Escalating a Support Request
Your VMware support team always works to ensure that the appropriate resources and level of focus are applied to your request to ensure a timely resolution. If you are not satisfied with the progress of your support request, however, we encourage you to request an escalation. By invoking the escalation process, additional levels of VMware management attention, procedure reinforcement and resource prioritization are brought to bear on resolving your support request.
When and how do I escalate a Support Request?
You can escalate a support request at any time either by speaking directly with the technician assigned or by requesting to speak with a Duty Manager/Support Manager.
The escalation process is especially appropriate in the following situations:
- You encounter a roadblock or showstopper to your upgrade or implementation plans.
- You need to communicate a critical business impact to VMware Support Management.
- You are dissatisfied with the responsiveness to or resolution of a Support Request (SR).
As with Severity One SRs, we highly recommend that you contact VMware Support by telephone for escalations. This will ensure that your request is directed to the appropriate resources as soon as possible to achieve a successful resolution.
Note: The severity level of a support request can be increased without an escalation if the business impact of a support request has changed or was not correctly recorded initially.
What steps do I take to escalate?
First, please review the details of your Support Request and verify the following facts:
- Is the problem statement correct?
- Does the Support Request accurately describe the business impact?
- If there is a workaround, is it impractical or inappropriate?
- Is there a critical milestone date identified in the Support Request?
Once you have completed this review, contact the assigned technician for your Support Request, or call 1-877-4VMware and ask for the Duty Manager/Regional Escalation Manager to trigger an escalation.
What happens once I request an escalation?
Once an escalation request has been made, the appropriate Regional Escalation Manager will evaluate the situation and determine the appropriate resources to assign and/or process correction to make. An Escalation Engineer specializing in the type of situation being experienced will be assigned as the primary point of contact for the issue and will coordinate with all parties involved to ensure an expedited resolution. The Escalation Engineer will set up a conference call with the appropriate parties to begin outlining the action plan and troubleshooting the situation.
The Regional Escalation Manager is made aware of all escalations and their current status on a daily basis. The Regional Escalation Manager will work with the primary Escalation Engineers to ensure that the appropriate resources, communication and action plans are in place to expedite resolution.
Below is a flow chart of the standard escalation process.
How often can I expect updates on an escalation?
As the escalation is initiated, the assigned Escalation Engineer will work with you to determine a communication plan that fits your needs. Agreements will be made on communication mode (email, phone call, reoccurring conference call), frequency, and required attendees for all updates. If required, the Regional and Global Escalation Program Managers will attend any scheduled conference calls to ensure satisfaction with the current progress.
Can VMware engage other vendors if required?
VMware Escalation Engineers and Regional Escalation Managers have the ability to engage other Vendors via TSANet (Technical Support Alliance Network – www.tsanet.org) or by utilizing your existing support contracts with the vendor.
What can I do if I don’t feel progress is being made with an escalation?
If you are concerned with the current state of an escalation or the situation has digressed, please inform your assigned Escalation Engineer, Duty Manager or Regional Escalation Manager immediately. The Escalation Engineer will immediately inform the management team and the Regional and/or Global Escalation Manager will conduct a conference call with the required parties. If necessary, additional resources will be applied to the situation to determine what is required to resolve the situation.
How do I de-escalate a Support Request?
Once the Support Request is back on track and making acceptable progress toward resolution, it can be de-escalated. Before the SR is de-escalated, the Escalation Engineer will complete the following tasks:
- Confirm that the action plan is acceptable;
- Ensure that the troubleshooting or root cause analysis process is on track;
- Document in the SR your agreement to de-escalate the Support Request.
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