How We Support You: Hours, Response Times and How to Get Help
Something not working? Submit a support ticket. Here's how to do it, when we're available, how quickly we respond, and how to flag something urgent. Bookmark this page so it's handy the next time you need help.
In Short
Business hours
Monday to Friday
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern
How fast we respond
Usually within 90 minutes during business hours. Critical issues within 1 hour.
How to get help
Submit a ticket with the support request form on our website.
Urgent and business-critical?
Submit a ticket right away and mark it as urgent.
How to Submit a Ticket
Every request starts with a support ticket. A ticket makes sure your request is recorded, assigned to a technician and tracked until it's resolved. There are three ways to open one:
- Website form (recommended). Go to theitexperience.com/
supportrequest and fill in the form. It asks for everything we need, so we can start working on your issue right away. - The support icon on your computer. On a Windows computer we manage, click the small up arrow (^) near the clock to show hidden icons, right-click our support icon, and choose Support Request. It opens the same form.
- Email. Send a message to [email protected]. It opens a ticket for you. Include what's wrong, any error message, and the best way to reach you.
Before You Submit: Three Quick Things
- Restart your computer. Save your work, then restart (not just shut the lid). It fixes many problems on its own, and if your computer hasn't been restarted in the last 12 to 18 hours, it's the first thing we'll ask you to do. See Rebooting/Restarting your Computer.
- Capture the error. Press Windows key + Shift + S to take a screenshot, or write down the exact wording of the message.
- Tell us how to reach you. Include a phone number and when you're available, especially if we may need to connect to your computer.
Urgent and Business-Critical Issues
Urgent issues go through a ticket too. That's the fastest way to get the right technician working on it, with all the details in front of them. These count as business-critical:
Security issues
Malware or ransomware, or an account or system you believe has been taken over.
Equipment failure or loss
Fire, flood, theft, damage, or a complete failure of servers, switches or other network equipment.
Half the team (or more) can't work
50% or more of your workforce can't work because of a technology failure. For managers, this also covers a high-risk employee termination.
Location offline
An entire office is offline or can't connect to the internet.
For any of these, submit a ticket right away and make the urgency clear:
- Pick the request type that fits. For anything security-related, choose IT Security Incident.
- Mark it as urgent. If the form asks about urgency, choose High. Start your description with "Business-critical:" and say what has stopped working.
- Say how many people are affected, and since when.
Response Times
Most tickets get a first response within 90 minutes during business hours. Our standard commitment for a first response is 3 business hours, unless your company's agreement says otherwise. Here's how we prioritize:
Priority 1: Critical
All work has stopped. Most or all people (75-100%) are affected, and there is no workaround.
First response: 1 hour or less
Resolution target: 24 hours or less
Priority 2: High
Most work has stopped. 30-75% of people are affected, and a workaround is only OK for the short term.
First response: 2 hours or less
Resolution target: 36 hours or less
Priority 3: Medium
Some work has stopped. 15-30% of people are affected, and a workaround is acceptable.
First response: 4 hours to 1 day
Resolution target: 48 hours or less
Priority 4: Low
Little or no work has stopped. Up to 15% of people are affected, and a workaround is acceptable.
First response: 8 hours to 1 day
Resolution target: 72 hours or less
Most individual problems (one person, one computer) fall under Medium or Low, and are usually picked up the same business day. In rare cases, such as bad weather or holidays, a first response can take longer.
Outside Business Hours
We monitor the systems we manage around the clock, 24/7, so many problems are spotted before anyone reports them. You can submit a ticket at any time; tickets that arrive outside business hours are picked up on the next business day. If it's business-critical, mark it as urgent as described above.
Monthly Maintenance (the 25th)
Computers, servers and network equipment we manage are updated on the 25th of every month, whatever day of the week it falls on. The window runs from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern.
- Save your work and close your apps by 6:00 PM on the 25th.
- Leave your computer on and connected to the internet so updates can install.
- Computers restart within about 15 minutes after their updates finish.
- If your computer was off, the updates install the next time it's on, which may mean a restart reminder the next day. More in Computer Updates and Restarts.
When We Connect to Your Computer
Many problems can be fixed remotely. We never connect to your computer without your knowledge: a chat window appears on your screen when a technician connects, and every remote session is logged. If a technician asks you to start a session, follow the steps on our Remote Support page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click a question to expand it.
How do I follow up on a request I already sent?
Reply to the confirmation email you received for that request. Your reply is added to the same ticket, so the technician working on it sees everything in one place.
Can you help with my home Wi-Fi or personal phone?
Managed support covers the company equipment and accounts we manage for your employer. Home networks and personal devices usually aren't included. See What Your Managed IT Support Covers for the details.
Who will help me?
Every client has a dedicated technician who knows your company's setup, backed by the rest of our team. You won't have to explain your environment from scratch each time.