Section 1.1 – Exclusions

DSP Technical Resources will not respond to initial escalations or to events where a ticket has not been raised either via email or in real-time chat tools and are actively encouraged to channel all customer escalations in accordance with this Process (Section 2). This is to ensure DSP can provide the correct response, level of visibility and tracking of escalated issues within the business.

However, once an issue is live, escalated, and visible within DSP, DSP encourages direct communications with technical resources where required to resolve urgent customer issues.

Section 1.2 – Portal Limitations Regarding P1 / Major Incident

A customer cannot raise a P1 directly via the ITSM Toolset Portal. This is by design to prevent tickets being raised incorrectly as a P1. Should P1 priority be required we ask that DSP customers detail the requirement for P1 status within the ticket and phone DSP as per section 2.2.1.

Section 1.3 – Email Ticket Limitations

A ticket received by the ITSM toolset from a direct email will always be raised at the default priority setting – P3. If the issue is more severe and the customer is unable to access the ITSM portal or needs to confirm P1 issue – please escalate the ticket as per section 2.2.1.

Section 1.4 – Account Management

Please note for all operational and technical issues the customer’s Account Manager should not be viewed as an escalation point. Only where the customer has a commercial escalation (see section 2.4) should the Account Manager be contacted. Commercial Escalations are serviced during UK Business Hours Only.

Section 1.5 – Escalation Process Validity

Please note this escalation process supersedes all previously released DSP Escalation Process documents and was made live by DSP in July 2022.

Section 1.6 – Before Performing an Escalation

Before performing an escalation (see section 2 for guidance) please ensure:

• Where possible there is a ticket raised within the DSP ITSM Toolset and the reference number is available

• The ticket is raised at the correct severity / priority level (for P1 incident tickets see Section 1.2)

• Ensure the business impact is understood and the reason the event needs to be escalated is articulated to DSP

• The main contact for the issue is known, articulated to DSP and available for any follow-up actions

• Consider if other members of your organisation need to be added to the ticket watchlist at the point of escalation to ensure timely ticket updates are received by the correct audience

• If you are requesting a call-back at the time of escalation that is communicated to the call handler

• If corresponding via email – please ensure the correspondence is from a business email address. Emails from personal email addresses may not be responded to fully. If your email service is down as a result of the issue – please phone DSP directly -

Service Desk - phone published numbers

• 0330 058 8367
• 0203 086 7065

Section 2.1 - General Escalations, Resource Bookings and Ticket Enquiries (Answered in UK Business hours) – Ticket Severities – P2 to P5

For General Escalations, resource booking enquiries and requests for information please ensure that the corresponding ticket has been updated where possible (see section 4 for DSP guidelines as to how to write a ticket escalation).

If there has not been a timely response to a ticket or the ticket cannot be updated, general ticket escalations and requests for updates should be carried out by emailing Service Delivery using the following email address: servicedelivery@dsp-explorer.com

This is for non-urgent queries and will only be reviewed and acknowledged during standard UK Business hours

Section 2.2 - Urgent Escalations and Ticket Enquiries (24x7x365) – P1 / Pending P1

Section 2.2.1 - 1st Level Escalation (24x7x365)

To escalate a ticket requiring urgent action please contact on one of the published numbers below. Your call will be handled by one of our service delivery team and will engage with the relevant technician.

Should the severity of the ticket need to be increased please discuss this with your call handler who may increase this should it fall in line with the defined impact and urgency matrix.

Where possible customers are asked to detail the escalation within the DSP ticket (section 4).

Please note, when escalating a ticket outside of UK business hours customers must phone the DSP Service Desk number as well as updating the ticket / emailing.

Service Desk - phone published numbers

• 0330 058 8367
• 0203 086 7065

Section 2.2.2 - Major incident escalation and awareness (24x7x365)

If a customer is experiencing a major incident and further engagement is required, please contact the DSP Service Desk who will engage with the assigned technical resource. The DSP Service Desk will also escalate to the DSP Major Incident Manager.

Where possible customers are asked to detail the escalation within the DSP ticket (section 4).

Please note, when escalating a ticket outside of UK business hours customers must phone the DSP Service Desk number as well as updating the ticket / emailing.

Service Desk - phone published numbers

• 0330 058 8367
• 0203 086 7065

Section 2.3 – 2nd Level (Management) Escalations (24x7x365)

DSP provide a 2^nd Level Escalation (or management escalation) that can be used by customers in the event a 1^st Level Escalation has not provided the necessary results in line with customer expectations.

Should a 2^nd Level Escalation (or management escalation) be required, DSP requires customers to contact the Service Desk stating the reason for a 2^nd level escalation. The Service Desk will work with the customer to help direct the 2^nd level escalation to the correct manager within DSP.

All 2^nd Level Escalations are reviewed by the Managed Services Management Forum lead by the Head of Managed Services.

Should the escalation require executive involvement, this will be managed on your behalf by the Head of Managed Service. Your account manager will be notified for awareness only however they will not have direct involvement in any technical escalation.

Service Desk - phone published numbers

• 0330 058 8367
• 0203 086 7065

Section 2.4 - Commercial Escalations (UK Business Hours)

Should there be any commercial escalations, these will be managed during UK business hours only by a customer’s account manager. Customers are recommended to email their account manager regarding commercial enquiries. If a customer is unaware of their account manager’s details – they are advised to request the details of their account manager from Service Delivery (servicedelivery@dsp-explorer.com). Customers do not need to detail your commercial question to Service Delivery and can ask directly for the details of their account manager. Unfortunately, any emails from personal email addresses will not be provided with account manager details.

Section 2.5 - Technical Escalations - for in-flight Incident or Service Request chases and escalations (24x7x365 – P1 / UK Business Hours Only – P2-P5)

To obtain updates on ticket progress please add an entry to the corresponding ticket via the ITSM Portal as the first action. Should a technical resource fail to respond in a timely manner please contact the Service Desk. They will attempt to connect you to the technical expert working on your case. Should this not be possible during the call they will arrange for the technical expert to contact you at the earliest opportunity. The Service Delivery team will also inform the corresponding team lead should the ticket need to be re-assigned to another technical resource.

Service Desk - phone published numbers

• 0330 058 8367
• 0203 086 7065

Should you believe the incident requires additional focus you will be put in contact with the Team Lead for the appropriate team and, should they not be available you will be contacted by the DSP Service Delivery Manager who will ensure the matter is progressed.

Where possible customers are asked to detail the escalation within the corresponding ticket within the ITSM portal using the escalation template (section 4).

As stated in section 1.1 Exclusions - DSP technical resources should not be viewed as the first point of contact for new escalations or events prior to a ticket being raised and, are advised to direct customers raising new escalation to follow the DSP Escalation Process.

Section 2.6 – Change to Planned Activity Notification

Section 2.6.1 – More Than 48 Hours’ Notice (UK Business Hours)

Where a customer needs to make a change to planned activity and is able to provide DSP notice greater than 48 hours, DSP recommend the following actions –

• Email to Service Delivery indicating DSP reference number and proposed change (servicedelivery@dsp-explorer.com)

And/Or

• Ticket Update in the ITSM Portal where access is available

Section 2.6.2 – Less Than 48 Hours’ Notice (24x7x365)

With less than 48 hours' notice both actions from 2.6.1 can still be carried out. However, to ensure that DSP are able to respond and prevent any further issues we ask that DSP customers contact the Service Desk by telephone.

Service Desk - phone published numbers

• 0330 058 8367
• 0203 086 7065

Section 3.1 – Quick Reference Guide – Tabulated with Document Section References

Shown below is a high-level summary of section 2 to act as a quick reference guide for DSP customers. This is presented graphically in section 3.2.