The Escape User and System Support Model at YCOE is based on a tiered approach, placing incremental responsibility for support and problem resolution at levels closest to the user. A graphic depicting the current support tier structure is presented HERE .
Each organization has a Lead Contact responsible for all activity and support at the organizational level. This doesn't mean they alone perform those functions, only that they are involved and engaged with the entire support effort at their organization.
At the Yuba COE level there are functional area leads responsible for specific software modules and functional areas.
This mid-level tier at Yuba COE will also evaluate and identify training levels during routine operations and as special situations arise.
Escape Technology develops and presents training in a wide range of areas for general review and use by staff. Available Escape Technology webinars, guides, and tutorials should be evaluated and recommended to staff based on reported issues and trends.
The primary contact point for Escape Online support within the Yuba COE Support System is the Fiscal Support email (see Procedures below). This mailbox is monitored by the Yuba COE functional leads and other support staff at Yuba COE. This centralized activity allows broader involvement and analysis of issues and trends affecting our use of the entire Escape Online system.
A key tenet of superior support is properly and effectively training end users. Again, the managers and supervisors at each organization are responsible for engaging their staff for necessary training before they begin performing financial tasks on the system and also monitoring for needed additional training based on changing needs and constraints identified during normal operations.
The Escape user encountering a problem or needing a system related change (activity access, etc.) should contact their site Lead Contact. The site Lead Contact has an important role in the problem resolution process. They insure relevant details are collected and if possible, the problem is recreated and verified for initial review and troubleshooting by the Lead Contact. This ensures the problem actually occurs when approved methods are used and reduces false reporting. It also provides an opportunity for both the user and the Lead Contact to validate and share procedural knowledge.
The issue should be written up in sufficient detail to allow analysis and troubleshooting or proper application of system settings without a large number of secondary questions to the reporting user. See the online guide, Troubleshooting - Getting Help for typical information. It is important to clearly describe the issue and the actions leading up to the issue.
The Yuba COE level support system is contacted via email addressed to Fiscal.Support@yubacoe.k12.ca.us. No other staff at Yuba COE should be addressed as this mailbox is monitored by functional contacts. It is preferred that the site Lead Contact is the sender with the person reporting the issue copied on the original email reporting the issue. Other site staff may be included. Additional questions or testing will be directed to the person who discovered the issue. Final solution will be provided to the person reporting issue and site Lead Contact. Details of issue and resolution will be logged by Yuba COE support.
If you have difficulty using the above email tool,Functional Area leads at Yuba COE have access to the Fiscal.Support mailbox. They monitor and self-assign any reported issues relating to their functional area. Any unassigned issues are reviewed and assigned by the Yuba COE Support Manager.
Priorities will be assigned and expected responses will be provided to site Lead Contact and users reporting issues as soon as possible. Significant adjustments to responses will also be reported to sites.
Communications between sites, Yuba COE, and Escape support should be maintained in the Fiscal.Support mailbox. Subject lines should have a consistent structure to simplify organization and grouping.
Example Email Subject: Escape - 10 - Support Request - Pay91 report is not accurate
Information provided by users with reported issues should be consistently formatted and arranged for clarity and accuracy before being sent to Escape Support by Yuba COE Support Leads. Identify activities, user ids, locations, orgs and priorities in a consistent manner. Additional contact with reporting site and user may be required to clarify the problem before contact with Escape.
Break information into related groups and paragraphs when describing more than one issue or problem instead of long streams of words with many issues mixed together. If there is a major issue and some minor issues, make that clear by organization and explicitly.
As all issues will be tracked at the YCOE level and only some will be forwarded to Escape for assistance, the level of documentation, updating and tracking must be adequate in both cases to assist in achieving system management and future support opportunities.