Chapter 6: Vendor Support

The Pillar of Compliance Success

This chapter explores the aspects of vendor support and how you can ensure your screening system is accompanied by reliable customer engagement and technical support.

Support Provider

Effective vendor support hinges on who provides it. Support provided directly by a vendor ensures you have access to internal expertise by the company that has built and maintains a screening system. 

If you work with a screening system provided by a reseller or a screening system provider who outsources its support functions, response times will be longer and your access to specialized knowledge may be limited. 

Location and Availability

The geographical location and availability of the support team are crucial, especially for organizations operating across different time zones. Consider a vendor whose support team is available during business hours and can communicate effectively in your preferred language.

Response Time and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Response time is vital in urgent compliance scenarios. Ask about the vendor's service level agreement (SLA) terms to understand their commitment to response times and approach to issue resolution. Reliable vendors will have well-defined SLAs that guarantee system performance and timely support.

Customer Success Team

A dedicated customer success team goes beyond troubleshooting, they understand your business objectives and help you use the system to its fullest potential. Evaluate if the vendor offers proactive support to foster a successful long-term relationship.

Questions to ask your vendor

• Do you provide ongoing support during implementation?

• Can you provide an SLA to supplement your screening system agreement? 

• Is all support handled in-house? 

• Do you provide training and resources to ensure effective use of your system?