The Sporty Team - Client Support Options

Client Support Options

It's important that you get the support you need, when you need it.

Sporty provides all clients with comprehensive self-help support including:

  • Knowledge Base and video tutorials at https://support.sportsground.com.
  • Email support via support@sportsground.com with auto-acknowledgement of support requests.
  • Automated support ticket allocation (Zendesk) to ensure nothing can be overlooked.
  • National training roadshow (free night classes in all major towns/cities each February).

In addition, Sporty offers premium support options as described below.

Second Level Support

Second Level Support relates to issues where you have taken all reasonable steps to resolve an issue or to provide First Level Support to a user, but you've been unable to resolve an issue. In these instances, Sporty will provide the answer for you, so that you can then provide the answer to the user.

Second level support is normally provided during business hours either via email to support@sportsground.com or by raising a support request ticket online through https://support.sportsground.com or by calling freephone 0800 777 876 (PIN required: Sporty clients can request a PIN by emailing support@sportsground.com).

Under Second Level Support, the expectation is that our client remains our sole point of contact and Sporty would not normally have direct contact with end users. If Second Level Support is included freely within a client agreement, this means 'Fair Use' support which, as a guide, means up to an average of approximately 30 minutes of Second Level Support per week. Clients with greater support requirements are encouraged to subscribe to SportyCare or procure ad-hoc support (see below).

First Level Support

First level support relates to having direct contact with end users of the solution at all levels. Sporty is able to provide First Level Support during business hours under a separate arrangement. For the avoidance of doubt, the expectation is that our clients provide First Level Support to end users and this is beyond the scope of services supplied by Sporty except under a special additional arrangement.

First Level Support is offered at an hourly rate for an agreed estimated number of hours per week. In instances where Sporty has been engaged to provide First Level Support, our clients may refer end users of the system to contact Sporty helpdesk directly for support by:

  1. Emailing support@sportsground.com which will automatically raise a support ticket and send an auto email acknowledgement back to the person. Although officially we state that these support requests will be responded to within 2 business days, most are cleared within an hour or two from when they they are received. The ticketing system automatically keeps an audit trail of the support dialogue and makes it easy to pick up an existing thread if required.
  2. Calling an 0800 freephone number with a PIN code that will be answered by our New Zealand based helpdesk team members during business hours.
  3. Our support ticketing system automatically generates a unique ticket number for each support request. This helps ensure that no support requests are overlooked or can become lost. The ticketing system automatically keeps an audit trail of the support dialogue and makes it easy to pick up a thread later if required.

SportyCare

Some organisations want extra support to help meet extra needs. Examples include:

  • Changes in staff or volunteers - the people within roles change over time. Sometimes it's not easy or possible for a previous administrator to fully train or induct a new person. SportyCare helps solve this.​​​​​​​

  • Multiple administrators - if an organisation has more than one administrator, you may find people become specialists in their own area, so you can get caught short when a person is away unwell or on annual leave.

  • Large organisations or complex competitions or events - one size does not fit all. If your organisation is large or even if it's not but you deliver intensive competitions or events, you should consider subscribing to SportyCare for extra support.

  • Need for training or a refresher - the Sporty platform has new features and functionality released almost every fortnight. A regular refresher or periodic training session ensures you continue getting the most from the service.

  • Heavy user of Sporty services - some organisations subscribe to many components of the full suite of services offered by Sporty, such as SuperCRM Member Manager, SKED competition management, TeamBuilder team entry system, Website builder, eNewsletters, online payments, and more. if your organisation is a heavy user of services, you should consider subscribing to SportyCare.

SportyCare is provided on a periodic subscription basis at the rate of $75 + GST per hour. You simply let us know how many hours of SportyCare support you'd like, and for how long (minimum of 2 hours per month for 3 months). For example, you may want 4 hours per month for 6 months or it could be 50% of one full time equivalent (FTE) staff member. You'll then receive elevated status with our friendly Support, Training and Helpdesk teams, along with proactive support and check-ins. Think of SportyCare as the 'Koru Lounge' of support. To learn more, please visit www.sportycare.co.nz or complete this form.

Ad-hoc extra support and after-hours support

If you prefer not to commit to a subscription plan for extra support, you can simply procure ad-hoc support on a "time & materials" basis. This is available at the rate of $67.50 + GST per half hour (or part thereof). It is charged in 30 minute minimum blocks, so something that takes 10 minutes will incur a charge of $67.50 + GST and support or training that takes 50 minutes will be charged at $135 + GST.  Each new support request or contact is charged individually. So if you contact us twice in the same day about two different matters and each takes 10 minutes of support time, the charge will be 2 x $67.50 = $135 + GST.

Note that the time required for our team to investigate and report back to you is included in addition to the time consumed by your initial contact.

The pricing above is for support during business hours which are 8:30am - 5:00pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays). However, out-of-hours support may be required for events such as weekend tournaments when administrators need immediate assistance with urgent queries that cannot be resolved through the online support portal.

Out-of-hours support can also be arranged upon prior request, such as to have someone on call to help if needed during a weekend tournament or event. This support is subject to the availability of Sporty staff so we recommend you book well in advance of your event.

Pricing for out-of-hours support is an on-call charge of $270 + GST per day, which includes up to 30 minutes of support. After that, the same rate described above for ad-hoc support is chargeable in addition to the on-call charge. Note that there may be an additional charge for out-of-hours support on public holidays such as Easter weekend.

To procure this additional support, please contact support@sportsground.com or talk with a Sporty sales representative on 0800 777 874.