Helix User Services exist to help you get the most from Helix.
Depending upon your particular problem, you might need education, technical support or you might even benefit from professional assistance beyond what we can offer.
The diversity of Helix users makes it impractical to create specific plans tailored for each type of Helix usage. Instead, we offer two simple alternatives: Pay-As-You-Go and Prepaid support.
You are always welcome to contact us for any reason at all. Just keep in mind that some services require that we charge for the time involved in supporting you.
User services are divided into 15 minute blocks of time. We call these blocks USUs (for User Service Units or User Support Units). So a one hour support incident ‘costs’ 4 USUs.
Advance purchase/volume purchase discounts are available, according to this schedule…
| Pay-As-You-Go | $30.00 US per USU | |
| Prepaid 10 USU Package | $20.00 US per USU | A $300 value for $200 |
| Prepaid 20 USU Package | $17.50 US per USU | A $400 value for $350 |
| Prepaid 40 USU Package | $15.00 US per USU | A $800 value for $600 |
If you're starting a large project and anticipate needing a significant level of support, prepayment provides an attractive option because it provides the same service at a lower rate, and it gives you the freedom to pick up the phone and call for help without having to worry about arranging payment when time is of the essence.
Should your needs suggest a different level of support, or if you have some custom array of requirements and you’d like us to provide the service, we will need to discuss with you directly. Contact us to discuss your needs.
QSA ToolWorks also reserves the right to revise this policy without notice.
Every new or upgrade purchase comes with complementary USUs as follows: two (2) for Helix RADE or Engine, four (4) for Helix Server, three (3) for Helix Maintenance Manager. USUs are not limited to basic installation questions. You may use these units any time, and you can apply them to any service we offer, from basic support to collection repair to advanced design assistance.
We have chosen this policy because experience has shown that the typical ‘90 days of complementary support’ does not work well for software. It means you need to put your new Helix to use right away or you lose your complementary support. This is often less than ideal. For us it means that during the time immediately after a new version comes out, we can be swamped with 90 days of non-stop service requests. Nobody wins with this type of service.
Instead, giving each customer who purchases or upgrades a fixed amount of time (USUs) takes you ‘off the clock.’ You have the freedom to use our support at any time and in a way that most helps. At the same time it allows us to distribute our support resources evenly and fairly to all our users.
User Service Units (USUs) — when purchased in advance blocks of 10 or more — are eligible for direct dollar-for-dollar coversion for subsequent product purchases, including upgrades. The conversion rate is calculated at the rate you paid for those USUs.
This policy is explained in detail on this policy page.
Complimentary USUs are not eligible for conversion to purchase credit.
To see details on the various types of complementary and paid support services we offer, click the Services link at the top of the page.
Every new or upgrade purchase comes with complementary USUs as follows: two (2) for Helix RADE or Engine, four (4) for Helix Server, three (3) for Helix Maintenance Manager. USUs are not limited to basic installation questions. You may use these units any time, and you can apply them to any service we offer, from basic support to collection repair to advanced design assistance.
We have chosen this policy because experience has shown that the typical ‘90 days of complementary support’ does not work well for software. It means you need to put your new Helix to use right away or you lose your complementary support. This is often less than ideal. For us it means that during the time immediately after a new version comes out, we can be swamped with 90 days of non-stop service requests. Nobody wins with this type of service.
Instead, giving each customer who purchases or upgrades a fixed amount of time (USUs) takes you ‘off the clock.’ You have the freedom to use our support at any time and in a way that most helps. At the same time it allows us to distribute our support resources evenly and fairly to all our users.
As noted in the July 14, 2003 installment of The Latest Word, we requested feedback from the Helix community on some ideas we had for paid user service plans. In reviewing the resulting discussion, we found that those who responded to our call for comments generally agreed with the notion that some services should require payment.
The Helix user base includes everybody from the ‘hobbyist’ who uses Helix RADE purely for personal needs to the business professional who relies on Helix to run their business or provide a robust client/server environment that cannot accept more than a minimal amount of downtime. In between are the small business users that use Helix primarily to manage and maintain their own business and the professional developers who create databases for others. Within the developer community are ‘contract developers’ who work directly with their client base to create customized solutions and ‘package developers’ who create off-the-shelf solutions.
This diversity makes it impractical to create specific plans tailored for each type of Helix usage, which is why we ultimately chose to go with a simple time-based support policy. Simply put: we need to charge for our time in order to survive, and this plan appears to be the best way to ensure that goal. In the long term, this will help us keep the actual price of Helix lower, as we will not have to build in a certain amount to cover the average user’s technical support requirements.
Self-Serve support is and will continue to be available at no charge. It does not require any time on our part (beyond adding to the online support content) so we do not charge for it.
Email support comes with no promised turnaround time, but we will — as always — strive to answer questions in a timely manner. We reserve the right to charge for email support.
QSA ToolWorks does not intend to replace developers as the high level support source for our mutual customers. While we will entertain design questions, we are not looking to go into the consultation or development business. We emphatically prefer that customers who need this level of support connect with a professional Helix developer and our first option is always to try to provide you with a good connection in this regard.
Unfortunately there are many instances where using a developer is not a workable solution and the only reasonable answer is for QSA ToolWorks to provide the necessary service. Previously we simply told these customers that we could not help them if they were unable to work with a local developer.
Presently, we do not have a formal Developer Program in place. Still, the need for design assistance persists and the first tactic employed will be to recommend a developer in every case. Again, our intention is to supplement, not supplant, the professional developer.
The clock starts running when we answer your call. Every 15 minutes that elapses results in 1 USU charged to your account. If the call takes 20 minutes from start to finish, that’s two USUs: When you go over a fifteen-minute block, you’re into the next unit.
If you have prepaid USUs, the time will be deducted automatically. If you do not, your credit card will be charged at the end of the call. Should your call turn out to be about something we should not reasonably be able to charge for, you will not be charged.
When you contact us, be prepared to purchase USUs if you do not already have any. Please don’t begin by saying ‘I just have a quick question,’ we won’t be able to help until your support status is established. Having your customer number ready saves time right up front. If you need to purchase USUs having your credit card handy also saves time.
Fielding service calls and deciding which ones are chargeable is always going be a judgment call. The best we can do is try to be consistent and to strive to administer this program in a fair and balanced manner. The discipline engendered by this process will hopefully result in better service, a more informed user base, and a reduction in the number of delays on our way to Helix 6 and 7.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation. Special thanks again to everybody who participated in the forum discussion and helped us refine this policy.