Support: CAST Aurora software

CAST Annual Support Suite

It is designed to ensure that companies using our product solutions obtain maximum benefit and productivity from their investment.

Kevin Smith, Project Manager of GIST Ltd. commented:

"The support is excellent, there is always someone available to help. Also, Barloworld Supply Chain Software maintains contact with us through regular information and the annual User Forum. They haven't just sold the software and walked away."

Support Programme

The full list of benefits for customers joining or renewing support is as follows:

• New releases of CAST
• Service packs/upgrades
• Telephone support
• On-site support (where found to be necessary to resolve a problem)
• GOLD service (eSupport, eLicensing, eData, eBulletin, etc.)

Discounts available:

• Preferential rates for training, mentoring and consultancy
• Discounts for additional CAST licences

Other benefits:

• Attendance at the annual User Forum
• Access to monthly webinars
• Reduced daily rate against dedicated training / mentoring / consultancy
• Free mentoring day for every 10 days mentoring purchased

N.B. Where on-site training/mentoring/consultancy is provided, Barloworld Supply Chain Software reserves the right to charge for expenses incurred.

Mentoring

Mentoring is particularly useful when a new CAST user undertakes his/her first project following initial training as it enables them to get the benefit of on-the-job skills transfer from an experienced Barloworld Supply Chain Software consultant.

Typically the mentoring happens at key stages during a supply chain network planning project. It may involve one or two days at each stage of the project - project formulation, data gathering, base case modelling, scenario modelling and reporting phases, for example. However, it is not the place of the consultant to undertake all the work during these stages. Advice, skills transfer and the advantage of many years modelling practice are the key benefits in this process. In the long run, good advice often saves time and effort that may have been misspent due to inexperience.

After an initial project or two with a number of mentoring days spread throughout, it should not be necessary to take mentoring for subsequent projects. Some clients call upon Barloworld Supply Chain Software to mentor a project when they find themselves working in an industry sector or part of the world where they have little or no knowledge. Often a Barloworld Supply Chain Software consultant can bring their expertise to the project given the diverse range of experience in-house.

Remote Mentoring

Barloworld Supply Chain Software has provided mentoring services for over a decade - generally this has involved a consultant working on-site with a client to support supply chain network modelling at key stages during a project. Although this has worked well, it has been necessary for our consultant to travel to work with the customer at each stage of the project incurring travelling time and expenses.

Remote mentoring offers assistance with a live project without the need for a Barloworld Supply Chain Software consultant to travel to the user. It is used in small amounts, probably 1 - 4 hours at a time. Most of the interaction is carried out by telephone although email and other communication technologies may be utilised, as appropriate.

In the early stages of a project advice is often useful when specifying the data that needs to be collected. There is also much to be gained by looking in detail at the construction of the model and help is useful when interpreting the results. An hour or two of assistance at the outset could save hours - or even days - of wasted effort.

Remote mentoring is available on an hourly basis whereas on-site mentoring can only be bought in whole days.

Barloworld Supply Chain Software offers a Remote Mentoring Pack (RMP) providing up to 20 hours mentoring. Please contact your local Barloworld Supply Chain Software office for details.

GOLD Service

GOLD (global on-line delivery) Service is a suite of Internet-based services for CAST users in the CAST Support Suite. Access is controlled by a username/password combination and it is possible to set up a hierarchy for reporting within a company.

GOLD Service facilitates a number of operational functions and in addition to the existing services, Barloworld Supply Chain Software has implemented some extra features:

• eLicensing - software licensing system
• eSupport - support management system
• eMentoring - a booking facility for Remote Mentoring
• eData - facility to send/receive data or CAST projects to/from anyone in Barloworld Supply Chain Software

eLicensing

eLicensing is an innovative technology enabling software licences to be claimed and relinquished via Barloworld Supply Chain Software's secure Internet service.

Features of eLicensing include:

• Flexibility - With no physical licence key, users across different countries, continents and globally can share CAST licences without the need to ship a dongle back and forth. Users are able to claim and relinquish licences from within CAST, via GOLD Service or by telephoning the Barloworld Supply Chain Software office.
• Increased Productivity - This technology allows any user to claim or relinquish a licence from their company's licence pool at any time, anywhere in the world. This can facilitate around the clock usage (24/7) of licences (across different time zones), increasing productivity from investing in CAST.
• Traceability - For companies with multiple licences, eLicensing allows management to view the current, real-time availability and utilisation of licences.
• Protection - A client's investment in the CAST software is protected by securing the software against improper or illegal usage.
• Through eLicensing customers are able to maximise on the investment they have made in our software and Barloworld Supply Chain Software benefits from automated management of software licences and reduced administration. In addition we are now in a position to be even more responsive to users' requirements.

eSupport

eSupport enables users to enter support requests onto a dedicated, secure website.

Notification is secured by a support tag that uniquely identifies the support enquiry. This automatically notifies Barloworld Supply Chain Software of the user's request. At the same time, the client is advised that Barloworld Supply Chain Software has received and is handling their query.

Clients without Internet access can still call Barloworld Supply Chain Software and their support request is then logged. This process builds a valuable knowledge base of support logged per company which can be accessed at a later date by both Barloworld Supply Chain Software and the user.

eSupport provides many benefits for users in the speed, quality and tracking of support calls within a secure environment.

Barloworld SCS User Forums

Barloworld Supply Chain Software is committed to maintaining close contact with its global user base. We acknowledge that by communicating regularly with our users, we get to learn quickly of any problems they are experiencing and can act swiftly to resolve these issues. We also value input from our users on future functionality of our software and on new products & services believing that satisfied users will continue to use Barloworld Supply Chain Software and recommend us to their contacts in years to come.

The User Forum gives a formal structure for Barloworld Supply Chain Software to meet with our users and for those users to meet with each other. Of course, there are also informal occasions throughout the year for such meetings to take place.

In addition, the User Forum provides an opportunity for users to benefit from additional training, discuss common issues and review the future direction of our global supply chain modelling.

The meeting is free to users who participate in the annual CAST Support Suite. Other users, and prospective users, are welcome to attend on payment of a registration fee.