Service & Support

You may be familiar with our Service & Support program - our way of keeping you up to date with the latest technology with on going support all within a manageable yearly fee. Some of our newer schools may not be familiar with the program and benefits so here they are in detail. Over 97% of our software users choose the annual program as it is by far the cheapest way of receiving all the valuable benefits.

	Free Upgrades to the Software Being part of the Service & Support program ensures that you never have to pay for a new release of the software. All your upgrades are FREE. You can download new versions of the software whenever they become available - and we inform you of this via our regular e-mails. You can expect at least 6 upgrades each year. Each new version will often contain new features and functions (even new modules), and internal improvements for speed and reliability. Like many things in life, regular maintenance and servicing will improve the usability of your software and allow you to get the maximum output from your investment. Most of our competitors impose a fee for upgrading their software and all would base these fees on how many computers you are using, making the upgrading of software quite expensive.
	You get to have your say How many software packages do you use on a daily basis that give you a direct say in their development? With the Service & Support program what you want counts. We record all suggestions for changes and schedule for inclusion those that will benefit the user group the most. These can be as simple as making it easier to enter data, or new features such as exports to third party packages. While naturally we can't include everyone's suggestions all at once, and software development is a time consuming and complex task, steady and continual progress means a lot gets done over time. We value your input and with the Service &Support program you have a say that counts.
	Free Unlimited Support Call our support area as many times as you need. There's no limit and no extra charge. We understand that using software can be a complex and sometimes time-consuming task, so why waste time when help is at hand? Even people who are familiar with the package will come across situations that can be easily solved with just a phone call. Support is not only limited to the telephone. We monitor our fax and support e-mail regularly as we understand that your busy workload may not allow you the time to place a call at a convenient time. Quite often we are asked for help with the operating system, network configuration and other non-software specific issues - again there is no extra charge for this telephone support.
	Data Analysis If you are having problems with your data or simply need advice on how to set up something, we can provide expert analysis. Just provide us with access to your data and we will help with providing the answers. It is our job to make yours easier and more productive.
	Newsletters, Announcements Our regular e-mails set out to inform you of new releases and provide informative tips on how to get the best out of your software. These are provided on a weekly basis throughout the year and can be sent to as many people as you require throughout the school.
	Reduced Training Costs All schools with Service & Support agreements are entitled to significant discounts on training courses and sessions. If you have multiple people that require training these savings alone could justify a large proportion of the annual Service & Support fee.

The alternative to a support program like ours is one involving paying for each software upgrade and paying for support on a call-by-call basis or per incident. These Pay As You Use methods can be very hard to budget for and often need to be pre-paid. When you've got a problem that needs to be fixed you don't want to really want mess around with accounts and recorded messages! Getting caught with outdated software can also be a trap (anyone still using Word 6 and receiving Word 2000 documents that they can't open?)

Once a year, around 30 days prior to your Service & Support expiry, we will send you a renewal invoice to cover your school for the coming 12 months. This invoice is due and payable on or before the expiry date to keep your benefits intact. If your Service & Support renewal is overdue you will be notified and we may withhold further support and disable any further software upgrades until the account has been paid or other arrangements made.

  How Do I?

How do I use the timetable generator to determine a part-time staff member’s half-day off?

As discussed in our last newsletter there are some cases where a staff member's availability is quite flexible and their time off may change from week to week. First Class is able to determine half-days off using the following method.

Firstly, you have to decide exactly how many periods comprise a half-day. (Cycles with an uneven number of periods in the day will be the more difficult to decide upon.)

You also need to define a new subject to act as the staff member's unavailable time/s. As we did in the last newsletter, for this example we will call the subject Off.

	From the MAINTENANCE menu, select SUBJECT>EDIT
	Get into EDIT MODE and click ADD
	Define the subject as Off
	Click SAVE

The next step is to create the allocation. This is similar to the method for a staff member that has a full day off, the only difference will be that you will enter the number of periods a staff member has off, rather than the number of days.

	From the MAINTENANCE menu, select ALLOCATIONS
	Click on the TEACHER radio button, and FILTER for the part-time teacher
	Get into EDIT MODE and click on the ADD button
	Define Off as the subject and leave the form and room fields blank
	Click on the CONTEXT button at the end of the PERIOD DETAILS field
	In the field next to the MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVES, enter the number of periods the staff member has off in for that day
	From the MAINTENANCE menu select PERIOD>NO START
	Using the DROP ARROW at the end of the PERIOD TYPE field, select the type that corresponds to your half day
	Click into all the periods where you do not want this type of period to start. An X should appear in all those periods. Remember, if you decide on three out of six as a half day, it is of little value to the teacher if he/she has a class period 1, is "off" 2-4, and has classes in the afternoon. If you have set this up correctly, the time off should be restricted to either all morning, or all afternoon.

How do I use the FILE>OPEN screen to make a backup or copy of my data?

It is very important to keep backups of data to ensure that, in the event that something goes wrong with your computer or the file you are working on, you do not have to start entering your data from scratch. Here is another quick way you can do this.

	From the FILE menu, select OPEN
	Point the mouse at the database you wish to back up
	Now, while holding down both the CTRL key, and the left mouse button, move the mouse slightly so that a small + appears next to it
	Release the mouse button and the CTRL key. A backup database should start to be made

Remember, however, this method is no substitute for making a backup of your data onto another medium, such as a CD as the data is stored on your hard drive. If something goes wrong with your computer you may not be able to access backup data stored on the hard drive. Ideally you should backup to both your hard drive and another medium such as a CD that you then store away from your work area to protect it from the risk of theft or fire.

  Correction

  Quote of the Week

"Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance." Samuel Johnson, writer, 1709-1784

Regards,
Robert Bakker
Computer Techniques P/L
Phone: +61 3 9699 9777
Fax: +61 3 9690 2802
Email: firstclass@human-edge.com.au

Human Edge Software adheres to a policy of not sending unsolicited (SPAM) e-mail. You are receiving this e-mail because you are listed as a primary contact for one of the services that our company provides. If you are receiving this message in error or wish to have the contact details changed please advise us via return e-mail or call us on (03) 9690 5044