HELPMATE Customer Care.... 

HELPMATE Customer Care provided by PMC Software completes the total solution package!   Customers can operate our software products with confidence, knowing that comprehensive support services are simply a phone call away.

Our Support Group is one of the most competent in the industry with an average of over 10 years experience – with some staff having over 25 years experience in the glass industry!. Our support personnel also provide installation services so they’re familiar with plant and production operations and know what it’s like from your perspective. We know the pressure of getting a line back up and running as fast as possible and react accordingly. Even though we’re a software company, we’re often called when hardware issues arise and can direct your staff to the appropriate hardware manufacturer’s people and work in sync to solve the problem.

We use the latest in support and remote access technology to assist in upgrades, installations, and training. PMC has added WebEx remote conferencing and support to our arsenal of tools to better help our customers. WebEx can be used in areas where VPN or PcAnywhere access is unavailable. In addition, WebEx can provide support, demos or training to groups of people simultaneously at diverse locations. These webcasts offer the same information, at the same time, to all appropriate glass personnel in a family of companies.

Telephone Support

As a PMC Software customer, you may need to contact us for support when a particular function is not working as expected, or you may need to make changes to the way you had been doing a process in the past.  You may also want to ask us to make changes to your software package (to add functionality or a new enhancement).

During normal business hours (8:30 AM through 5:00 PM ET), PMC Software technicians are available to support you. This support is for software licensed from PMC Software and may consist of answering a question for you, helping to resolve a software issue or aiding with parameter changes.  If you subscribe to PMC’s Platinum Plan, a limited number of support calls to our experience technicians are available outside of normal business hours via cell phone. Because after-hours support is limited to telephone support only (no modem availability), it is limited to critical (plant down) situations and other emergency situations where recovery or instructions aid the plant until normal business hours when both the plant and PMC have access to their full staffs.

Hardware Support

Often when customers come to PMC Software for a manufacturing solution, the package includes hardware items (workstations, monitors, printers, etc.). PMC Software Installation Technicians install combinations of hardware and software during many implementations. Each hardware component includes the original manufacturer’s warranty. The most efficient way to handle warranty claims is by contacting the manufacturer for instructions.

PMC Software Customer Care technicians will attempt to assist you in determining whether there is a hardware-related problem when you call for support and if so, direct you to the appropriate manufacturer’s support location or your local hardware/network support group.  This service is offered as a means to help you get your system back up and running, but is not intended to be comprehensive support.  Support beyond that covered by the manufacturer’s warranty is not covered under any HELPMATE plan.

Software Upgrades

From time to time, software changes are made to any system.  These changes can be a universal enhancement to the functionality of the particular module, or to resolve a specific issue that has been reported.

It is always in the user’s best interest to stay current with any changes made to a software package. Refer to the private “Customer Login” section of this website for posted enhancements to determine when you would like to schedule your next upgrade.  Platinum Plan customers are entitled to request up to four upgrades per year, while Gold Plan customers may request one upgrade per year.

PMC Software should also be notified in advance whenever you are planning to install non-PMC upgrades to your hardware, networking, or retail software (such as network operating systems, Pervasive SQL, etc.). As this may have an impact on your PMC production software, it is always prudent to discuss your upgrade project details with a PMC Software technician in the early planning stages. Any support for non-PMC products is limited to HELPMATE subscribers and will incur an hourly fee. PMC Software makes no representations or guarantees regarding non-PMC products and services.

New Products and Add-On Software

Software is always changing. Fabricators have new and differing requirements for their machine interfaces on a regular basis. As a major software designer in the window and flat-glass industry, PMC Software is constantly offering new and innovative products!

Add-on’s may be in the form of an improvement to material yields; or increased functionality, such as an additional report or menu function. We are able to interface with more machinery control equipment types than ever before!

As a PMC Software HELPMATE customer, you reap the benefits from our 27-plus years experience in the window and flat glass industry, as well as the knowledge we’ve gained during that time as the world’s largest software supplier in this specialized market.  As a subscriber, you will be entitled to discounts on New products as well as Add-on modules to existing licensed products.

Software Audit Service

As you run a production package for a period of time, some housekeeping functions tend to get neglected. Sooner or later, these functions must be completed to assure optimal operations of your software. In an effort to help prevent these items from becoming a problem, PMC Software offers a Software Audit Service.  While connected to your system, PMC Software technicians can determine potential problems due to excessively large data files. The technician will advise you of a potential problem and offer to take steps to reduce the file sizes, as appropriate. By maintaining trim and lean file sizes, your system will operate with better speed and efficiency!

Software Backup Service

Catastrophic disasters happen! Without a recent backup of your program and parameter setting files you will not be able to continue working if a disaster occurs.

At PMC Software, we recognize that there is a need to be assured that each customer has, at the very least, a minimal system backup to give them a starting point for disaster recovery. In addition to that, a customer should be doing system backups on a daily basis.

Instructions can be provided to upload your backup to PMC’s website or to create a CD.  The customer’s latest backup disk will be stored at our Flemington, NJ facility for the duration of your HELPMATE support period. While we do not maintain copies of your current production data files (including customer and order information), should a catastrophic recovery be required we would have your program disks available to transfer to you.

Training

From time to time we recognize that your company personnel will change, either though movement between departments or new hires. PMC Software offers several types of classes for training new employees or re-training existing ones in our Flemington, NJ classroom facilities. We have training available for each of our software packages, with each geared specifically to that application. The type of training program depends on the software package. See Training for more information.