Table of Contents:
- Guaranteed
- Results
- Speed
- Security
- Options—Service Plans:
- Glossary of Terms
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Table of Contents:
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 | "It was 5:35PM on Christmas Eve when the cash registers in the toy department went down. But in less than 15 minutes, an Infotron product specialist was talking me through diagnostic and test procedures to get things rolling again." |
| —From the network manager of a major department store |
Time. Measure it in terms of human lives, corporate profits, or passing opportunities, and you understand its value.
Owners of Infotron networks worldwide have measured it in all those ways and arrived at the same conclusion: a service plan is essential.
For an emergency 911 switching system, downtime is a moral issue.
For an international financial corporation, delayed transactions spell financial disaster.
And for a company with online order entry, out-of-order means no orders at all.
Companies like these around the globe have chosen the assurance of a service plan with Infotron.
Each plan is different, guaranteeing the precise level of service each situation demands.
Yet, with each plan, the same benefits are immediately evident:
Infotron field service delivers these benefits through the most completely integrated response system in the industry.
Your first call is to INFOTRAC, our centralized control and dispatch operator.
These trained operators coordinate and prioritize all calls.
Because you have a service plan, your call receives a priority rating.
That means between 8AM and 9PM Eastern Time, your call will be returned by a specialist within 30 minutes—guaranteed.
And during the other hours of the day, you'll receive a guaranteed response in an hour or less.
Through INFOTRAC, your call is logged on FieldWatch, one of the most sophisticated field service management systems available. By entering your company's equipment tag number, the INFOTRAC operator instantly has access to essential data about your account, including:
Then, the operator adds any new information that is available and places your call in a priority queue for response
 | "Your telephone support is excellent. Your technicians are able to work with our less technically-skilled people to test and diagnose the problem—all the while displaying the 'patience of Job' and a sense of humor, too!" |
| —From the manager of a metropolitan library system |
Your call is returned by one of Infotron's corporate product support specialists.
They are the first level of response. And they are usually the last.
That's evidence that Infotron provides the best telephone support in the industry.
The product specialists who handle your calls have high levels of experience and training. In fact, a typical specialist could be described as follows:
Yet, the most important characteristic of Infotron specialists is their depth of knowledge. Whether they are talking a night clerk through a diagnostic routine or talking codes and protocols with an MIS executive, they work, easily, calmly, and quickly.
After your phone call to discuss the problem, you can grant Infotron's specialists direct access to your networking equipment through dial-up modems.
With remote troubleshooting techniques, specialists can locate and resolve problems—network-wide or worldwide—
or determine a needed part and send it on its way with a local field service engineer or via overnight courier service.
What's more, our specialists maintain contact during problem periods. If the problem is traced to the carrier or the computer vendor, Infotron's specialists help communicate with their technical counterpart until the problem is resolved.
 | "For his assistance to us during the 'Flood of 87', your field service engineer deserves a medal for heroism. He answered our call late on a Friday afternoon, found his van stranded in a pothole—but walked the remaining five blocks through the downpour." |
| —From the operations manager of a financial institution |
When that small percentage of calls that cannot be resolved by phone demands a field service engineer, the value of your service plan becomes apparent.
You'll find that there is an engineer, trained on your equipment, located near your installation anywhere in the world. You'll find a designated backup engineer close by as well. In your plan, Infotron will guarantee the level of response your network needs—from-same-day to same-instant.
Our strategic web of service offices across the U.S. is equipped to respond to priority calls when alerted through INFOTRAC and the FieldWatch system.
Infotron's field service is international in scope, supporting networks in more than 50 countries through subsidiary and distribution-oriented service organizations. In fact, Infotron field service plans can provide a single point to contact for resolution of problems in multinational networks—with the same 30-minute response guarantee that we offer our U.S. customers.
Your field service engineer has been trained extensively on the types of equipment in your network. He's completely prepared. In fact, he knows the details of your network—including hardware or software modifications. And he's carrying necessary spare parts for your equipment. Troubleshooting and repair are quickly finished.
There's more: field service engineers never work alone. They are supported by product specialists at Infotron headquarters and by highly-trained and experienced technical support engineers located at field offices and at headquarters.
Infotron field service engineers must have a background that includes two years of technical school training and three years of more of experience in the data communications industry.
They are trained again at Infotron through intensive courses on each product; each course may last up to two weeks. And, of course, they receive periodic training on product updates, including new software and hardware.
Best of all, they stay with us. A growing proportion of our technical force has received recognition for five years or more of service.
 | "Infotron's parts Service saved us in the crunch—literally. The evening before a demonstration to a major client, we moved some equipment. Somehow, someone stepped on a circuit board. But Infotron had it in stock and got it to us with time to spare." |
| —From the vice president of marketing for a time-share service company |
When you need a replacement part, it can be on its way to you immediately.
At our 4,000-square-foot PartsBank in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and in satellite PartsBanks in major cities across the country. Infotron keeps inventories of spare modules and subassemblies for every product that is operating in the field.
In fact, for plan customers, we stock all essential parts at the nearest location.
Through several service plan options, Infotron will ship your replacement parts via priority courier service. We can even supply replacement firmware on a priority basis.
And through other plan options, we can guarantee, within 48 hours to ship equipment to replace any portion of your network damaged through accidents or natural catastrophes.
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) from personnel who handle electronic parts can cause damage or weakening of components resulting in poor performance or early failure. Infotron has made a company-wide commitment to eliminate ESD from receipt of components to shipment of completed products.
In our PartsBanks and throughout the field service operation, mandatory ESD control measures are in effect, including:
Finally, we are urging all customers to join us in our efforts by implementing similar control measures at their locations.
 | "When we need service for our network, we may need it in the U.S., Hong King, or the Netherlands. Infotron gives us a single plan and a single point-of-contact for service anywhere." |
| —From the vice president of a communications company |
No two Infotron customers have identical networks-or identical needs for service. That's why we offer a broad range of basic service plans. To help you put your needs in perspective, consider these two major issues:
Your answer to these questions will let you use the following chart to select a basic service plan. And, remember, even installation and relocation of equipment require planning and a plan as well.
Our Service Marketing Department will work with you to completely tailor a plan. They will show you how Infotron can balance your service requirements, delivery time frames, and projected budgets to reach your goals for optimum operation of your network.
Infotron's field service plans are what you are looking for. Just review the plans, contact your Infotron sales representative, or call the Service Marketing Department.
| Service Requirements: | Delivery Time: | Type of Plan: |
| Installation of upgrade of equipment | As scheduled, with 10 business days notice | Installation programs |
| Telephone assistance | Tailored to specific needs; in increments of 5 minutes; Within 30 minutes | Technical support plans; All plans |
| Replacement parts | Same-day delivery; Overnight delivery | On-site service plans; Included in all plans |
| On-site service plans | Same business day; Guaranteed 4-hour response (Response Zone 1); Immediate | Shared service plans; On-site service plans; Customer engineer plans |
| International network service coordination | 30 minutes or less | Global support plans |
When your company cannot tolerate any delay in repair of network problems, PRIORA™ and PRIORA Plus Service Plans put you at the top of the priority list for on-site response and telephone assistance. What's more, all services are available to your 12 hours of every business day with PRIORA and a full 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with PRIORA Plus.
If your equipment is located within 50 miles of a service center, an Infotron field service engineer will arrive on-site within four hours.
You will receive top priority on all emergency calls. Between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, calls will be returned by a trained product specialist within 30 minutes, guaranteed. At other times, the return call guarantee is within one hour.
Because PRIORA and PRIORA Plus give you unlimited use of Infotron services—including telephone assistance and all parts, labor, travel time and travel expenses during the principal period of maintenance—for a fixed annual rate, your maintenance and repair costs will be on budget every year
If you can solve simple module failure problems but require Infotron assistance in more complex situations, SMART, Infotron's Shared Maintenance and Remedial Term Service Plan, may be the answer.
Through SMART, Infotron provides telephone assistance and fast exchange parts support to help you solve the problem independently; yet, Infotron holds manpower in reserve to provide fast, on-site assistance when it is needed.
Requests for on-site technical assistance made by SMART Plan customers before 1:00 p.m. will be filled before 5:30 p.m. of the same day for sites within the first service zone. Other guaranteed response times can be negotiated for your specific needs.
SMART Plan customers receive top priority on all emergency calls. Between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time, calls will be returned by a trained product specialist within 30 minutes, guaranteed. At all other times, the return call guarantee is within one hour.
Through telephone remote diagnostics, Infotron product specialists locate problems and suggest maintenance or repair procedures-including replacement of equipment modules.
When modules must be replaced the part are shipped via Federal Express P1 service—assuring delivery to most location by 10:00 a.m. the following day. SMART Plan customer then have 10 days to return the failed modules to Infotron.
If a problem must be resolved on-site by an Infotron Field Service technician, you will also receive reductions in time and materials and response charges when the service is performed outside the principal period of maintenance.
The SMART Plus Option Plan extends the guarantee of priority on-site assistance to 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. No matter when you need help, Infotron is on the way.
You know that your technical staff can handle nearly any problem that arises, but you also know they need the support only Infotron can give. Through the Fast Exchange Service Plan, we supply the fast and simple support that will keep your network operating smoothly.
Fast Exchange Service Plan customers receive top priority on all emergency calls. Between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, calls will be returned by a trained product specialist within 30 minutes, guaranteed. At other times, the guarantee is for return of calls within one hour.
Through telephone remote diagnostics, infotron product specialists locate problems and suggest maintenance or repair procedures-including replacement of equipment modules.
When modules must be replaced, the parts are shipped via Federal Express P1 service—assuring delivery to most locations by 10:00 a.m. the following day. Fast Exchange Service Plan customers then have 10 days to return any failed modules to Infotron.
In the event that a problem must be resolved on-site by an Infotron Field Service engineer, Fast Exchange Service Plan customers also receive reductions in time and materials labor rate and response charges for installation and remedial maintenance.
Annual Rate — The percentage rate applied to the equipment list price to determine the annual service charge.
Field Service Engineer — A service technician with in-depth training and experience in diagnosis and on-site repair of complex network communications systems and equipment.
INFOTRAC — INFOtron Trouble Reporting Action Center—the control point for all service activity. One call to this central point via our toll-free number provides access to all Infotron field service resources.
PartsBank — Infotron's field service logistics operation administers, controls, and tracks all aspects of inventory management, from analysis and forecasting use to refurbishing field stocks.
Plus Option — An option under various plans that extends on-site coverage to 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Principal Period of Maintenance (PPM) — The period of time during which services are provided within the scope of individual maintenance plans.
Product Specialist — An Infotron support engineer, specifically trained in providing telephone diagnostic assistance and consultation, with special emphasis on invidual product lines.
Remedial Maintenance — The act of isolation and on-site repair of problems within communications networks and equipment.
Response Time — The elaspsed time between the placement of a service request and the delivery of this service.
Service Marketing — A group within Infotron field service responsible for maintaining customer service requirements with field service resources. This is accomplished through market research, requirement analysis, and resource management.