Introduction

Our customers are our partners and we are vested in your successes. In the spirit of partnership, we aspire to take great care of you and the team, by:

• Responding quickly
• Setting expectations and following through
• Communicating with clear and comprehensive responses
• Providing status updates as we resolve our job

Support Team

The StarCare team is comprised of Technical Support Consultants and Customer Success Advocates. 

Technical Support Consultants:

• These team members have a professional foundation in technical skills and technical support. They are industry cross-trained and support all client needs.

Customer Success Advocates:

• These team members are former Higher Education professionals who have worked in Housing and/or Residence Life departments. They have utilized StarRez in their former roles and are able to assist with technical support. Customer Success Advocates have additional responsibilities to ensure customer success.

Ongoing Support

After the initial implementation, training, and go-live, StarRez has two departments in place to ensure that you receive the support you need to be successful. Your primary points of contact are StarCare and Community Relations:

• StarCare: The technical support team in place to answer functional and technical questions, help if a function is not working according to the documentation, and help with updates and maintenance.
• Community Relations: Our team of product and subject matter experts available to help with the review and refinement of your business processes. The team will work with you to strategic new solutions and technologies, share and collaborate on product enhancements, plan for additional training and consulting, and work with you as an additional escalation point as needed.

Support Roles

StarCare and Community Relations both exist to help you. Their roles are different. Below are examples of scenarios in which you may require assistance and who you should contact for each scenario.

Scenario	Contact?
Demo new features and modules – You are interested in seeing additional system functionality and exploring if it could meet your business needs.	Community Relations
Learn about existing functionality – You are familiar with the purpose of an existing feature but are unsure of how it works (i.e. which buttons to push).	StarCare
Implement a major change to an application process – You want to add an LLC selection to an existing application process and you need help determining the overall scope of the change, wherein the process to put it, who should see it, and how best to implement the change without interruption to your day-to-day operations.	Community Relations
Implement a minor change to an application process – You want to add a residence hall to the Room Preferences page in an existing application process.	StarCare
Training – You have hired two new staff who will need comprehensive StarRez New User training to quickly come up to speed. You need to discuss the best options for onsite training.	Community Relations
Training – You need someone to show you how to activate Portal Editor functionality.	StarCare

 

StarCare

Introduction

StarRez prides itself on providing the best support in the industry. This means fast and friendly support to our user Community. We do this online, via chat, via email, and over the phone where a knowledgeable representative will be immediately available.

• StarCare is your live support resource for all things StarRez
• StarCare Online is your online support resource for all things StarRez

StarCare Hours

StarCare is available Monday – Friday, during Your Regular Business HoursNote: Additional coverage can be arranged. Please contact Community Relations to discuss this option further. 

Requests

All help and change requests should be directed to StarCare and logged according to the instructions outlined in this guide (online, chat, email, and phone). Our specialists will review and analyze the request and respond with any clarification questions and next steps in a timely manner. Some requests will require immediate attention (system issues, mission-critical items, etc.), while others will be scheduled at mutually agreed upon time (portal changes, new reports, upgrades, DB refresh, DB backup). 

StarCare Requests: Information to Include

When submitting a support request to StarCare, whether online, via email or chat, or when speaking directly with a StarCare specialist, gather as much information as possible about the issue. The more information you provide enables StarCare to better and more quickly serve you.

Best practices for details to provide when contacting StarCare:

1. A brief summary of the issue, describing what should be happening as well as what is happening
   • Details such as the specific rate session, entry, portal process, portal page, or any other applicable information
   • Entries/examples of this behavior that can be reviewed by the support team
2. Product(s) affected (E.g. StarRez Web, PortalX, Windows Client, etc.)
3. Example to use for testing (E.g. EntryID, TransactionID, Security UserID, etc.)
4. Replication steps (E.g. What have you already tried to resolve the issue?)
   • Screenshots
   • Log messages
   • Error messages
   • For portal issues, provide a test user that can be used by the support team to replicate the issue in your portal
5. The scope of impact (E.g. How many people are affected; What operations is the issue impacting?)
6. The urgency of the issue, including any, go live deadlines

Other helpful information includes: Recent system changes that may contribute to the issue

For interface issues, providing the target import file and file location 

Submitting Requests to StarCare: Online

• StarCare support is available during your normal business hours.
• When logging an online request, log one question per support request. (This​ helps StarCare better track your requests and respond sooner.)
• Provide the information included in the StarCare Requests: Information to Include section.

Follow the steps below to log an online support request.

Step	Action
1	Log into StarCare Online at https://support.starrez.com.
2	Click My activities in StarCare Online.
3	Type a short description of your request in the ‘How can we help?’ field. Suggested articles will be populated to assist with answering your question, based upon your short description. For example, ‘PortalX Event,’ ‘Bulk Edit,’ ‘Security’. From here you can:Utilize the Suggested Articles,Ask A How To question to the Community, orContinue to submit a Support Request.
4	To Continue to submit a Support Request, complete the Submit a request form.How can we help?: (Required) This is a short description of your request and will be the title of your request.Description: (Required) Input the details of your request. To expedite your request, refer to the StarCare Requests: Information to Include section to include as much detail as possible.CC: If there are any colleagues you would like to copy, include their email address here.Priority: Options include “Low,” “Normal,” “High, “ and “Urgent.”Add file: Drag and drop any helpful documents or images onto the Add file area of the screen.Send Request? When all your details are completed, click Send Request.
5	Once you Send Request, a Request Confirmation will display.From the Request Confirmation page you can:Add additional comments to the request.Add additional attachments.View attachments.Submit another request.Your request is also automatically logged and saved on the My activities page. You can access the My activities page at any time by clicking the My activities link in  StarCare Online.

Submitting Requests to StarCare: Chat

StarCare is also available via Chat.

• If you’ve got a quick question with a simple answer, use the Chat Widget in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen to send StarCare an instant message.
• We do not recommend chat for complex issues.
• When you are logged into StarCare Online during regular business hours, you will see the Chat Widget at the bottom right of the screen.

There is no need to input your name, contact information, or site name. StarCare is able to automatically determine that information based on the account you used to log into StarCare Online. All we need you to do is provide us with a detailed description of your request. You can include images with chat as well. Input your details and StarCare will be with you soon.If StarCare is unavailable, the Chat Widget will indicate that chat support is unavailable and allow you to leave a message. When you leave a message, a new ticket is automatically generated and will be assigned.

Submitting Requests to StarCare: Phone

Phone support with live StarCare specialists is available during your business hours. For best results, refer to the Submitting Requests to StarCare: Information to Include section of this guide for more about the information to gather prior to contacting a StarCare agent.

• Australia & New Zealand: +61 1800 875 487
• North America: +1 877 859 6259
• Singapore: +65 800 852 3938
• United Kingdom: +44 800 808 5245
• All Other: +1 877 859 6259 

Note: Support numbers are also available on our website. 

Tracking Support Requests

All requests, including those submitted online, via chat, or phone, can be tracked in StarCare Online. Please follow the steps below to view the status of a support request.

Step	Action
1	Log into StarCare Online at https://support.starrez.com.
2	Click My activities.
3	Review your support requests. Support requests are a group with other activities that you may be involved in on StarCare Online.Make sure “My requests” is selected.Toggle between requests you submitted and requests from others where you have been CC’d.Search for a request.Requests are listed by StarCare Ticket NumberClick the requests subject to view detailed request informationFilter your requests by StatusView the status of the request

Escalations

Open communication is a key to solving problems. At StarCare we strive to provide a transparent escalation path for our Community. If the StarCare​ Team is not providing the answers or solutions you need in a timely manner, please contact us at:

• escalations@starrez.com

Please include your StarCare job number in all correspondence.Don’t feel like you cannot use this escalation service because you don’t want to get your friendly supporter in trouble. We are all vested in serving you and that is the most important thing to all of us. Additional escalation contacts are available on the Escalations page on StarCare Online:

• Community Relations Manager
• Professional Services Manager
• Support Manager

Progress Check

1. List six items that should be included with any request that is submitted to
   StarCare:
2. Which four items should be included when you list the steps to replicate an
   issue?
3. You have encountered two unrelated issues simultaneously that require
   StarCare assistance. You decide to submit these issues online. What is the
   best way to submit these requests?
4. What is the best way to determine the status of an open support request?
5. What are StarCare’s standard hours of operation? 

StarCare Online

Introduction

StarCare Online is our self-service, online support site. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Available options include:

• Find a Learning Plan – Learning Plans are a great way to onboard new staff, as well as provide your current team a refresher on functionality. For example, the PortalX Learning Plans provide self-paced, directed learning opportunities with self-scoring quizzes. Anticipated training duration times are listed with each section of the learning plan, participants may take longer, or may not take as much time noted depending upon their current knowledge. Search ‘Learning Plan’ within StarCare Online.     
• Engage with the StarRez Community
• Access the Knowledge Base
• Access Help resources
• Browse Training content
• Manage/view Product Information
• Find your site-specific contact and project information

Site-Specific Information

Some StarCare Online functionality is site-specific. When you log in, StarCare Online displays content specific to your site based on the credentials you used to log in. The following functionality is site-specific:

• Book an Update
• My Links
• StarRez Cloud Status

Getting Started

Getting Started includes an introduction to StarRez, including training videos and training guides of StarRez basics. Learning Plans are also available here and are a great way to onboard new staff, as well as provide your current team a refresher on functionality.

Community Forum

Collaborate with the StarRez User Community.

• Discussion Forums: Ask questions, get answers! Please post your questions, helpful processes, and best practices, or whatever can help the community.
• Product Suggestions: At StarRez we listen to our community and we welcome your suggestions to improve our products.
  • Add new suggestions
  • View suggestions from the StarRez Community
  • Vote for suggestions you like
  • Add comments to existing suggestions
• Note: See the Community Forum Basics section in this guide for more information.

My Product List

Ever wondered what you are licensed for? Or what else you can purchase to streamline your housing operation? This page shows you.

Knowledge Base

A document library that contains informational and instructional articles, Frequently Asked Questions, troubleshooting tips, and more. Browse or search to locate the information you need.

Help Content

Quickly access help resources on StarCare Online.

• Book an Update: Quick link to the Site Updates page
• Log a Support Request: Submit an online support request.
• Knowledge Base: Quick link to the Knowledge Base
• Community Forum: Quick link to the Community Forum
• Escalations: Escalation contacts are available here. These include:
  • Support Manager: see the Escalations page for details
  • Community Relations: see the Escalations page for details
  • Professional Services Manager: see the Escalations page for details
  • StarCare: starcare@starrez.com
  • Escalations: escalations@starrez.com
• Community Relations: Information to help you understand when and how to contact the Community Relations team.
• Book an Update: Quick link to the Site Updates page 

Training Content

StarCare Online includes a variety of Training content including user guides, training videos, training guides, and learning plans.

• Training Videos: Short, task-based instructional videos that provide you with the \”What\’s this…\” and the \”How to…\” quickly and concisely.
• Training Guides: The training guides that you used during your onsite training are available here. These guides are updated frequently in congruence with the latest version of StarRez.
• StarRez Glossary: A glossary of definitions of commonly used StarRez Terms.
• Reporting Resources: The Reporting Resources library includes a collection of instructional content and report templates that will help you to learn how to use the Report Generator to build and customize reports.
  • Reporting Foundations Video Series: ​Short videos to learn basic report creation using the Report Generator and Report Manager
  • Report Library: A collection of ready to use StarRez Saved Reports that can be imported into your StarRez system. Each Saved Report has an accompanying training video that shows how that report was created.

Product Support

• Release Notes: Release Highlights, Database Changes, New Product Overviews, and other new resources.
• Product Overviews: Review available products/modules to add to your StarRez product
• Product Suggestions: Add new suggestions, view suggestions from the StarRez Community, vote for suggestions you like, add comments to existing suggestions
• StarRez Cloud Status: Hosted customers can check the overall health of their hosting environment and access management tools for hosted solutions.

Product Support: StarRez Cloud Status (formerly Hosted Status)

StarRez Cloud customers can check the overall health of their hosted environment and access management tools for cloud solutions.

Cloud Support

• For cloud support during regular business hours contact StarCare using the main support line for your region.
• For cloud support on weekends view the Escalations page on StarCare Online. The weekend hotline for your region is available at the bottom of the Escalations page.

Product Support: Book an Update

Schedule your StarRez software version upgrade here.

1. Book Site Update Now – Book your Site Update Today and don’t be left behind
2. Version Update FAQ – Important Information for On-Premise Customers
3. Release Overview – Latest Version Release Information
4. StarRez Cloud (formerly Hosted) Customers – Information for Cloud Customers
5. On-Premise System Requirements – System Requirements for the Current Release
6. Manage Updates – View Scheduled Updates or Cancel a Scheduled Update

Additional StarCare Online Resources

My Links

Additional resources are available in the Quick Links Band at the bottom of the StarCare Online Main Page.

My Product List: Ever wondered what you are licensed for? Or what else you can purchase to streamline your housing operation? This page shows you.

My Support Tickets: View all of your support tickets, link directs you to My Activities, where you can view your requests as well as requests you were cc’d on.

My Contacts: Changes to contacts for live customers should be sent to Community Relations at communityrelations@starrez.com.

Community Forum Basics

Introduction

Collaborate with the StarRez User Community via the discussion forum and product suggestion forum. You can start a new conversation, read and follow other conversations, and vote for posts that you like.

Accessing the Community Forum

Access the Community Forum using one of the following methods:

1. From this link to Community Forums: Community Topics
2. In StarRez or StarRez Web click the Help menu and follow the StarCare Online (After you log in the first time you will be remembered and automatically signed in on future visits.)
3. Login to StarCare Online directly and follow the link to Community Forum.

To access the Community Forum:

Step	Action
1	Login to StarCare Online.
2	Click Community Forum.
3	Select a Topic.
4	Select a conversation.Note: Posts within a topic can be broken down into smaller groups like “Newest,” “Recommended,” and “Trending.”
5	After selecting a conversation, you can:View the original question.Get involved by responding with a comment/answer.See the other responses provided by the StarRez Community.

Get Involved – Start a Conversation

To start a new conversation in the Community Forum

Step	Action
1	Click New Post to start a conversation.
2	Fill out the simple form and click Submit. Then wait for the Community to respond.

Following Topics and Posts

Too busy to wait around or come back to SCO often? We understand, life gets hectic! Email notifications tell you what the question was, give you a link to the question, and allow you to unsubscribe. Follow topics and posts to receive personalized email notifications as conversations happen:Follow a topic to get notifications on all posts and responses on that topic.

Follow a post to get notifications on all posts and responses on that post.

Voting Buttons

Too shy to comment or post? You can also vote up or down answers/comments/questions by clicking on the up or down arrows next to a post.

Community Relations

Introduction

The Community Relations team is dedicated to ensuring your ongoing success and satisfaction with StarRez, our software, and our services. The team consists of StarRez product and subject matter experts who are available to help with the review and refinement of your business processes. The team will work with you to:

• Strategize new solutions and technologies
• Share and collaborate ideas for product enhancements
• Plan for additional training and consulting
• Work with you as an additional escalation point as needed 

Community Relations manages our long term partnership and looks forward to working closely with your team.

Account Manager

An Account Manager is automatically assigned to you. You may contact your assigned Account Manager directly. If you do not know who your Account manager is contact Community Relations by phone or email.

• communityrelations@starrez.com
• By phone: Use the main support numbers
• Australia & New Zealand: +61 1800 875 487
• North America: +1 877 859 6259
• Singapore: +65 800 852 3938
• United Kingdom: +44 800 808 5245
• All Other: +1 877 859 6259

Community Relations Hours

Community Relations is available globally during normal business hours.

Social Media

Introduction

• Stay connected with StarRez and the StarRez community.

Facebook

• Join the private StarRez Connect Facebook Group to stay across company and event news.

Twitter

• StarRez Development Twitter Account – For our Tech Community – http://twitter.com/#!/starrezdev
• Main Twitter Account – For Conference and News updates. – http://twitter.com/StarRez