Service Level Agreement

Bitrix24 Self-Hosted Service Level Agreement (SLA)

1. General Regulations

1.1. Bitrix, Inc. provides support services to the company's partners, customers and non-commercial users of Bitrix products.
The Bitrix technical support service helps to settle problems outlined in this document according to the established Service Level Agreement.

1.2. Before you address your question to the technical support service, you should study all the reference information available about your problem in the documentation, manuals, FAQ and search the forum. If your problem is similar to one that you encounter in the documentation or in the forum discussion but still requires consultation, a reference to the original document or discussion must be included in the support request.

1.3. Questions that are beyond the scope of technical support should be directed to the specialists of hosting companies, third-party software developers, etc. The technical support service cannot resolve problems that concern the maintenance of a web project created by Bitrix partners for an end user unless these problems are in some way related to errors in Bitrix products.

1.4. Bitrix, Inc. does not provide web design, development or hosting services. We provide only general consultation for problems concerning hosting server configuration and server software installation by giving references to the Internet resources and the related documentation.

2. Service Level Agreement Levels

2.1. Technical support requests are classified in several service levels (SLA- Service Level Agreement). The service levels differ in response time and other parameters and depend on a client category and/or a problem category.

2.2. Technical support requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Maximum response time corresponds to the defined service (SLA) levels. High urgency level requests that require immediate response or direct help of tech support specialists may be processed out of turn. High-urgency requests are those concerning the full or partial recovery of web projects.
The problem-solving period depends on the request urgency level, problem complexity and the potential need to hand the request over to the development department.

2.3. Problems that cannot be resolved in the context of the current software version are sent to the Bitrix development department, which means that the fix will be included in the subsequent update. The planned term of the software update release is defined during the problem diagnostics respecting the general software development plan.

2.4. The technical support service cannot guarantee the fixed problem-solving period because there are a number of influencing factors: client's timely replies; response time of a hosting company; the need to prepare and release a software update, etc.
The response period depends on the current technical support service workload and can take less time than stated in the regulations. Sometimes, a problem can be solved immediately upon the receipt of a request or additional information from a client or user. The response of technical support specialists to additional information can take more time but never exceeds the maximum response time defined for a given support level. In this or a similar situation, making a phone call to the sales department or creating posts in the forum has no practical consequence because it will not accelerate the problem-solving process.
The maximum response times are defined in 2.5, below.

2.5. Response Time. Technical support tickets are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

2.5.1. Bitrix24 Self-Hosted Version used by Bitrix Partners and/or Commercial Clients

• General software operation problems.
• Bitrix API development questions including assistance with functions or methods that have not been included in the standard Bitrix documentation, or any other functions or methods that behave differently in a specific environments.
• General questions about server-side software installation and configuration.

The maximum response time is 24 hours on business days.

2.5.2. Bitrix24 Cloud Version used by Bitrix Partners and/or Commercial Clients

• General software operation problems.
• Bitrix API development questions including assistance with functions or methods that have not been included in the standard Bitrix documentation, or any other functions or methods that behave differently in a specific environments.
• General questions about server-side software installation and configuration.

The maximum response time is 16 hours on business days.

2.5.3. Bitrix24 Cloud and Self-Hosted Versions: Non-Commercial Client Support

This support level is assigned to users of the demo version and for non-commercial clients (owners of non-commercial and not-for-resale / NFR versions, as well as Bitrix24 Cloud accounts with no active commercial subscription). The scope of support covers general usage questions; no assistance on web development can be provided.
The maximum response time is 48 hours on business days for the Self-hosted Version, and 32 hours on business days for the Cloud Version.

2.5.4. Non-Product Related Questions

This support level is assigned to a ticket if the problem is beyond the scope of standard technical support requiring introduction to common programming principles or explanation of general questions about the creation and maintenance of Bitrix powered web solutions.
Any ticket that is assigned any support level can be moved to this level by the support specialists if a given question cannot be classified into any other levels.
The maximum response time is 72 hours on business days.

2.5.5. Development

This support level is assigned to a ticket passed on to the development department.
The maximum response time is 14 days.

2.6. Table: SLA Levels

*Bitrix HelpDesk normally operates between 9:00AM and 6:00PM CET on a business day. A business day is considered every official working day of the week, that is excluding public holidays and weekends.

3. Scope of technical support issues

3.1. Installation And Configuration

The following problems are within the technical support scope:

• Server-side installation assistance for both demo and commercial versions. The consultancy coverage is limited to a product installation guide.
• Recommendations on resolving typical problems occurring during the installation.
• General consultation on choosing proper server software. Users can also find these recommendations given in the respective documentation sections.
• General recommendations on using the back-up software and scripts for the server-side project deployment; migrating from a local to a remote server.

The following problems are beyond the technical support scope.

• Server-side software installations.
• Preparation or moving of back-up files to server.
• Diagnostics of software installed on a client's server or local computer.
• Installation of server software on a client's server or local computer.

3.2. Enhancement of product performance

The following topics are within the technical support scope:

• General recommendations on choosing proper server software to enhance the web project performance.
• Recommendations on configuration parameters for a given software product, as provided in the "Recommendations on Configuring Web Systems" downloadable manual.
• Assistance using the built-in caching mechanisms and other features, allowing reduced site load.

The following topics are beyond the technical support scope:

• Configuration of software on the client's computer or server.
• Diagnostics or stress tests on the client's server.
• Optimization of the code or algorithms of any components or modules on demand.

3.3. Product Updates & Maintenance

The following topics are within the scope of technical support:

• Investigation and elimination of license key problems occurring during software update.
• Detection and elimination of problems that might be caused by an incorrect product update installation process.

The following topics are beyond the technical support scope:

• Assistance with server connection problems or proxy connection configuration.
• Configuration of the client's server or server software for compatibility with an updated system.

3.4. Bitrix Products Errors

The following topics are within the technical support scope:

• Bitrix product runtime and operation errors; operation failure and system recovery. Assistance with system failure trouble-shooting and correction.
• Bitrix software errors. Diagnostics aimed to determine the reason of software error. The identified error, if any, can be eliminated either through diagnostics or in the forthcoming updates, depending on the nature of the error.

The following problems are beyond the technical support scope:

• Software installation error detection and elimination. (Only general installation recommendations can be provided)
• Database errors. (Only general instructions or recommendations can be provided).
• Server configuration or a product update installation directly to the client's web server. (Only general instructions or recommendations can be provided).
• Server software error detection and/or elimination.

3.5. Development Questions

The following problems are within the technical support scope.

• Explanation of general principles of integration of Bitrix products in website design using the integration manual or other software documentation.
• Bitrix API usage consultation.

The following problems are beyond the technical support scope:

• Consultation on general principles of programming.
• Implementation of custom, user defined logical operations and algorithms.
• Diagnosis of any 3rd party software code or any of its components.
• Development of custom components or scripts, software modules, or website scripts.
• Modification of code of the existing system modules or components to adapt them for specific business tasks (unless such modifications are in some way connected with essential bug fixes).
• Development of custom payment system integration scripts (however, this kind of product customization can be perfomed by Bitrix Partners for additional charges).

3.6. Miscellaneous Questions

The following problems are within the scope of technical support.

• Explanation of functions of the system modules not included in the documentation.
• Software licensing policy explanation.
• Multisite system configuration assistance.
• Bitrix built-in system security enhancement questions.
• Requests for development of new product features or product improvement requests.
• Requests for additional product documentation.

4. Technical Support Procedure

4.1. The technical support procedure is initiated by a technical support request posted in a technical support ticket. A technical support ticket can be submitted by a Bitrix partner, commercial or non-commercial client in a number of ways:

• by submitting a support ticket on the Bitrix, Inc. official websites;
• by sending an email message to Bitrix Technical Support Department at support@bitrix24.com
• by utilizing the built-in web forms available inside the commercial and non-commercial versions of Bitrix products.

After a request (a technical support ticket) is submitted, it will be processed by the Bitrix HelpDesk and Bitrix Technical Support Department staff.

4.2. Each technical support ticket should include the following information in order to reduce the resolution time.

• The problem description and the step-by-step procedure to reproduce the error (if possible).
• The URL of a site where the problem occurs.
• The software version number and the edition name.
• The technical support specialists may inquire about information concerning the server software configuration and versions, and the configuration of a client's software (browser).

All problems should be described using commonly accepted web programming, software or hardware terminology.

4.3. If a certain action is required to be performed on the client's web server to resolve the problem, the support specialist may require the Bitrix product license key and the web server authorization information for administration access.
Note that additional information like FTP, SSH or the hosting server Control Panel login and password may be also requested in some cases, for example, when additional measures have to be taken in order to recover the project operation or to diagnose update problems.
The authorization details (login and password) submitted to Bitrix technical support team should be changed immediately after the problem is resolved. The technical support staff cannot and will not be responsible for the client's web project, personal data, or hardware and software performance after the problem is resolved and/or when the corresponding technical support ticket is closed.

4.4. Each time a client submits a technical support ticket or sends a message that is further accepted and regarded by the Bitrix technical support staff as a technical support ticket, the system automatically generates and sends a notification stating that the issue will be taken care of according to the service level assigned.

4.5. After the Bitrix technical support staff has received a ticket, the client receives a notification, which includes the technical support ticket information with a unique ticket identifier (TID). If technical support is done via email, clients have to preserve the TID in the e-mail message subject field during the whole period of correspondence with the Bitrix technical support staff. The forthcoming messages are appended to the initial message automatically. Clients can view the full correspondence in the technical support section at the Bitrix website.

4.6. Technical support cannot be offered using other communication tools or communication channels (e.g. phone, ICQ, forum, GoogleTalk, Skype). Questions asked via these channels are not treated as official requests and not registered by the Bitrix HelpDesk system. These communications facilities are for sales-related questions, general contacts and consultation.

4.7. When creating a ticket or sending a support request via e-mail, you can include screenshots and other images that can help to identify and resolve the problem. Screenshots are to be created in PNG, GIF, JPG formats (graphics in BMP format must be compressed using a RAR or a ZIP archive software).

4.8. When a client sends messages from their website's Control Panel, the client can include the configuration information of the web server they use (phpinfo). This information will be included in the message if the corresponding checkbox is enabled.

4.9. If a request is sent via the e-mail, it must contain the correct registered user information: the e-mail address, the Bitrix site login, etc. The specified information is used to uniquely identify a user to assign them the appropriate service level. Clients should understand that a commercial SLA level will be assigned only to a request that is sent from an e-mail address specified in the license, or the one belonging to a Bitrix commercial user group.

4.10. Answers to the common, frequently asked questions can be given in the form of web links to corresponding pages of the online documentation, documentation download page, Bitrix forum topics, or the FAQ section answers. The Bitrix technical support staff can also provide links to help topics published on other web resources, as well.

4.11. There are a number of circumstances that can delay or even abort the problem solving process.

• Lack of information required to resolve the problem.
• A problem cannot be reproduced using a similar hardware configuration, or a client's website cannot be accessed using the authorization information provided in the technical support ticket.
• The problem requires custom improvements of Bitrix products that are currently being developed or not planned to be included into a later product release at all.
• Improper use of Bitrix products, including product kernel modification, exceeding of the allowed number of software installations, or general violation of terms and conditions of Bitrix EULA (end User License Agreement) and/or Bitrix SLA (Service Level Agreement).
• Use of unlicensed copies of Bitrix products.
• The question is beyond the Bitrix technical support service scope.
• Incorrect, incomplete or misleading information given by the client

4.12. Third-party mail services and spam filters may be a serious obstacle to initiate a consulting process. The problem is treated as accepted only if a client has received a confirmation message containing a unique number (a ticket ID, TID). This means that the message has been checked by the anti-spam system successfully and registered in the support system. If a message fails to be delivered, clients should create a ticket at the Bitrix site and communicate via the technical support service interface.

4.13 The progress of problem solving can be monitored on the Bitrix, Inc. offcical websites. You should be logged in to view your technical support ticket progress on your Personal Account page. You can search for a particular technical support ticket using the TID in the search form.

5. The Technical Support Quality Rating

Bitrix, Inc. places high emphasis on the technical support service quality and provides the highest possible support service for all categories of users. After resolving a problem, we kindly ask you to estimate the service quality by voting in the ticket form.

If you suppose that a ticket has been prematurely closed, you can re-open the ticket and define your question more exactly. You can send a message to the technical support service supervisor (support@bitrix24.com) or to your account manager asking for commentary on the ticket or to accelerate the resolution of urgent questions.

6. Additional information

Additional information on the general schedule; changes in the schedule; the holiday schedule; technical and emergency breaks is published on the Bitrix official website: http://www.bitrix24.com