Introduction To Line Telecommunications
   
   
   
 
 

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16. Maintenance

 

16. - Maintenance

 

16.1 - What Is A Maintenance Contract

 

16.2 - Why Have A Maintenance Contract

16.3 - What Will Maintenance Cover

16. - Maintenance

Until 1996 it was a requirement that all systems be covered by a maintenance contract from a maintainer approved to maintain the type of system concerned.

This was relaxed in 1996. Now it is strongly recommended that systems be covered by a maintenance contract or for some arrangement to be made with a maintainer for engineering call outs to be charged on a per visit basis.

Systems not covered by a maintenance contract will be costly to repair and service, and will require return to manufacturer in many cases for this to be done. Therefore it is very strongly recommended that the system be suitably covered by a contract with competent maintainer.

16.1 - What Is A Maintenance Contract

A maintenance contract is an agreement between the customer and the maintaining company for repair cover in the event of a systems failure, either partial or total.

Under such a contract the customer need only call the maintainer when there is a fault on the system and they will arrange for the fault to be isolated and cleared.

In the case of a simple fault they may advise the customer how it can be cured immediately, over the telephone. For more complex faults involving inspection of the equipment they will send an engineer to site within the time specified by the maintenance agreement.

For a typical contract the response time between the call and visit is 4 or 8 working hours, with some companies offering weekend, 24 hour and 365 day coverage at additional expense.

16.2 - Why Have A Maintenance Contract

A maintenance contract is similar to a car insurance policy. Hopefully the user will never be required to claim against it, but the system is covered.

This is to ensure that the system is always kept in safe working order for both the network and customer.

Faults need to be cleared as quickly as possible to prevent permanent damage to the system , loss of network service and minimise disruption to the customer’s business.

If the repair is a warranty claim the maintainer will fix the equipment and recover the costs from the system manufacturer under the terms of the warranty.

16.3 - What Will Maintenance Cover

The maintenance contract coverage will vary from company to company. In its basic form it will cover all the system components and wiring to the handsets plus proprietary equipment for the system.

Third party equipment and SLT handsets will not usually be covered unless specific arrangements are made.

The cover will be to correct faults arising from failure of system components and installation wiring due to defects in manufacture and workmanship.

The contract will not cover damage, misuse, incorrect operation or performance related upgrades and enhancements to the installation. These must be purchased separately from the maintainer or an approved system supplier.

Should the system be upgraded or added too, then the maintenance contract must also be amended to cover the additional or changed components.

 

 

 

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Extracted from

Introduction To Line Telecommunications
Copyright Panasonic Business Systems UK Ltd 2000