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NEWFORMA CUSTOMER CARE USER GUIDE 2019

NEWFORMA CUSTOMER CARE USER GUIDE 2019 | 2

Thank you for investing in Newforma Solutions. We are pleased to have you as a part of the Newforma family. The content in this guide applies to Newforma Global Customer Support and Professional Services. This document will help ensure you can get connected to the right resource no matter where in the world your base of operations might be located.

Each section is designed to provide answers to the most common questions you may have regarding Newforma Customer Support and Professional Services, which include:

• Our worldwide customer support capabilities

• Descriptions of your customer support services and tools

• Access to resolve your issue by visiting our Newforma Customer Community

• Tips on finding information through the Newforma Customer Community, our online customer support web site

• Case reporting steps

• Case escalation process

• Professional Services related items

• and much more

IN THE APPENDIX YOU WILL FIND:

• Additional contact information for all our major global customer support centers

• Instructions on how to contact an authorized Newforma Alliance Partner

• A blank Case Checklist Form

• A glossary of terms

For additional copies of this Newforma Customer Support Guide, go to the Newforma Customer Community home page to download this guide.

W E L C O M E

https://customercommunity.newforma.com/s/




Newforma Global Customer Support04 Newforma Customer Support Mission

05 Newforma Customer Support Delivery Capabilities

06 Newforma Global Customer Support Model

Newforma Customer Support Services and Tools07 Newforma Customer Support Overview

07 Newforma Customer Support Value and Benefits

13 Newforma Issue Resolution

13 Getting the Answers You Need When You Need Them

Contacting Newforma Customer Support15 How to Report a Case

16 Case Escalation Process

17 Case Resolution Process

18 Closing Cases

Newforma Professional Services20 Newforma Global Professional Services Overview

21 Training Services

22 Implementation Services

23 Consulting Services

24 How to Request a Service

Appendix25 Appendix A – Newforma Regional Customer Support Centers

25 Locations and Contact Information

26 Appendix B – Newforma Case Reference

27 Appendix C – Glossary of Terms

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07

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Newforma Global Customer Support

Newforma Customer Support MissionFor 15 years, Newforma and our customers have been growing and changing together. As the Architects, Engineers, Contractors, and Owners (AECO) market has changed and construction has evolved, our customers have come to rely on Newforma to consistently deliver innovative, strategic solutions that meet their changing needs, better utilize their time and create tangible results.

Over the years, our customers and their support requirements have advanced. Newforma strives to ensure that our customers know how to maximize their support experience. From that customer input, we are continuing to enhance our support services to improve what is most important to them:

• Optimal and efficient project management

• Timely responsiveness

• Ability to fully leverage their investment in Newforma products

To deliver this, Newforma Customer Support will focus on these three priorities:

• Investing in the future through continuous development

• Providing support services focused on timely response and quality resolutions

• Delivering ongoing, tangible value throughout the customer experience

At Newforma, we view the Global Customer Support team as members of your team, and they are focused on ensuring project resolution. When you invest in Newforma Solutions, we realize that your expectations are high. Because of these expectations, our customer support staff, partners, products, tools, services, processes, and programs have a single focus of total customer satisfaction and amazing customer experience.

Newforma’s evolving global support capabilities work to ensure that you are always able to communicate your needs and receive accurate, timely responses that are relevant. With a network of global customer support representatives, authorized Alliance Support Partners, the Newforma Customer Community, an automatic call distribution network and product expertise,top quality support is a reality that our customers have come to expect.


Newforma Customer Support Delivery CapabilitiesThe Newforma Customer Support organization truly provides support and services to customers around the clock and the world. Through our network of global customer support representatives, Newforma can offer a focused global quality customer experience.

NEWFORMA REGIONAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT CENTERS

Wherever customers choose to deploy their Newforma Solutions, chances are there is a Newforma Regional Customer Support Representative nearby. Newforma Regional Customer Support Representatives are in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. Please see Appendix A for a list of our major Newforma Customer Support Centers. For a complete list, visit the Newforma Contact Directory online.

SUPPORT EXPERTS

Newforma’s support staff are highly skilled experts in Newforma Solutions and technical systems support. In addition to their in-depth industry experience, the support staff is thoroughly trained and experienced in the full range of Newforma Solutions. All staff members hold Newforma certifications or are pursuing additional training in all of the Newforma Solutions. Other Newforma product issues are directed to and solved by our development product specialist teams for those areas. The technical support staff is thoroughly familiar with the implementation of Newforma Solutions on the many diverse system configurations available in the Open Systems arena. Our technical professionals have comprehensive training and experience in all facets of Newforma Solutions.

MULTI-LEVEL SUPPORT ESCALATION

To ensure that all customer issues are handled quickly, Newforma has a multi-disciplined teaming capability. If an issue is not resolved at the Regional level, the issue can be promoted to the global escalation team. This team is comprised of senior management from customer support, consulting services, and development, who meet to review escalated cases. Cases are discussed and the team decides how to best handle the issue quickly. The Newforma personnel that ultimately resolve the issue may come from many different departments or regions within Newforma to expedite the resolution. The escalation team remains diligent with the issue to ensure it is resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Newforma Global Customer Support ModelNewforma’s Global Customer Support Model delivers high-quality service and customer support around the globe, through a network of Newforma Regional Customer Support Centers.

INITIAL PROBLEM REPORTING

The Newforma Customer Support model starts with the customer. Should you not find the resolution to an issue by visiting our Newforma Customer Community, in our documentation, or by browsing the Newforma Knowledgebase, you may report a case to Newforma Support. Please note that methods for reporting case requests (phone, email, Customer Community, chat) may vary, depending on where the support provider is located and depending on the customer support location (see Appendix A for more information).


MULTI-LEVEL SUPPORT ENSURES RESOLUTION

When an issue is reported to Newforma Support, it is logged, tracked and worked by the local customer support team according to the mutually agreed to severity and age of the case. Our customer support structure includes skilled First Responders, who attempt to provide resolution to as many issues and as many customers on the first contact as possible. Our goal is to quickly get you what you need and get your issue resolved!

When a Support case is not resolved on first contact, Newforma tracks the issue to ensure it is being handled by the best resource to get it fixed. As every case is different, the case could be reassigned to a specialist in other regions or to a dedicated product team.

Should a software correction be necessary, Customer Support will work with our Development Team to ensure the correction is timely. Our Development Team will create a fix to the code and test it to ensure it meets or exceeds expectation. That correction will then be provided in a future release, and the release information will be shared with the customer by customer support.

Newforma Customer Support Services and Tools

Newforma Customer Support Overview KEY SERVICES AND TOOLS

Newforma Customer Support has many tools and services to assist you in getting the help and answers you need. Below is a summary of those tools and how they can make your experience better. For full details, please refer to your company’s Subscription Agreement.

Access and Response

• Phone, email, web, chat access

• 24 x 7 critical down system support (In Case of Emergency/ICE)

• Global access to live support

• Remote access diagnostics

• Established case response times based on the severity

Online Self Service

• Case creation

• Case tracking

• Newforma Customer Community forum access

• Newforma Knowledgebase

• Online product document

• Tech Talk webinar series

• Newforma Online Help (help.newforma.com)

New Releases and Product Updates

• Major and minor releases/upgrades

• Proactive advisories

• Platform compatibility information


Newforma Customer Support Value and BenefitsAll of the Newforma Customer Support services and tools described below are included to help you receive maximum value from your Newforma investment. Newforma’s support resources are available globally to our customers via the Newforma Customer Community, phone, email and chat during regular business hours. Our team is available throughout your day to tackle any issue, even if your local Newforma Customer Support Center is closed for the day. No matter what time of day Monday through Friday, by using our online tools, you have a Newforma Support Representative watching out for your issues 24 hours a day, five days a week.

NEWFORMA KNOWLEDGEBASE

Your Newforma customer support experience begins with the Newforma Customer Community. Newforma has established an online community for our customers that include a customer forum, Knowledgebase, help files and more. This online community is a one-stop portal for Newforma experts and customers to share best practices, explore frequently asked questions, suggest product features and connect with other Newforma customers. These articles are accessible 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As our products and support team are continually growing and evolving, new Community posts are added daily, and we regularly update existing posts and solutions as well.

The Community enables you to find a quick and complete answer to most issues. Newforma customers frequently help themselves by finding their answers in the Customer Community.

REMOTE ACCESS DIAGNOSTICS

Where appropriate, Newforma Customer Support uses a remote screen-sharing application to provide an exceptional means of communication and immediate service delivery to our valued customers.

NOTE: Please be aware that Newforma Support will not engage in remote access to a customer’s environment without a representative from the customer’s company (can be the customer’s Outsourced IT) being present and fully engaged on the remote connection (including voice communication). It is always the customer’s (and/or the Outsourced IT group) responsibility to be on a remote session with a Newforma Support Representative in case Newforma Support has questions, needs clarification on the issue or requires approval to implement a possible fix or workaround explicitly related to the customer’s Newforma Environment. If a deviation from the above process is necessary, the Newforma Support Representative will need a Newforma Manager’s approval to proceed. If a Newforma Support Representative feels the above requirements are not being fully met they will make the customer aware and have the customer correct the problem. If the above requirements cannot be resolved, the Support Representative may end the remote session and reschedule when the above requirements can be met.

This process gives us the ability to identify and solve problems in real time. Newforma agents can remotely access a customer’s computer to accelerate the problem resolution and knowledge sharing process. While Newforma can take control of a user’s screen, mouse and keyboard, access is fully controlled by the customer at all times. Within each screen-sharing session, there is also the ability to use real-time chat, both send and receive files, reverse-view the Newforma agent’s screen, and whiteboard on top of the shared applications. Throughout the entire session, the customer can watch and actively participate with Newforma in the screen-sharing process.

Since this process is entirely web-based, a dial-up connection between companies is not necessary. All that is required from the customer’s side is access to the Internet and a web browser. No software needs to be pre-installed to receive assistance. A thin applet, active only for one session, is automatically delivered each time. As each connection is unique, once a session is completed, the applet is disabled. In addition to its time and cost-saving advantages, the technology is also extremely flexible, secure, reliable and easy to use. It always facilitates a firewall-friendly connection, which means it does not compromise the integrity of your data or system.

Use of remote access diagnostics must be coordinated with a Newforma Customer Support Agent, who will then provide instructions and arrange for a screen-sharing session.


NEWFORMA LIVE CHAT

Newforma Live Chat provides you real-time support at your fingertips, without having to pick up the telephone. Newforma Live Chat is an easy and convenient way to connect with a Newforma Customer Support representative to assist you with your questions. When you use Newforma Live Chat, a world of experience is at your disposal. Newforma Customer Support representatives around the globe are connected and available to you in six languages, giving you access to more product expertise than ever before.

ON-DEMAND LEARNING

Support Tech Talks: Our live Tech Talks cover a variety of topics ranging from new Newforma products to industry best practices. The Support Tech Talks are led by Newforma support representatives, product managers, software developers, and business analysts. Because these events are interactive, you can ask these experts questions and benefit from hearing the questions that others ask. You’ll gain new information and insights on the capabilities of Newforma enterprise applications and the many tools available to you through Newforma Customer Support to help you leverage the full value of your Newforma investment. Check the Webinars section of the Newforma Customer Community for the latest offerings and recordings of previous sessions.

PROACTIVE CUSTOMER ADVISORIES

Customer Advisories are proactive notifications of critical product issues, including full descriptions of each scenario, potential system effects, and corrective steps for customers to follow. You may sign up to automatically be notified by e-mail when a new advisory is posted, or view all customer advisories any time on the Newforma Customer Community.

MAJOR AND MINOR FULL PRODUCT RELEASES/UPGRADES

With your Newforma Customer Subscription agreement, you may request product updates as soon as they become available and take advantage of the new or enhanced functionality.

INCREMENTAL RELEASES

Additional releases are Newforma’s method of providing customers with regular maintenance updates on Newforma Enterprise Application releases, including Newforma MFG/PRO. The Newforma Customer Subscription agreement for your site entitles you to the Service Packs for your Newforma Enterprise Application release, which can be requested online through the Software Update Request form or by contacting Newforma Support or your Account Manager.

Incremental releases include code updates for issues reported by our customer base and internal Newforma testers. Additional releases provide the latest fixes and code corrections to keep your Newforma applications and the system stable, and to help you avoid any potential or previously reported problems.

NEWFORMA CUSTOMER COMMUNITY

The Newforma Customer Community is a discussion forum where you can pose questions and share your knowledge with other Newforma users and Newforma experts on a variety of topics. Through the Newforma Customer Community you can:

• Share your unique knowledge and experience with other Newforma users

• Post product and business related questions to the Newforma community

• Search for solutions that others may have already discovered

• Submit issues to Newforma Support


AFTER-HOURS CRITICAL EVENT COVERAGE

Newforma also recognizes that after-hours emergencies do occur and has implemented emergency support for urgent or critical system down situations. If you are in a down condition over a weekend, weekday or weeknight, we’ll be there to help you get your system back up and running. Guidelines for the use of emergency after-hours support are as follows:

• Intended for critical down system emergencies, cannot be pre-scheduled

• Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week

• The telephone number to call is: 603.625.6212 regardless of customer region

• Follow the phone prompts for Support system or submit over the web

• Be prepared to provide detailed information, including the best way to contact you

• After-hours critical support is only available in the English language

• A support representative will be paged and will respond as quickly as possible

SPECIAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT COVERAGE SERVICE

Newforma recognizes there may be occasions when you require special support outside the regular Newforma business hours. To accommodate these occasions, Newforma has implemented an optional Newforma After Hours On Call service. This customer support coverage is offered for planned events and is not intended to be used for emergency customer support. This special coverage is offered under the following guidelines:

• After Hours is defined as remote support, consulting, or on-call availability between 5 pm and 8 am Monday through Friday, and weekends in customer’s local time zone.

• A signed Statement of Work is required before scheduling On Call After Hours

• Ten business days’ notice after receipt of the signed Statement of Work for After Hours Services is requested.

• Intended to be used during conversion, pilots, go-live situations or other critical phases of an implementation or upgrade

• Provided in a remote manner only

• On Call After Hours Fee for this service is based on length of support requested and invoiced for the time the Newforma resource is required to be On Call

• Assigned Newforma resource will provide contact information prior to the start of the service.

Please contact your Account Manager or [email protected] to request the Newforma After Hours On Call service.

CUSTOMER SUCCESS ORGANIZATION

Within Newforma Customer Support a team exists that focuses on customer engagement and success. The Customer Success Organization is dedicated to enhancing our customers’ overall Newforma experience. The team is responsible for proactively notifying customers of Newforma events such as Tech Talks, user groups, reviewing customers’ case activity and working with them to ensure they are using Newforma Enterprise Applications to their fullest. The Customer Success Organization is here to keep you informed and satisfied with Newforma working as your trusted advisor and partner.


NEWFORMA GLOBAL SERVICES PROVIDES AN END-TO-END SOLUTION

Newforma Global Services encompasses more than just customer support — it also includes consulting and learning services, for a complete, end-to-end solution. Newforma Consulting Services experts are ready to assist you in every phase of your business application’s lifecycle — helping you to plan, design, implement and manage your enterprise applications for maximum operational performance.

For more information on what Newforma Consulting Services can do for you, review the Professional Services section of this document, visit the Professional Services section of the Newforma Customer Community or contact your Account Manager for further information.

WHERE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION

For more information on Newforma Global Services, Newforma Customer Support, Newforma Consulting, and Newforma Learning or other Newforma or authorized Newforma Alliance Support Partner services, please visit our web site at https://customercommunity.newforma.com/s/.

Newforma Customer Community

Newforma Web Site

PRODUCT SUPPORT Product Announcements P P

Online Documentation P P

Dependency Information P P

Education Information P P

TECHNICAL & APPLICATION SUPPORT FAQs P

Knowledgebase P

Case Management P

Case Status Reporting P

Technical Notes & Advisories P

Engineering Change Order P

ALLIANCE PARTNER INFORMATION Partner Directory P

Partner Product Information P

GENERAL INFORMATION Newforma Global Services Overview P

Enhancement Requests P

Support Center Contact Info P P

Web Site Account Info P



Newforma Issue ResolutionGetting the Answers You Need When You Need Them

STEP 1: DEFINE THE PROBLEM OR QUESTION

When you first encounter a problem, take the opportunity to ask plenty of questions and thoroughly document all the symptoms and events surrounding the issue—you can use the Case Checklist Form to help with this (see Appendix B).

• Describe the exact error message(s) displayed and/or printed

• What product screen is this issue occurring on?

• Write a one-sentence description of the problem—be accurate and concise

• Describe the symptoms of the problem

• What was the sequence of events leading up to the error?

• What were the expected results of your process?

• What were the actual results of this process?

• Be very specific; prepare screen capture images if possible

• Describe the business impact and any workaround that was implemented

Documenting the issue, and the events leading up to and surrounding it can help expedite the resolution process.

STEP 2: DETERMINE THE TYPE OF PROBLEM

• Operational issues are usually resolved by reviewing the documentation and re-trying the operation. If you still have the problem, don’t worry—we’re here to help. Continue with reporting the problem as outlined below.

• Hardware problems: Issues relating to your hardware should be directed to your IT staff or platform vendor.

• Third-party application issues: Problems with customized programs may need to be directed to the party responsible for such development.

If the issue appears to be related to Newforma’s application programs, proceed to Step 3.

STEP 3: CHECK YOUR DOCUMENTATION FOR HELP

Once you have defined the issue, eliminated other possible sources of the problem, and confirmed the issue is Newforma related, please do the following:

• Proceed to check your Newforma User Documentation for information on the operation

• If you do not have it handy, you can log-on to the Newforma Customer Community and find much of our user documentation online.

STEP 4: ACCESS NEWFORMA’S ONLINE KNOWLEDGEBASE

Visit the Newforma Knowledgebase at https://customercommunity.newforma.com/s/.

If you are unable to find the solution in our application help documentation, you can visit our Newforma Customer Community which has a wealth of valuable information available at your fingertips, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Just follow the simple steps below:



1. Go to Newforma Customer Community at https://customercommunity.newforma.com/s/.

2. Log-on using your Newforma Customer Community account. Note: This is separate from your Newforma application account.

3. At the top of the Newforma Customer Community home page, you can enter search keywords that will return relevant Knowledgebase articles.

4. If you feel the entry matches the issue you are experiencing, and you feel confident about performing the recommended action, there is no need to place a support call to Newforma—we encourage you to carefully apply the solution presented and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Of course, if you are unsure, or would like a Newforma Customer Support representative to review the situation with you, please do not hesitate to call, email, engage Support through Live Chat or file an electronic case through the Newforma Customer Community.

REPORTING THE ISSUE

If after following the above steps you still have not resolved the issue, proceed to log a case with Newforma Customer Support. Depending on your service provider, you may do this in one of two ways:

5. If you are a Newforma customer whose support service is provided by a Newforma Regional Customer Support Center, you may enter a case through the Newforma Customer Community at https://customercommunity.newforma.com/s/, or by telephoning the customer support line of your local Newforma Regional Customer Support Center.

6. If you are a customer whose customer support service is provided by an authorized Newforma Alliance Support Partner, please contact your alliance partner’s support desk using the numbers provided to you.

Before contacting us, we recommend that you complete a Case Checklist Form to document the issue, so you will have it available at the time of your call (see Appendix B). The Case Checklist Form will also serve as a record for tracking purposes. Continue with the next section to log your case.

Contacting Newforma Customer Support

How to Report a CaseIf you were not successful finding a resolution to the issue using our Newforma Knowledgebase, you should have completed a case form and are now ready to report the issue to Newforma. By being well prepared your problem will be better understood and can help expedite your resolution to the issue.

STEP 1: PREPARING YOUR CASE

In preparation for submitting the issue to any of the Newforma Regional or authorized Alliance Partner Customer Support Centers, you should always have some basic data in hand, as well as specific data to explain in detail the issue you are reporting.

Before you report your case, gather the following information (hint: use the case checklist form in Appendix B to document the Case).

BASIC CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Your current Newforma software release and version number

• The type of hardware and operating system you are running

• Your contact information— telephone and email address



PROBLEM-SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

• Exact error message(s)

• What product screen is this occurring on

• Brief description of the problem

• The symptom of the problem

• The sequence of events leading up to the error

• Expected results of this process

• Actual results of this process

• Be very specific; prepare screen capture images

• What is the business impact

• Explanation of research already performed

• Accuracy is critical to determining the problem

STEP 2: REPORT ISSUE TO YOUR NEWFORMA SERVICE PROVIDER

Depending on the support service area, customers should report their issues either to a Newforma Regional Customer Support Center, or their authorized Newforma Alliance Support Partner.

CUSTOMERS SUPPORTED BY A NEWFORMA REGIONAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT CENTER

Customers may report their cases to Newforma via telephone, or by logging on to Newforma Customer Community at https://customercommunity.newforma.com/s/. Either way, your case is routed directly to Newforma technical support specialists for prompt attention (see Appendix A).

NEWFORMA CUSTOMER SUPPORT RESPONSE

Response time is the time it takes between when your call is received and registered, to the time a representative responds and begins working the issue. We make every effort to service your request as quickly as possible, based on the urgency of the call—we appreciate your cooperation in being fair and accurate when stating priority. Below are Newforma target response times, based on the priority assigned to the issue when registered.

SEVERITY SUPPORT RESPONSE0 - Critical less than 1 hour1 - Urgent less than 4 hours2 - High 24 hours3 - Medium 48 hours

Newforma Customer Support shall use reasonable efforts to respond to cases by the response times listed above. The definition of a response, as Newforma has identified it, must meet one of the following criteria:

• Solution exists

• Need more information to analyze the case

• Understand the case is being worked on



HOW TO CHECK YOUR CASE STATUS

Support customers serviced by a Newforma Regional Customer Support Center may check the status of their case by logging on to the Newforma Customer Community at https://customercommunity.newforma.com/s/ and following these simple steps:

1. Log-on using your Newforma Customer Community account. Note: this is separate from your Newforma application account.

2. Under the Cases heading, select My Open Cases

3. Locate your case and review the status.

Case Escalation ProcessCases are escalated to higher levels of technical and management resources per the priority assigned to them and time of the report. It is therefore critically important that the customer clearly describe the situation and business impact to the support representative so that an accurate priority may be assigned to the case at the outset (see the previous section).

And since defining a problem is often “9/10ths” of the resolution process, it is critically important that customers provide accurate and complete information on the issue.

FIRST CONTACT

Reported cases are received at the Newforma Regional or authorized Alliance Partner Support Center, logged, and responded to by a highly qualified team of Customer Support representatives. In most cases, the Newforma Customer Support representative will be able to resolve the issue on the first contact with the customer. In some cases, however, either more information or more analysis is required to make further progress. In the case where more information is needed, the customer may be asked to provide more detailed information to enable further progress.

FURTHER ANALYSIS

If the case is not resolved after the first contact, the customer support representative will research the issue. They will perform a thorough analysis of the issue and determine if there is truly an error in the code, a process failure, a procedural issue, a misunderstanding or a design characteristic. If it is determined that an error does exist, Newforma Customer Support will then develop the specification for corrective action.

CORRECTIVE ACTION AS NEEDED

In situations where the case has been identified as a defect, the case is moved to Newforma’s Development Team. The software engineers and developers at this level respond with definitive answers through the development of defect tracking tickets. A defect tracking ticket may contain code patches, file and table changes, documentation changes or design changes to Newforma Enterprise Applications. Once a defect tracking ticket has been resolved and has passed rigorous testing, it is made available to the customer. Product fixes and their delivery mechanism may vary depending on the product or how that product’s maintenance releases are managed.

Release notes, descriptions, and files impacted are posted on the Newforma Customer Community at https://customercommunity.newforma.com/s/ for customer reference. Customers or partners may browse the release notes on the Newforma Customer Community web site. Customers should be aware that individual defect tracking tickets often have strict requirements in terms of release environment and dependency files. When in doubt, customers are encouraged to consult with a Newforma Customer Support representative before installing a given release.



Case Resolution ProcessFACTORS AFFECTING THE SPEED OF RESOLUTION

Customers should be aware that there are several factors that affect the speed of resolution:

• PROBLEM SEVERITY— The priority assigned to the issue when reported must be accurately assigned and justifiable, based on Newforma guidelines. Newforma Customer Support uses four severities to help identify priority.

• Severity 0 – Production system is down

• Severity 1 – Critical problem with no workaround

• Severity 2 – Software or production problem with a workaround

• Severity 3 – Minor problem, basic usage or functionality question

• ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS—Problem reports should be accurate, complete, and provide all the information necessary to investigate the issue. Scenarios and steps leading up to the issue are especially helpful. Other useful items are sample printouts, screen captures, or other supporting files.

• ABILITY TO REPRODUCE—Easily reproducible problems are almost always quickly resolved.

• COMPLEXITY—Complex problems that are intermittent, difficult to define, and hard to reproduce are usually the most challenging. These require the most time, resources and expert analysis.

• WHETHER THE ISSUE BECOMES A DEFECT REPORT— Some issues require a defect tracking ticket for resolution. Generating these tickets requires additional time and steps in the resolution process. Please also note that customers must be on a release level that is classified as Generally Available (GA) to receive full support. Issues that are not classified as urgent may be resolved in the next available release.

• THIRD PARTY ISSUES—Third-party software or platform issues beyond Newforma’s control may affect the speed of resolution.

Closing CasesA case may be closed when one of the following criteria is met:

• The question has been answered and confirmed as closed by the customer.

• The customer confirms that an acceptable workaround has been implemented, or that the problem is no longer an issue.

• The customer and Newforma Customer Support representative agree that the issue reported is the result of an application design or coding issue, and requires either Newforma Applications Consulting Services support, or other programming services for resolution.

• The customer receives the operational solution, configuration change and confirms the issue has been resolved.

• The customer has implemented an acceptable workaround. The customer can then enter a Feature Request for Newforma to handle the issue as an enhancement to be addressed in a future release.

PRODUCT NAMING CONVENTIONS

The following is a definition of Newforma’s current naming practice. While we use the term “product” in a general sense, we are referring to a combination of a particular product and version, or version and release level.


PRODUCTS

Major Versions are used to introduce significant new functionality or technical and architectural changes. These new versions normally introduce new functionality or a new technology or user interface (which may require customer or supplier training), and/or require a migration from one hosted version to another. Any given Major Version may be enhanced or maintained over time through a series of Incremental Releases.

Incremental Releases are provided to introduce enhancements and/or new feature sets to the Major Version, as well as roll up all accumulated software corrections. Customers are encouraged to update to the latest Incremental Release of a given version to obtain enhanced functionality and increased stability. Incremental Releases will be offered to customers to request as they become available. Support is always the best place to get the latest details on the current release schedule. Customers should install the latest Incremental Release to obtain the maximum level of support available.

THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE ISSUES

Customers should also be aware that to run properly and be supported, Newforma software requires that customers maintain minimum compatible release levels of an operating system. It is important that customers maintain the release level of such third-party software for Newforma to be effective in supporting the customer’s Newforma applications.

Newforma Professional Services

Newforma Global Professional Services OverviewThe operational time and cost savings realized by improving communication among AECO industry project team members have created a need for a robust set of collaboration tools. Newforma Project Center and ConstructEx provide the most robust solutions in the industry. The software solutions, coupled with expert assistance from the Newforma Professional Services Team help ensure a rapid return on investment and smooth operation. The Newforma Professional Services team applies its proven methodology to deliver professional services.

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS

Newforma Professional Services is a team of highly trained and skilled experts in the Newforma product suite that help customers gain the greatest value from the software - from initial deployment through training, development of custom workflows, integrations with third-party systems and project dashboards.

In addition to in-depth industry experience, the Professional Services team is thoroughly trained in the full range of Newforma applications and third-party integrations. All team members hold Newforma certifications or are pursuing additional training in each of the Newforma products. The Professional Services team has experience with many different environments and requirements that drive setup and user adoption and can help increase utilization within an organization.

NEWFORMA PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FEATURES AND BENEFITS

Engaging the Newforma Professional Services team can provide the following benefits to any organization:

• Proficiency Cost savings associated with time and internal resources.

• Expertise Comprehensive knowledge of Newforma product lifecycle, development, troubleshooting and workflows. Expert knowledge of training methods affected by differences in geography, generation and learning style.


• Experience Able to provide solutions based on knowledge of similar environments and customers.

• Availability Remote consulting and training provides flexibility and quick response time. Easy access to the Engineering team to assist with custom solutions.

• Methodology Professional Services projects managed by a team trained in implementing Services methodology to ensure success.

TRAINING SERVICES

Newforma Professional Services offers multiple methods of training to work with the learning styles of all users. Training can be performed by one of our Training Consultants either onsite or remotely. Other options for advancing knowledge can be found within Newforma University or for training internal champions and subject matter experts via Newforma Certifications.

INSTRUCTOR-LED TRAINING

The Newforma Training Consultants provide training via multiple methods and work with the customer to determine what works best for the attendees and goals of training.

• Remote Training 90-minute sessions Recordings available Scheduled quickly

• Onsite Training Eight (8) hours of on-site training Custom content available Actual travel expenses billed

• Certifications Train the Trainer Train the Champion Forms and Reports Customization IT Foundation Training

• Workflow Consultations

The Course Catalog for standard offerings is available from your Newforma Account Manager.

NEWFORMA UNIVERSITY

Newforma University is a free, unlimited, on-demand portal for training for all levels of users. Users can individually sign up for courses or be enrolled automatically.

• Manager role can be defined for a customer contact to manage training for their organization

• Self-guided, basic user training available

• Tracks created by Newforma to guide users to a specific course based on role

Please contact your Account Manager or reach out to [email protected] for more information or to request a Professional Services engagement.


Implementation ServicesNewforma Professional Services Consultants provide the technical and training expertise to help quickly and effectively implement Newforma Project Center and accelerate adoption. The Newforma Consultants collaborate with the customer team to build servers, configure Newforma Project Center and then work to develop and roll out appropriate training.

To get you off to a good start, you will receive a Welcome letter covering next steps and a Newforma consultant will coordinate an Implementation Kickoff. This Kickoff will walk you through our implementation process, introduce you to the team you’ll be working with, discuss timeline, review requirements and next steps. You will also be given 24/7 access to an implementation tracker “My Implementation Tracker” specific to your company within our Newforma Customer Community.

CUSTOMER IMPLEMENTATION RESOURCE – MY IMPLEMENTATION TRACKER

DEPLOYMENT

The Newforma consultant will participate in a joint review of the current and planned physical and logical environment design.

The assigned Technical Consultant will review the results of Pre-Deployment server tests to verify hardware and system requirements have been met. Upon approval, Newforma will coordinate and remotely deploy the Newforma Project Center and Info Exchange servers via screen sharing session.

CONFIGURATION

Following Deployment, the data and system settings are remotely configured in preparation for training. The assigned Technical Consultant will review administrative server settings, licensing, user roles, contacts/companies, and projects. A template project is set up to give you the ability to create additional projects as needed.


TRAINING

In parallel with Configuration, the assigned Training Consultant will work with the customer to determine a Training Plan for initial training. Included in the Training Plan discussion are methods for training and recommended attendees based on experience and best practices.

With servers up and running, projects, companies/contacts added, NPC clients deployed, and project information indexed, you are prepared for one or more of the training packages based on the Getting Started Package(s) purchased with a licensing agreement.

Consulting ServicesThe Newforma Technical Consultants are a highly-skilled team of experts that deliver both standard and custom solutions for customers of all sizes.

STANDARD CONSULTING

Standard offerings include (not an exhaustive list):

• In-Place Upgrades

• Server Migration Upgrades

• Third Party Financial Systems Integration

• Connectors from Third Party applications to Newforma Project Center

• Migrations for Mergers and Acquisitions

• Office 365 Migration

• Project Email Addressing Setup

• Tracker Suite (Action Items, RFIs, and Submittals)

• ConstructEx Active Project Snapshot

CUSTOM (FLEX) CONSULTING

Examples of custom offerings include (not an exhaustive list):

• Forms and/or Reports Customization

• Branding change implementation

• Third Party Integrations

• Power BI-based Dashboards and Reports

• Imports from external databases for import

• Batch project folder repath

Please contact your Account Manager or reach out to [email protected] for more information or to request a Professional Services engagement.


How to Request a ServiceAll requests for Professional Services are scoped and defined by the Professional Services Engagement Manager. The Engagement Manager works with the Newforma Account Manager, customer and Professional Services team to scope, plan, schedule and execute services projects.

STEP 1: PREPARING YOUR REQUEST

It is helpful to provide some information to help narrow down the scope of a request for engaging Newforma Professional Services. Following the below guidelines for submitting a request will expedite response.

BASIC CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Your contact information—Telephone or Email

• Contact information for any involved parties – internal or external

• Your current Newforma software release and version number

• The type of hardware and operating system you are running on

REQUEST-SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

• Brief description of the request

• Expected results

• Be very specific; prepare screen images, mark-ups, etc.

• What is the potential business impact?

Note: Third Party Information Technology providers are welcome to submit Professional Services requests on behalf of the Newforma customer. A contact at the Newforma customer site must be copied on all communication and must approve the request before Professional Service starts.

STEP 2: SUBMITTING YOUR REQUEST

Provide your request information to your Account Manager or reach out to [email protected] to request a Professional Services engagement.


Appendix

Appendix A – Newforma Regional Customer Support Centers

LOCATIONS AND CONTACT INFORMATION

LOCATION LOCAL HOURS OF OPERATION TELEPHONE ADDRESSGLOBAL NEWFORMA OFFICES

USA 8 am to 8 pm EST +1.603.625.6212 +1.877.875.8252

Newforma Inc. 1750 Elm Street, Manchester, NH 03104 U.S.A.

ASIA PACIFIC 8 am to 5 pm +65 6500 7838 +65 9109 0964 (alt phone)

Newforma Asia Pacific Pte Ltd 39A North Canal Road, Singapore 059295

AUSTRALIA 8 am to 5 pm +61 2 8001 6130 Newforma Australia Pte Ltd Level 8, 350 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000

CANADA 8 am to 8 pm EST +1.514.360.3008 Newforma Canada 215 St-Jacques, #500, Montreal, QC H2Y 1M6 Canada

GERMANY 8 am to 5 pm +49 89 248 802 22 Newforma Germany GmbH Maximilianstraße 35A; Etage 2, 80539 München

UNITED KINGDOM 8 am to 5 pm +44 20 3963 0700 Newforma UK Ltd 4th Floor, Euston House 24 Eversholt Street, London, NW1 1AD, UK


Appendix B – Newforma Case Reference

The purpose of this reference is to help ensure all information is gathered prior to reporting a case.

Contact InformationCustomer ID: __________________ Company Name: __________________________________________________________

Contact Name: __________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone: ______________________________ Email: ____________________________________________________________

Service RequestDate Opened:___________________________________ Time Opened: __________________________________ AM / PM

Newforma Software Product: ___________________________________________________ Version Number: ____________

Hardware Platform Description: ____________________________________________________________________________

Operating System Type:________________________________________________________ Version Number: ____________

Database Type: ______________________________________________________________ Version Number: ____________

Brief Description of Problem: ______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Describe events leading up to the problem: ___________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Impact of issue on operations: _____________________________________________________________________________

Describe work-around, if any: ______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Describe any work performed thus far to remedy issue: __________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please attach all supporting information: error messages, screen captures, error logs, and any other supporting information that would be helpful in diagnosing or reproducing the issue.


Appendix C – Glossary Of Terms

Critical Down System — Term to describe the status of a customer production environment that is in a non-working condition that is impacting all or many users.

Case — A problem report that is submitted from the customer to a Newforma Regional Support Center office, or to an Alliance Partner, for resolution.

Knowledgebase — A database of knowledge on previously reported issues. It may be searched in order to find a resolution to an issue encountered.

Response Time — The amount of time it takes to reply to the customer’s initial request for assistance.

Resolution Time— The amount of time it takes to solve an issue and provide an answer to the customer.

Newforma, Inc. 1750 Elm Street, 9th Floor

Manchester, NH 03104 USA 1-877-875-8252 | newforma.com

http://newforma.com

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