenance and troubleshooting
Contacting the Northwoods Support
Center
When contacting the Northwoods Support Center regarding issues or errors within one of your Compass or
Document Management System (DMS) applications, you should provide as much information as possible. The
more information you can provide and have available, the faster we can work toward a resolution.
Any information collected will help us determine the overall scope of the issue and reduce time to resolution.
When You Call
Agencies utilizing Northwoods applications may contact the Northwoods Support Center for a variety of reasons.
From general use questions to technical issues, the Northwoods Support Center must be prepared to handle a
wide range of questions and concerns. When you call the Northwoods Support Center, you should be prepared
to answer the following questions:

Is the call regarding a question about your Compass product/module functionality or capabilities?
o


Is the call related to an issue with a Compass product or module?
What is the issue? Northwoods will then determine:
o
o
o
o
4
If so, the Northwoods Support Center will provide an answer to the posed question.
If the issue is the result of an improper configuration
If the issue is the result of an operator error
If the issue is the result of improper expectations of the software
If the issue is the result of an error within the product or module functionality
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Contacting the Northwoods Support Center
How to Contact Support
Support is available via phone, email, or customer portal. Please be aware that immediate assistance can only
be provided over the phone. Support cases reported by email or customer portal are monitored, but priority is
given to customers calling into the Northwoods Support Center. Our goal is to respond to email or online support
requests in the order they are received. When you contact the Northwoods Support Center for assistance,
provide as much information about the issue as possible so we can resolve the issue quickly.
When you call the Northwoods Support Center, your call will be routed to one of our support team members. If
all members of the Northwoods Support Center are busy assisting other customers, or are otherwise unavailable,
your call will be transferred to your support teams voicemail. If you need immediate assistance, you should also
send an email marked as urgent.
Contact Information and Hours of Operation
Northwoods Support Center – Team A
8am-8pm M-F ET
877.279.7440
Email: teamAhelp@teamnorthwoods.com
Portal: https://portal.teamnorthwoods.com
Website: teamnorthwoods.com
Northwoods Support Center – Team B
7am-6pm M-F ET
877.279.7441
Email: teamBhelp@teamnorthwoods.com
Portal: https://portal.teamnorthwoods.com
Website: teamnorthwoods.com
Northwoods Upgrade Team
8am-6pm M-F ET
614.408.8710
Email: Upgrades@teamnorthwoods.com
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Contacting the Northwoods Support Center
Northwoods Customer Portal
Your agency system administrators will each have a unique login to access the Northwoods Customer Portal.
They will be able to access the portal at https://portal.teamnorthwoods.com or by visiting teamnorthwoods.com
and clicking on “Customer Portal” in top toolbar. The portal is your online resource for:





Important announcements and information
Support case information and tracking
Frequently asked questions
Support resources and links
Contact information and hours of operation for the Northwoods Support Center and Northwoods
Upgrade Team
Once you are logged in, the home page will give you a brief description of the various pages and actions you can
perform on the Northwoods Customer Portal.




Under the Cases page you can review your open cases, add attachments and notes to cases, review
closed cases, or create a case for a new issue.
The FAQ page provides answers to questions about the Northwoods Support Center, the Northwoods
Upgrade Team, and Northwoods Software Support levels. Also, provided will be links to supporting
documentation and information.
The KB Search page allows you to search our Knowledgebase to look for additional information and
problem resolutions.
For contact information and hours of operation, please see the Contact Us page. You may also submit
a request for a Northwoods sales representative to contact you.
Information to Gather Before You Call
Basic Information
6

Name

Agency

Phone number

Email address

Is this a new request or an existing issue? (If existing, have case number available)

What county and agency are you reporting from

How would you like to be contacted (phone, email, etc.)
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Troubleshooting Information

What product or device is causing the issue?

What user(s) are affected? (Include full name and user name.)

When did the issue begin happening?

What changes (major or minor) have been made recently (workstation, server, network, etc.)?

Can this issue be replicated on the server or another workstation (or by a different user on the same
workstation)?

Does a restart of the application or the workstation resolve the issue?

Is there an error message? If so, what are the details?

Are screenshots available? If not, please send them when available.

Please provide detailed instructions for duplication of the issue. (The better the details, the easier to
troubleshoot.)

What steps have been taken to troubleshoot the issue and what was the outcome?

Have you verified that access has been enabled for remote support and troubleshooting of your servers?

Is there any additional information available that may be helpful in troubleshooting this issue (specific
document type involved, appointment type, RRRM used, profile being used, model of hardware device
failing, etc.)?
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Additional Customer Support Information
Additional Customer Support Information
Northwoods Holiday Closures
Northwoods, including the Northwoods Support Center, closes in observance of several major U.S. Holidays:
New Year’s Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Should you call when the Northwoods Support Center is closed, you will be asked to leave a voicemail with your
name, agency name, and a phone number where you can be reached. All support request will be handled in the
order they are received the next business day.
The Northwoods Support Center will provide on-call phone support for high priority support request on the
following days: Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve.
High priority support requests will be handled by phone on a first come first serve basis. Other support requests
will be accepted by email or portal, and will be handled on the next business day in the order in which they are
received.
Remote Server/Software Access
The Northwoods Support Center uses a variety of industry standard methods for authorized remote access of
our customers’ networks and systems.
Help Files
End user online help is available under the “Help” section inside Compass Pilot.
Cases Closed for Inactivity
If during the investigation of an open issue the Northwoods Support Center sends three follow-up voicemails
and/or emails asking for additional information but does not receive a response, the third attempt could be to
inform you that the Northwoods Support Center will be closing the issue due to “Inactivity.” Typically, the
Northwoods Support Center will attempt to follow up via voicemails and/or emails every other day. Cases can
be closed after three attempts with “Inactivity.” If you feel there is still an issue, you may call or email the
Northwoods Support Center and reference the Support Case Number you were provided. Please make sure to
provide an update including the current status of the issue and/or requested information to re-open the case. If
you have any questions please feel free to contact the Northwoods Support Center management team.
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Additional Customer Support Information
Case Severity Level
Problems are communicated to Northwoods via phone, email, and our customer portal. Phone calls received by
the Northwoods Support Center are prioritized ahead of emails and customer portal submissions. Emails and
customer portal submissions are worked in the order they are received by the Northwoods Support Center.
Calls that impact production use of your system are handled immediately. The Northwoods Support Center team
member who receives the call is empowered to determine the impact on your Northwoods software solution
and to obtain immediate attention to the issue, if needed.
The following table describes the prioritization method.
Severity Level
Affected
users
Able to utilize a
workaround with
no business
impact
Able to utilize a
workaround with
business impact
Unable to work
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
High
High
One user or
workstation
A group of users
Entire site or all users
Workarounds
A workaround is a temporary fix that allows the system to be operational for a user or users while a permanent
solution can be implemented. The Northwoods Support Center will attempt to implement a workaround that
causes the least amount of interruption for users in the event a permanent solution cannot be made in a
reasonable amount of time.
Severity Level High
The software is not working for all users of a site or entire agency. A support request that is categorized as a
High severity issue by the Northwoods Support Center will be worked immediately upon being received by the
Northwoods Support Center team member. The Northwoods Support Center team member will continue
working on this issue until resolution or until a workaround can be implemented that allows users to use the
software.
A Northwoods Support Center Manager will be informed of the issue at the time of the support request in order
to provide any necessary coordination with other Northwoods departments in resolution of the problem.
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Additional Customer Support Information
A High severity issue that is not resolved or reprioritized to a Medium or Low severity within 4 hours of being
received will be escalated to the Northwoods Director of Customer Relations for review. The Northwoods
Support Center will continue to work the support request and provide timely updates to the designated
customer contacts regarding issue status.
Severity Level Medium
The software is working in a sub-optimal state with a workaround, but still allows a user or group of users to use
the software. A workaround may be required as a temporary solution until a software change can be made
available which resolves the issue.
Issues may de-escalate from a High severity issue to a Medium severity issue during the course of issue resolution
if a workaround can be provided that allows users to resume work without a negative impact to their use the
software.
Severity Level Low
The software is working in a degraded state for one user or workstation, but a workaround allows for the user
or workstation to function. A workaround may be required as a temporary solution until a software change can
be made available which resolves the issue.
Additionally, any general questions, Product Change Requests, or support requests for a test environment that
are not directly impacting the production use of your solution will be given a Severity Level of Low.
Case Escalation Process
Calls that directly impact the use of a production system are prioritized. Northwoods provides a workaround
whenever possible for situations where a permanent solution to a software error cannot be made without an
upgrade or product change. Northwoods customers who believe that the resolution process is not proceeding
in a satisfactory manner are encouraged to contact the Northwoods Support Center management team.
Northwoods Support Management Team
David Lowe
Support Center Manager – Team A
614.707.5088
dlowe@teamnorthwoods.com
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Additional Customer Support Information
Noah Pugh
Support Center Manager – Team B
614.707.5099
npugh@teamnorthwoods.com
Jason Heyse
Upgrade Manager
614.707.5075
jheyse@teamnorthwoods.com
Aaron Caldwell
Director of Customer Relations
614.707.5055
acaldwell@teamnorthwoods.com
Test Environments
Test environments are not required, but highly recommended. They can provide a resource for testing and
reproducing issues found in your production environment, as well as help in preparation for software updates.
The support and upgrading of a single test environment is covered under Compass Software Support
Agreements. Support requests to the Northwoods Support Center for a test environment will be given a severity
level of low.
Please contact your Northwoods Account Manager if you have any questions or are interested in extending your
Compass Software Support Agreement to cover additional environments.
Installing and Upgrading Compass Software
Installation of your Compass software solution will be completed during your project. Installation of end-user
software will need to be maintained by your designated System Administrator. If System Administrators have
any questions or experience any issues, they can contact the Northwoods Support Center.
Upgrades are handled by the Northwoods Upgrade Team and will be completed with the active participation of
the customer’s appointed System Administrator. For inquiries and scheduling of upgrades, please contact the
Northwoods Upgrade Team. Please see page 5 for the Northwoods Upgrade Team contact information.
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Additional Customer Support Information
Product Change Requests
A Product Change Request (PCR) is a request for a software enhancement or to alert Northwoods of a potential
software issue. PCRs are given a tracking number in our development and CRM systems. PCRs can be
communicated to the Northwoods Support Center via the phone or email. PCRs can be an enhancement request
or a defect report.
The PCR is reviewed and either approved or denied based on the business needs of the product. Once the PCR
is complete, it is sent to Quality Assurance and then passed to both the Technical Communication Team and the
Northwoods Upgrade Team alerting them that the issue has been resolved and which customers are affected.
Enhancement Requests
Enhancement requests may be submitted to Northwoods through the Northwoods Support Center. Please be
as detailed as possible in your description of the enhancement you are submitting. In addition, please provide a
business case outlining the business need that this enhancement addresses. If additional information is needed
we will be in contact to collect any necessary information. Please see the Product Change Requests section of
this document for more information.
Release Notes and Upgrade Information
The latest Compass Software Version Release Overview documents, Upgrade Checklist, and other relevant
documents are available from the Northwoods Upgrade Team before, during, and after an upgrade.
Support Handbook Contact Information
Information in this handbook is subject to change. For questions or to request the most recent version of this
document, please visit the Northwoods Customer Portal or contact the Northwoods Support Center.
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