Orbit Support and Managed Services Policy

Orbit supports, hosts, and provides managed services for our clients. The table below outlines both our Website Support and Hosting Managed Services. This policy document describes the services we offer in more detail.

FAQ Website Support Hosting Managed Services
What type of requests does Support service?
  • Website fixes
  • Content and form changes
  • Plugin installs
  • Minor enhancements
  • “How to” questions
  • Website availability
  • Website performance
  • CMS and plugin updates
  • Hosting issues
  • Security
Does Orbit have to host my site? Generally, yes.  However, we do support a few sites that we don’t host. Generally, yes.  However, we provide managed services for clients that control website hosting at WPEngine or Pantheon
What are the fees for the services? $165 per hour.  We don’t charge for issues and bugs that we caused Annual fee.  We charge hourly for some work outlined below.
What agreement covers this work? Support Policy Below Managed Website and Hosting Services Agreement and the Hosting Managed Services Policy Below
Who do I contact? Contact the Orbit Support Team for any issues related to both Website Support and Hosting Managed Services.

 

Updated Support and Managed Services – May 1, 2022: Hourly Rate Updated to $165/hour


This policy contains the following sections:

  1. Website Support Services
    • Request Types
    • Costs & Terms
    • Errors & Omissions
  2. Hosting Managed Services
    • Issue Types
    • Service Level Expectations
  3. Support Team Service Level Expectations
    • Confirmation Response and Resolution Time
    • Support Team Hours
    • Access & Authorization
    • Support Team Process

Website Support Services

Client can contact Orbit for the following Website Support services:

  • Issues or problems with the website not performing as expected (i.e., broken forms, errors, pages not displaying correctly, etc.)
  • Editing, revising, or updating page and product content including text, images, and SEO-related content
  • Editing, revising, or updating templates on existing website pages
  • New web page and email templates based on existing design
  • Modifications and minor enhancements to existing functions, forms, and features on the existing website
  • Consultation, guidance, and training on the use of the website and content management system
  • Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Google Search Console basic configuration and support
  • Support and updates of third party tools and applications used on the website and integrated by Orbit (i.e., WordPress, Drupal, Constant Contact, Marketo, Hubspot, Pardot, Salesforce, Instagram, jQuery, etc.)

Website Support Request Types

Support requests fall into one of the below categories:

  • EMERGENCY: Any serious problem with the website
    • Mission critical features or pages are not available
    • E-commerce errors
    • Website is not available for a non-server or non-data center reasons (i.e., CMS configuration issue, DNS issue, domain expired, client network error, etc.)
  • TECHNICAL ISSUE: Any problems with the website not performing as it was originally developed
    • A form is broken
    • Page contents do not display as designed
    • Integration errors
    • PCI Compliance audit or troubleshooting
  • SUPPORT ASSISTANCE: Any requests for assistance in explaining or using the website or tools
    • “How to” questions
    • Content management system assistance
    • User logins and password management
    • SEO and analytics consultations
  • CHANGE REQUEST: Any request that involves less than 4 hours* of work.  Change request examples include:
    • WordPress and Drupal plugins or module installation
    • Updates to integrated third party tools and applications
    • Modifications and minor enhancements to existing functions, forms, and features
    • Content changes not possible with the content management system

*Requests Estimated Over 4 hours

Orbit has Web Strategists and an Enhancement Team to provide services that do not fit our Support Team because of the size and nature of the work. The Web Strategist advises the client on any requested work and provides a proposed approach, costs, and timeline in a Statement of Work.

Website Support Cost & Terms

Orbit charges $165 per hour for all support services in 30 minute increments. Orbit doesn’t intend to invoice for every minute and we will use our discretion to charge for requests. There are no charges incurred to:

  • Fix something that is broken due to “errors and omissions on the part of Orbit” (See Errors and Omissions)
  • Respond to and resolve hosting issues for Orbit hosted websites for clients with active Website Hosting and Managed Service Agreements. (See Hosting Managed Services)

Errors and Omissions

Orbit does not provide a specific warranty period for websites because we take accountability for fixing any errors and omissions regardless of the time frame. However, it is important to clarify that sometimes issues arise that we didn’t cause. We are ready, willing, and able to help fix all issues, but we charge for the ones we don’t cause. The following are common issues that we do not consider Errors and Omissions and we charge to resolve:

  • Browser and Third Party Tool Updates – Browsers and third party tools are regularly updated, and versions may no longer be supported. This sometimes results in causing a website feature to “break” or simply to not perform as expected.
  • Website Changes and Updates – A client or another party makes changes to the website which results in necessary updates or fixes to the website.
  • Content Management Systems – Websites inherently need maintenance because the content management system is updated for security, browsers change website standards, and other reasons. Website issues may be caused by changes to the content management systems (CMS) (i.e., Drupal and WordPress), which would result in the need for maintenance to the website. Issues caused by or in combination with new or updated third-party software products including upgrades, themes, plugins, modules, or WordPress and Drupal modifications or customizations.
  • Integrated Third Party APIs – Website issues may be caused by changes to the third party APIs (i.e., Google Tag Manager, tracking codes, third party javascript, Twitter, Instagram,, Flickr, Constant Contact, etc), which would result in maintenance to the website. Issues caused by or in combination with new or updated third-party software will not be considered errors and omissions.

Hosting Managed Services

Orbit works with hosting partners, WP Engine, Pantheon, Steadfast, and Blackmesh, to perform the managed services described in this policy. The Orbit Support Team is the contact for all Managed Services.

Managed Services is part of the Website Hosting and Managed Services Agreement.  Therefore, if a client has an active agreement, Orbit does NOT charge any additional fees for contacting us related to hosting and managed services listed below with one exception -.  If the upgrades to the CMS, modules or plugins causes website issues, Orbit charges to troubleshoot and fix those issues. Below is a summary of the services included: For more information see Managed Website & Hosting Services:

  • Website Availability – Monitoring website and server uptime, website and server security, and server performance. Orbit utilizes industry standard monitoring tools, security software, and relies on the expert services by hosting partners (i.e. WPEngine, Pantheon, Steadfast, Blackmesh) to ensure websites are available 24/7.
  • Website Performance – Troubleshooting website performance related to server issues. Orbit is accountable for the performance of the websites developed by Orbit and hosted by Orbit’s hosting partners. Hosting support for Orbit developed websites hosted by other providers is the responsibility of the client and/or hosting provider.
  • Website CMS Maintenance – Proactive upgrades of website core versions, plugins, and modules. Orbit is responsible for upgrading the core versions of WordPress and Drupal with the appropriate frequency and urgency which varies per code release. Typically, the Orbit Support team updates WordPress and Drupal plugins and modules every 3 months. To ensure websites are secure and fully compatible with the latest core versions of the website, emergency security updates are updated when notifications are received from the plugin or module developers. Typically, there are no website issues when updating these plugins and modules, but on occasion, the newest versions may cause functional or styling issues on the website or CMS. Work to troubleshoot and fix issues caused by an update is NOT included in Managed Services. Orbit will charge for this work and will discuss the issues, plan and estimated fees before conducting any work.
  • Server Administration – Changes to server configuration and server software updates, backups and restores, development and staging environments.
  • Hosting Partner Communication – Consulting and support communication with hosting partners who are responsible for performing any of the above services
  • Server and Website Security – Orbit and Client are both responsible for following best practices for creating and storing passwords.

Hosting Managed Services Issue Types

Managed Services issues typically fall into one of the below categories:

  • OUTAGE
    • Website is down (i.e. high traffic, server issue, database issue)
    • Hardware or Network Failure
    • Insufficient memory or file storage
  • SECURITY ISSUE: Any security or compliance related issue
    • PCI Compliance consulting for server environments audit or troubleshooting
    • Compromised user account
    • Compromised website code or content
  • WEBSITE HOSTING CHANGES: Any hosting environment change to improve performance due to the following:
    • Increased website traffic
    • Insufficient data or file storage
    • Data center issues
    • Uptime availability
  • CMS MAINTENANCE: Updates to CMS, plugins and modules
    • WordPress and Drupal CMS core subversion updates
    • WordPress and Drupal CMS plugin and module updates

Managed Services Process and Service Level Expectations (SLE)

All Managed Services requests from clients are handled by the Orbit Support Team and use the Support Team Process (See Below).  As for Response and Resolution timeframes,

  • All Outage and Security Issues are considered Emergency Requests
  • Website Hosting Changes and CMS Maintenance requests are considered Change Requests

Support Team Service Level Expectations (SLE)

Confirmation Response & Resolution Time

Support Request Type Response Timeframe Resolution Timeframe
Weekdays Weekends & Holidays All
Emergency 30 minutes 1 hour ASAP
Technical Issue 2 hours 4 hours 1-2 business days
Support Assistance 4 hours By 10am CST
Next Business Day
1-4 business days
Change Request 1 day By 12pm CST
Next Business Day
3-5 business days


Support Team Hours

Our Support Team monitors for requests from 8:00am to 10:00pm CST every day.

Responses to non-emergency requests received after 3:00pm CST and holidays may be delayed until the next business day.

Access & Authorization

To provide necessary services, Orbit needs authorization to access the following:

  • Web hosting account
  • WordPress, Drupal or Shopify
  • Domain registrar and DNS (if applicable)
  • Social media accounts (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
  • Third party tools and applications (i.e. Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, email service provider, video hosting services, Flickr, etc.)

Support Team Process

The client process for submitting and escalating support issues is outlined below:

  • Submit a support request ticket at the Orbit Support Portal
    • We suggest using the Support Portal, but you can also reach us at [email protected] or 773-353-8314
    • Note: All form submissions, emails, and voicemails are delivered to our entire Support team.
  • Receive a confirmation response from our Support team
  • Escalate the request, if necessary. If your requests are not addressed to your satisfaction, escalate the request by:
    • Calling your Web Strategist
    • Contacting our Web Director, Barrett ([email protected], 773-353-8303)
    • Contact anyone you know at Orbit for help.  They can ensure your request gets handled quickly and by the right specialists!