Tech support calls are usually because something outside of our software has changed, such as a Windows update, anti-virus update, or some other system change. It’s rare, but those kinds of changes can sometimes impact how software such as ours behaves. When the offending situation is outside of our product, we still try to help resolve the issue. When we can’t, we have already done the preliminary diagnosis that will help your local IT professional. That usually saves them time, and you money.
Instruction & Information sheets
- ABS User Manual (pdf)
- ABS installation instructions (pdf)
- What to do when Document Manager documents aren’t displayed (pdf)
- ABS-Cloud User Manual Addendum (pdf)
- How to get paid for referrals.
- Other Frequently Asked Questions.
Phone Support
All ABS technical support is conducted by phone. Even with remote support, you must be on the phone with us. We may also need you to demonstrate the condition that triggered your call.
There are cases where a hardware crash or just a simple hardware upgrade has made it necessary to reinstall, or re-configure ABS. You probably aren’t a computer scientist so we stand ready to assist where we can. When things are really hairy, and the office is shy on technical know how, you may be required to bring in your local computer technician.
Regardless of the level of support you need, we ask that you call us during normal office hours, so we don’t have to call you back. We do return calls, but if someone calls us before we can return your call, they get priority, and you get to wait. Our office hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific time. Our phone is (503) 659-6752.
Internet
Often the need for help is not urgent, and waiting for an e-mail response is okay. We typically respond to all e-mail questions within one working day. It is not uncommon for you to get a reply the same day, or within the hour. Call us if it takes more than 24 hours. Your email may have been trapped by our spam filter.
E-mail should be used for questions, not for help fixing something. We will not continue an extended email dialog. Call us. It will save us both time if we remote into your system and just fix it.
Training
In a recent article in act. (an on-line service of Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America,Inc) Mele Fuller, of SAFECO Insurance Company stated: “… as has been written for years, the only way to get the most out of an agency management system is through training.” Believe me, she knows what she is talking about. Obviously, training has been an ongoing issue for all management system providers. Many companies charge many hundreds, even thousands, for training on their product. We provide unlimited training, and include its cost in the $199 start-up fee. You’re right. That doesn’t cover our cost, so why is it essentially free? Simple, we want you to be proficient at using ABS so you’ll send others to us. We also believe the more you know about ABS, the less you’ll need to call for support.
Basically, we give training away so we need to control our costs. We do that by training on the telephone. While you’re on the phone, we remote into your computer and show you how to do things. Training on your system gives us an opportunity to see if you’ve developed any bad habits. It’s much better than sitting in a conference room, or hotel ballroom, and see something designed to be perfect. Training on your system is very effective, and a thrifty way to make sure you get the most out of our software. Training is more than watching a dog & pony show.