The AV Technical Support service includes diagnosing technical issues with AV equipment installed in supported spaces, including hardware errors, issues with equipment, and coding issues with integration equipment. Issues that cannot be resolved by the LAITS AV Technical Support staff, are escalated to the LAITS Technology Integration group.
Support
Support Hours
LAITS provides AV Technical Support from 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM Monday-Friday, during class days of academic semesters, and 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday-Friday during non-class days (hereafter ‘regular business hours’). No support will be provided on weekends or University holidays, or days when the University is closed.
Contacting Support
LAITS provides support via the following channels:
- email: laits-av-help@utexas.edu
- phone: 512-232-5400
LAITS cannot ensure a timely support response for any request initiated outside these channels.
Terms
The client or LAITS may choose to terminate our agreement by providing written notice via email no less than 90 days prior to the proposed date of termination of support. Clients should provide notification to LAITS via email to laits-escalation@utlists.utexas.edu. A prorated refund will be provided to client for the balance of funds.
Client agrees to the terms of our services as delineated in this website.
Service Description
Response and Resolution
If issues are reported via supported channels, LAITS AV Technical Support staff will first confirm the issues with the reporting party: Dept User Support for units who provide their own AV User Support, or via escalation from LAITS AV User Support.
The LAITS AV Technical Support team will respond to escalated incidents and restore installed classroom or conference room systems to their original specified performance capabilities, whenever feasible.
Standard Response
LAITS AV Technical Support response to escalated issues for rooms with standard response, is within 4 hours of initial escalation.
Critical Response
Client may indicate that certain rooms require critical response. LAITS AV Technical Support will prioritize response to those spaces. LAITS AV Technical Support response to escalated issues for rooms indicated as having critical response, is within 15 minutes of initial escalation.
Resolution
Resolution of issues depends on a variety of factors. Whenever feasible, LAITS will provide immediate resolution. However, in certain instances, issues with AV systems may require installation of loaner equipment, escalation to LAITS Technical Integration, or other issues may occur that will delay resolution. Frequently these issues are encountered with aged systems (5+ years old) that have older or no longer supported equipment that requires lifecycle replacement.
Our standard for resolution is within 48 hours of initial escalation. If we expect resolution to exceed 48 hours from initial escalation due to factors indicated above, the Dept User Support will be notified of the expected time of resolution.
Room Checks
LAITS recommends regular operational checks of equipment functionality in AV spaces. LAITS has developed the LAITS AV Room Check Tool, to enable Dept User Support to perform regular checks of equipment in their spaces. LAITS requires a minimum of once-a-week checks of any space that is deemed critical response.
LAITS will monitor checks each morning and dispatch an AV Technical Support staff to attempt to resolve issues before the start of the next event. If LAITS AV Technical Support staff are unable to quickly supply a permanent resolution, a workaround may be implemented.
If Dept User Support do not use the LAITS AV Room Check Tool according to the mutually agreed schedule, it will delay resolution and may be required in future agreements. AV room checks can be separately purchased from LAITS.
Classroom Database
The LAITS AV Room Check Tool utilizes a database to ensure that LAITS AV Technical Support staff have accurate information about supported spaces. It is the responsibility of the Dept User Support to make annual updates to this database. If the Dept User Support does not make the required updates, LAITS will perform these updates on behalf of client at a cost of $50 per room per year.
Training
LAITS will provide training to Dept User Support up to (4) hours allocated per year, upon request. This training ensures that Dept User Support are aware of relevant updates to systems and software in supported spaces.
LAITS will train Dept User Support in the proper use of the LAITS AV Room Check Tool and proper Service Now ticketing methods. This training will be offered annually.
Repair and Replacement
Generally, interior cables and some other items will be replaced without charge by LAITS. This includes cables that connect AV components inside cabinets, walls, or ceilings. Such components are not moved, connected, or disconnected as part of a regular workflow, so failure will be assumed to be due to defect.
The provision of exterior cables and connectors is the responsibility of the Client. Such items are used to join user devices directly to a room’s installed AV equipment, and therefore endure significant wear-and-tear which will cause their eventual failure. LAITS AV Technical Support may supply interim replacements if failure occurs during a time that the space is needed by Client.
For rooms with critical response, LAITS AV Technical Support staff may install high-expense consumables (projector lamps, AV switches, etc.) from its parts inventory to return spaces to an operational state. Client authorizes LAITS AV Technical Support to install such consumables and agrees to reimburse LAITS for all such part(s) installed during the service dates of this Agreement. Client will be consulted prior to incurring costs exceeding $500 or if there is a strategic decision to be made.
LAITS AV Technical Support staff will facilitate the repair or replacement of failed equipment in supported spaces. Estimates of the costs of equipment shipping, repair, and/or replacement will be provided to client for approval. All costs are the responsibility of client.
Installed Computers
Installed computers are not covered under this Agreement. If a connection between a computer and the AV equipment appears to be the problem, Dept User Support are responsible for testing the connection with known-good alternate equipment before escalating to LAITS AV Technical Support. LAITS provides separate agreements for AV Computer Support.
Event Support
LAITS will not attend or monitor ongoing events as part of this Agreement. If a problem occurs during any event, LAITS will respond within the normal response window and will leave after any issues have been resolved. Event support can be separately purchased from LAITS.
Client Responsibilities
Expectations
- Clients without an AV User Support agreement must designate a primary contact or contacts (hereafter ‘Dept User Support’) who will be responsible for user support, initial troubleshooting, and escalation of issues to LAITS. For those clients with an AV User Support agreement, faculty and staff may directly initiate support requests through the support channels described in this agreement.
- Dept User Support must provide LAITS AV Technical Support staff with access to supported spaces (classrooms, conference rooms, network closets, etc.) to effect support and maintenance actions
- Dept User Support will remain available to LAITS AV Technical Support staff after submitting support requests.
- Prior to escalation to LAITS AV Technical Support, Dept User Support will use known-functioning test components to:
- Look for user errors by reviewing and retracing the initialization steps taken by the end user
- Confirm all adapter and cable connections to external mobile device(s) are properly seated
- Turn system off and back on through the menu system
- Power cycle the end user computer (as applicable)
- Dept User Support should not attempt to disassemble or alter any equipment or cabling in spaces supported by LAITS AV Technical Support. Doing so may increase the time necessary to bring the equipment back to an operational state. Repair or replacement costs consequential to the unauthorized disassembly of equipment are the responsibility of the client.
Scheduling and Access
Client agrees to provide LAITS with an accurate and current schedule of activity in each included space, and to provide LAITS AV Technical Support staff with prompt access for the delivery of AV support services. This may include providing keys or electronic badge access for affected spaces.
Problem Escalation
To streamline solution delivery and in deference to the field experience of our distributed partners, this Agreement offers a Tier 2 Direct Escalation Pathway:
When an identifed Dept User Support agent has completed initial AV troubleshooting steps for a supported space and determined that LAITS AV Technical Support is required, that person may call our support line and advise the LAITS contact center:
“This is [NAME] with [DEPT] and I have an AV Tech Support escalation.”
Our call taker will then engage LAITS’ AV technicians and request expedited return contact with the caller. In this way Dept User Support agents need not re-hash the troubleshooting steps they’ve taken with our contact center, and a full-time LAITS AV technician will contact them with minimal delay. LAITS AV Technical Support staff will make a best effort to resolve issues over the phone in coordination with the Dept User Support. Depending on the severity of the issue, Dept User Support may be advised to employ a short-term workaround until LAITS AV Technical Support staff can be dispatched to solve the issue.
Lifecycle
It is the responsibility of the client to provide lifecycle funding for replacement of aging AV equipment. LAITS AV Technical Support staff will annually provide client with a forecast for necessary equipment replacements.
Last Updated: 2023-08-03