BruceBEM Support Policy

Effective Date: 18-May-2023

Overview

These BruceBEM Software as a Service (“SaaS”) Support Policy apply to the following SaaS offerings:  BruceBEM, BruceSP, BruceTenants, BruceOwners, BruceWorks, BruceCosts, BruceAssets, BruceContracts. BruceWorkplace (MySpot), BruceMeClient (mobile first), BruceMyPro (mobile first).

These SaaS Support Policies apply to the support provided by Bruce Platform OU as part of the SaaS offering acquired by you under your ordering document. SaaS support is subject to the terms and conditions of the ordering document, including the Bruce Platform Software as a Service Agreement.  The SaaS services policies referenced in your ordering document may further describe the support provided by Bruce Platform OU specific to the SaaS offering acquired by you under your order.

SaaS support does not include services for any Bruce Platform OU service offering or program that is not expressly provided by Bruce Platform OU as part of the SaaS offering under your ordering document.  You may not obtain support for the SaaS offering via any other Bruce Platform support service offering.  

As used in these SaaS Support Policies, “you” and “your” refers to the individual or entity that has ordered SaaS from Bruce Platform OU or an authorized distributor, as applicable. 

Bruce Platform OU will provide SaaS support in accordance with Bruce’s privacy policy available at https://brucebem.com/privacy-policy/.

These SaaS Support Policies are subject to change at Bruce’s discretion; however, Bruce Platform OU policy changes will not result in a material reduction in the level of SaaS support provided during the period for which fees for the applicable SaaS offering have been paid.

Parties involved in Software as a Service Support

End User – is the individual or the organization (multiple users under same corporate organization), that is using any of the BRUCE Products.

Software Developer – BRUCE PLATFORM OU

Software Deliverer – BRUCE PLATFORM OU delivers BRUCE Products globally, as Software as a Service from its managed global data-centers accessible as Cloud based (hosted) software.

Software Implementer – depending on your requirements, organization dimensions and local resources availability in your region or country. BRUCE Products can be self-implemented by the End User or by a Certified BRUCE Platform Reseller. BRUCE Platform Reseller will charge additional fees for its won support and implementation services.

SUPPORT TERMS

SaaS Fees

The fees paid by you for the SaaS offering under your ordering document include the SaaS support described in these SaaS Support Policies.  You will not be separately invoiced for support provided as part of the SaaS offering.

Support Period

SaaS support is effective upon the effective date specified in your ordering document and ends upon the expiration or termination of the SaaS offering under such ordering document (the “support period”).  Bruce Platform OU is not obligated to provide SaaS support beyond the end of the support period. 

Technical Contacts with the Software Implementer (can it be you or the BRUCE Platform Reseller in charge of your Bruce Product implementation)

Your technical contacts are the sole liaisons between you and Bruce Platform OU for support of the SaaS programs.   Your technical contacts must have, at a minimum, initial basic product training and, as needed, supplemental training appropriate for specific role or implementation phase, specialized product usage, and/or migration.  Your technical contacts must be knowledgeable about the SaaS programs and your Bruce Platform environment in order to help resolve system issues and to assist Bruce in analyzing and resolving service requests.  When submitting a service request, your technical contact should have a baseline understanding of the problem you are encountering and an ability to reproduce the problem to assist Bruce Platform OU in diagnosing and triaging the problem.  To avoid interruptions in support services, you must notify Bruce Platform whenever technical contact responsibilities are transferred to another individual.

Bruce Platform OU may review service requests logged by your technical contacts and may recommend specific training to help avoid service requests that would be prevented by such training.

SaaS Program Updates

“Update” means a subsequent release of the SaaS program which BRUCE PLATFORM OU generally makes available for its SaaS customers at no additional fee. Updates for SaaS programs do not include any release, option, service, or program that BRUCE PLATFORM OU licenses separately. As part of support for SaaS, BRUCE will provide updates to SaaS programs during the support period when available (as determined by BRUCE PLATFORM OU). BRUCE is under no obligation to develop any future services, programs or functionality. If an update for a SaaS program is made available to you pursuant to these SaaS Support Policies, it shall replace the previous version of such SaaS program.

First and Second Line Support

You are required to establish and maintain the organization and processes to provide “First Line Support” for the SaaS program directly to your users. First Line Support shall include but not be limited to (i) a direct response to users with respect to inquiries concerning the performance, functionality, or operation of the SaaS program, (ii) a direct response to users with respect to problems or issues with the SaaS program, (iii) a diagnosis of problems or issues of the SaaS program, and (iv) a resolution of problems or issues with the SaaS program.

If after reasonable commercial efforts you are unable to diagnose or resolve problems or issues of the SaaS program, you may contact BRUCE PLATFORM if you are the Software Implementer for “Second Line Support.”

Second Line Support shall consist of (i) a diagnosis of problems or issues with the SaaS program, and (ii) reasonable commercial efforts to resolve reported and verifiable errors in the SaaS program so that the SaaS program performs in all material respects as described in the associated program documentation.

BRUCE PLATFORM may review service requests logged by your technical contacts, and may recommend specific organization and process changes to assist you with the practices described in these SaaS Support Policies.

BRUCE PLATFORM SaaS SUPPORT

BRUCE PLATFORM SaaS support consists of:

• The Second Line Support described above

• Program updates, fixes, security alerts, and critical patch updates

• General maintenance releases, selected functionality releases, and documentation updates

• Assistance with service requests 24 hours per day, 7 days a week

• Access to BRUCE Helpdesk support (24 x 7 web-based customer support system), including the ability to log service requests online

• Non-technical customer service during normal business hours

CUSTOMER SUPPORT SYSTEMS

BRUCE Helpdesk is BRUCE PLATFORM’s customer support web site for SaaS support. Access to BRUCE Helpdesk is governed by the Terms of Use posted on the BruceBEM or Bruce Platform web sites, which are subject to change. A copy of these terms is available upon request. Access to BRUCE Helpdesk is limited to your designated technical contacts. Access to BRUCE Helpdesk is included as part of the BRUCE PLATFORM SaaS offering acquired by you under your ordering document.

SECURITY PRACTICES FOR SaaS SUPPORT

BRUCE PLATFORM OU is deeply committed to the security of SaaS support. In providing SaaS support, BRUCE will adhere to the BRUCE SaaS Security Practices referenced in the SaaS services policies under your ordering document.

SEVERITY DEFINITIONS

Service requests for SaaS programs may be submitted by you online through BRUCE’s web-based customer support systems, like BRUCE Helpdesk, or by email, or by telephone. The service request severity level is selected by you and Oracle and should be based on the following severity definitions:

Severity 1

Your production use of the SaaS program is stopped or so severely impacted that you cannot reasonably continue work. You experience a complete loss of service. The operation is mission critical to the business and the situation is an emergency. A Severity 1 service request has one or more of the following characteristics:

  • Data corrupted.
  • A critical documented function is not available.
  • System hangs indefinitely, causing unacceptable or indefinite delays for resources or response.
  • System crashes, and crashes repeatedly after restart attempts

BRUCE PLATFORM OU will use reasonable efforts to respond to Severity 1 service requests within one (1) hour. BRUCE will work 24×7 until the Severity 1 service request is resolved or as long as useful progress can be made. You must provide BRUCE PLATFORM with a contact during this 24×7 period, either on site or by pager, to assist with data gathering, testing, and applying fixes. You are requested to propose this severity classification with great care, so that valid Severity 1 situations obtain the necessary resource allocation from BRUCE PLATFORM OU.

Severity 2

You experience a severe loss of service. Important features of the SaaS program are unavailable with no acceptable workaround; however, operations can continue in a restricted fashion.

Severity 3

You experience a minor loss of service. The impact is an inconvenience, which may require a workaround to restore functionality.

Severity 4

You request information, an enhancement, or documentation clarification regarding the SaaS program, but there is no impact on the operation of such program. You experience no loss of service. The result does not impede the operation of a system.

SERVICE REQUEST SEVERITY LEVEL

Initial Severity Level – At the time BRUCE PLATFORM OU accepts a service request, BRUCE will record an initial severity level of the service request based on the Severity definitions defined above. BRUCE’s initial focus, upon acceptance of a service request, will be to resolve the issues underlying the service request. The severity level of a service request may be adjusted as described below.

Downgrades Of Severity Levels – If, during the service request process, the issue no longer warrants the severity level currently assigned based on its current impact on the production operation of the SaaS program, then the severity level will be downgraded to the severity level that most appropriately reflects its current impact.

Upgrade of Severity Levels – If, during the service request process, the issue warrants the assignment of a higher severity level than that currently assigned based on the current impact on the production operation of the SaaS program, then the severity level will be upgraded to the severity level that most appropriately reflects its current impact. In requesting any assignment of a higher severity level, you must provide BRUCE PLATFORM OU with sufficient information that demonstrates the increased impact of the issue on the production operation of the service.

Adherence to Severity Level Definitions – You shall ensure that the assignment and adjustment of any severity level designation is accurate based on the current impact on the production operation of the SaaS program. You acknowledge that BRUCE PLATFORM OU is not responsible for any failure to meet performance standards caused by your misuse or misassignment of severity level designations.

SERVICE REQUEST ESCALATION

If you believe in good faith that you have not received quality or timely assistance in response to a SaaS service request or that you urgently need to communicate important support related business issues to BRUCE PLATFORM OU management, your technical contact may escalate the service request by contacting BRUCE and requesting that the service request be escalated. The escalation process should not be used if you wish to change the reported business impact of the issue and as otherwise indicated in BRUCE Helpdesk (Support).

For service requests that are escalated, the BRUCE support analyst will engage the BRUCE PLATFORM OU service request escalation manager who will be responsible for managing your escalation. The BRUCE service request escalation manager will work with you to develop an action plan and allocate the appropriate BRUCE PLATF|ROM OU resources. If the issue underlying the service request continues to remain unresolved, you may contact the BRUCE service request escalation manager to review the service request and request that it be escalated to the next level within BRUCE PLATFORM OU as required. To facilitate the resolution of an escalated service request, you are required to provide contacts within your organization that are at the same level as that within BRUCE PLATFORM OU to which the service request has been escalated.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Phone numbers and contact information can be found on BRUCE Products’ ‘Help’ menu.