Dolphin's Product Support
What level of product support can I expect?
Dolphin offers three levels of product support:
Priority Support
Priority support is available to all Dolphin customers with a current software maintenance agreement (SMA) and includes:
- Priority telephone support (via a dedicated phone number exclusive for SMA owners).
- Priority email support.
- Escalation and timed responses.
- Remote access support.
- Access to web resources.
Customers with a current software maintenance agreement (SMA) are also entitled to discounts off training courses run by the Dolphin Training Academy and receive all major upgrades for the duration of your software maintenance agreement which is typically half the price of buying individual upgrades. Read the full list of Software Maintenance Agreement benefits.
Response Times
The severity of a Priority Support request is determined by the effect it has on your ability to use your Dolphin software. Our Support Team aim to respond to all support enquiries as quickly as possible, but will prioritise support requests based on their severity level and the amount of time the request has been outstanding.
Standard Support
Standard Support is available to all Dolphin customers with any of the 3 latest versions of their Dolphin software (see supported versions list), but who DO NOT own a current Software Maintenance Agreement (SMA). This support includes:
- Standard telephone support
- Standard email support
- Remote access support
- Access to web resources
Response Times
Our Support Team aim to respond to all support enquiries as quickly as possible, but will prioritise these requests based on their severity level and the amount of time the request has been outstanding.
Legacy Support
If your Dolphin software is three versions or more older than the currently available version, you will have access to:
- Lower Priority telephone support
- Lower Priority email support
- Access to web resources
Response Times
Our Support Team aim to respond to all support enquiries as quickly as possible, but will prioritise all other support request before legacy support requests.
How will my support enquiry be prioritised?
All Priority Support requests are prioritised above Standard and Legacy Support requests. All Standard Support requests are prioritised above Legacy Support requests.
For customers with priority support contracts Dolphin has escalated levels of support depending on the severity of the problem.
| Severity Level | Meaning | Target Response Times (during business hours) |
| Critical | Software inoperable/major impact on usage/user unable to complete their job | 0-8 hours |
| High | Significant impact on usage | 0-8 hours |
| Medium | Impacts usage, but simple workaround available | 24 hours |
| Low | No real impact on usage | 48 hours |
In the case of Critical and High priority enquiries, calls may be transferred between members of the Product Support team to ensure they are completed in the shortest possible time.
If I am having problems should I update to a later version?
Many support enquiries can be avoided or quickly resolved by updating or upgrading to the latest version release. To make this as easy as possible the latest versions of most of Dolphin products, along with the relevant release notes, are available for download from the website via the support downloads pages. Dolphin's sales department will be happy to work with any customer, who may not be fully sure whether this will resolve their issue.
How can I contact Dolphin Product Support?
Please refer to the Product Support page on our website for contact details.
When is Product Support available?
Product Support is available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Outside of these hours, Product Support resources are available from the Dolphin website. Alternatively customers may prefer to send an email to product support that will be logged for investigation during business hours.
Upon receipt of all product support emails, an automatic receipt response will be provided indicating that the Dolphin Support Team will aim to respond within 24 hours. If more urgent assistance is required it is advised to telephone for support.
Dolphin do not provide product support during weekends and British national holidays and this should be taken into account when awaiting a response.
What information will I need when I contact Dolphin Product Support?
To ensure the Product Support team can effectively prioritise and handle your enquiry, please have the following information to hand:
- Your Name & organisation details (if relevant)
- The name of your Dolphin software
- Your Dolphin software serial number
- A brief description of the problem you are experiencing
The following information is also helpful, but is not essential:
- Hardware specification (your computer)
- Operating system details (eg: which version of Windows)
- Network and server details
- Any files or data required to reproduce the problem
Will Dolphin's Product Support be able to resolve all my issues?
All members of Dolphin's Product Support team have undergone extensive training on Dolphin software and popular third party applications. In addition, many members of the support team use Dolphin’s software themselves at work and at home, giving them the experience and understanding to offer support and advice first hand.
First Line Support are able to provide assistance to 90% of all support enquiries. Some more complex queries are escalated and support provided by Second Line Support.
All members of the Support Team have direct access to consult with Dolphin's onsite Software Developers and Engineers.
All communication with the Product Support team is logged so that progress can be tracked and issues can be followed up by other members of the team. This information also provides Dolphin with a history of any issues which we can use to make improvements to the product and advise other users when issues recur.
Dolphin is keen to offer the best possible service to our customers by providing the highest level of product support for Dolphin software. Unfortunately however, Dolphin's Product Support teams are unable to offer support or advice on using 3rd party software such as Microsoft Office products, photo editing software, amongst others. Dolphin offers a network of Dolphin Accredited trainers that would be happy to offer training for these 3rd party applications.
What product support resources are available online?
Dolphin's Product Support Team also develop a host of resources designed to support you in your use of your Dolphin software. These resources are available to all Dolphin customers and can be found via on the Support pages of the Dolphin website at: www.YourDolphin.com/Support. These resources include:
Knowledge Base
Search Dolphin's extensive Knowledge Base to find solutions to the issues you might be experiencing. Articles can be read online or download as a Word document.
Videos
Dolphin's extensive video library offers over 100 videos designed to help you get the most from your Dolphin software.
Product Updates & downloads
Many product support requests can be quickly resolved by updating to the latest version of your Dolphin software. Ensure you have the newest version by checking for updates in your Dolphin software, or by visiting the support downloads pages of the Dolphin website. A complete list of what’s new in each update is also available from the product pages of the Dolphin website.
Manuals & User Guides
Download manuals, user guides and hotkey information for your Dolphin product from the support pages of the Dolphin website at: www.YourDolphin.com/Support
Discussion Forums
A number of discussion forums are available for Dolphin software where Dolphin software users share tips, advice and questions.
Alternative Formats
All of Dolphin's information is available in alternative formats including large print, Braille, Daisy talking book and as MP3. Download your preferred format from www.YourDolphin.com.
