Getting support from Global Micro Solutions.
Need to log a support call? You have two ways to reach our Helpdesk. Your support plan (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum) determines what hours we cover and how quickly we respond.
How to log a support call
By phone
Dial +27 11 731 0600, choose option 1 for Support.
During business hours, your call connects to our Helpdesk team. Outside business hours, the menu provides options for Platinum and Gold customers with after-hours entitlement, or to leave a voicemail.
Customers calling from outside South Africa can use our regional numbers:
| Region | Number |
|---|---|
| United States | +1 404 689 6434 |
| United Kingdom | +44 20 8396 0877 |
| Ireland | +353 1 578 9175 |
| South Africa (Forge Group) | +27 11 731 0603 |
All regional numbers route to the same Helpdesk infrastructure.
By email
Email support@globalmicro.co.za. Include:
- A clear description of the issue
- Which system, service, or user is affected
- When the problem started
- What you have tried so far
- A phone number where we can reach you immediately if the issue is Priority 1 or 2
Email creates a ticket automatically and provides a written history both parties can refer to.
What we will ask you
Whichever channel you use, the Helpdesk will need:
- Your name and the organisation you are calling on behalf of — we can only accept calls from your nominated Technical Contacts
- A brief description of the problem
- The impact — who and how many people are affected
- A callback phone number — required for Priority 1 and Priority 2 issues, where we need to reach you immediately to keep work moving
Who can log a support call?
Each customer organisation nominates one or more Technical Contacts. Per the MSA (clause 5), only these named individuals can log support calls on the organisation’s behalf. This protects you against unauthorised changes and helps us route faster.
To update your Technical Contacts, email support@globalmicro.co.za with the names and email addresses to add or remove.
Support plans and coverage hours
Global Micro Solutions offers four support plans. Your contract specifies which plan applies to your services. If you are unsure, check your most recent service invoice (it will be itemised as “Bronze SLA”, “Silver Success Plan”, “Gold Success Plan” or “Platinum Success Plan”) or contact your account manager.
| Plan | Working hours coverage | After-hours coverage (P1 + P2 only) | Helpdesk response (P1 + P2) | Coverage definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze (default if no plan specified) | Best effort during Working Hours | Not available | Best effort | Working Hours |
| Silver | Yes, during Working Hours | Not available | Within Working Hours | Working Hours |
| Gold | Yes, during Extended Working Hours | Yes, for Priority 1 and 2 issues | Within Extended Working Hours | Extended Working Hours |
| Platinum | Yes, during Extended Working Hours | Yes — 24×7 for Priority 1 and 2 | Within 4 hours (24×7 for P1 / P2) | 24×7×365 for P1 / P2; Extended Working Hours for P3 / P4 |
What “Working Hours” and “Extended Working Hours” mean
These are defined precisely in the Master Services Agreement:
- Working Hours: 08:00–17:00 (+2:00 GMT — South African time), Monday to Friday, excluding South African public holidays. (MSA clause 1.39)
- Extended Working Hours: 06:30–21:30 (+2:00 GMT), Monday to Friday, excluding South African public holidays. (MSA clause 1.14)
Both windows are evaluated in South African Standard Time (UTC+2) regardless of where you are calling from — because our Helpdesk operates in those hours. If you are calling from another timezone, convert the SAST window to your local time to know when our team is available.
Example — a customer in Texas (US Central):
Working Hours = 00:00–09:00 their time. Extended Working Hours = 22:30 (previous day)–13:30 their time.
Why the tiers exist
- Bronze suits customers using basic services with no critical-uptime requirement
- Silver suits customers needing predictable response within business hours
- Gold suits customers running business operations needing extended-hours cover
- Platinum suits mission-critical workloads needing 24×7 cover for outages
If you are unsure which plan fits, your account manager can walk through your business needs.
Priority levels
When you log a support call, the Helpdesk classifies it by priority based on the impact (how many users or systems are affected) and the severity (whether work is blocked entirely or just degraded). Response times below are per MSA clause 15.1.
| Priority | What it means | Target response | Target plan / fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 — Critical | Service down or significant risk of data loss, affecting multiple customers or all your users | Respond within 2 hours | Workaround within 4 hours; permanent fix within 15 business days |
| P2 — Urgent | Significant performance degradation or impairment of significant components | Respond within 4 hours | Workaround within 8 hours; permanent fix within 15 business days |
| P3 — High | Performance degradation or storefront failure | Respond within 6 hours | Workaround within 12 hours; permanent fix within 30 business days |
| P4 — Normal | Issues with available workaround, or intermittent issues | Respond within 8 hours | Permanent fix within 30 business days |
| P5 — Minor | Information requests, documentation, enhancement requests | Respond within 12 hours | Next service release |
- All response times are measured during Coverage Hours, not wall-clock time. A P1 logged at 17:00 with a Silver plan has its 2-hour window paused overnight and resumes at 08:00 the next working day.
- For Priority 1 and 2 issues, you must provide a phone number answered immediately. If we cannot reach you to progress the work, the Helpdesk may reduce the priority to Normal so we can keep moving. (MSA clause 15.1.2)
- For Priority 3, the issue must be reproducible at the time the ticket is opened. If we cannot reproduce it on the call, it may be reduced to Priority 4.
After-hours support
If you are on Gold or Platinum, you can log Priority 1 and 2 issues outside Working Hours (MSA clause 14.2.4).
When you call +27 11 731 0600 (or any regional number) outside Working Hours, the system plays an after-hours greeting and asks for a four-digit access code. This code is provided in your welcome correspondence when you sign up for a Gold or Platinum plan — keep it confidential.
Once you enter your code:
- During Extended Working Hours (06:30–21:30 SAST, Mon–Fri) — both Gold and Platinum codes route you to live support
- Outside Extended Working Hours (overnight weekdays, weekends, public holidays) — only Platinum codes route to live support; Gold codes will be told that Gold support is unavailable at this time
If you do not have an access code, or your code does not match the current support window, you can:
- Leave a voicemail (press 0 on the after-hours menu) — voicemails are reviewed at the start of the next Working Day
- Email support@globalmicro.co.za — emails are processed during Coverage Hours
What if I am a Bronze or Silver customer with a critical issue after hours?
Bronze and Silver plans do not include after-hours coverage (MSA clause 13.4). You can:
- Leave a voicemail or email — work will begin during the next Working Hours
- Discuss an upgrade to Gold or Platinum with your account manager if after-hours coverage is operationally important to you
We are not able to make exceptions ad-hoc — the entitlement is contractually defined and applies consistently across all customers.
After-hours uplift fees
If after-hours work is performed under any plan (typically for in-coverage Gold and Platinum customers), an uplift applies to the Support Units consumed: +25% for weekday after-hours work, +50% for weekends and public holidays. This is detailed in MSA section 12 and reflects the higher cost of providing support outside Working Hours.
How to find out which support plan you are on
| Where to look | What you will see |
|---|---|
| Your most recent service invoice | A line item with “Bronze SLA”, “Silver Success Plan”, “Gold Success Plan”, or “Platinum Success Plan” |
| Your contract / MSA addendum | The Service Schedule specifies your plan and renewal terms |
| Your account manager | The fastest answer if you are not sure — email them or contact us |
If you have never had this conversation with us before, you are almost certainly on Bronze (the default plan when no specific tier is contracted).
Frequently asked questions
Q1. Can I email support after hours if I am a Bronze customer?
Yes — email is always available. The Helpdesk processes emails during Coverage Hours (Working Hours for Bronze and Silver, Extended Working Hours for Gold, 24×7 for Platinum P1/P2). Your email will be picked up at the start of the next Working Day for Bronze plans.
Q2. What if my Technical Contact is on leave or unreachable?
Nominate multiple Technical Contacts (there is no limit). Update the list as people change roles by emailing support@globalmicro.co.za. If your only nominated Technical Contact is unreachable, your support call may be delayed until you can confirm an authorised contact. We recommend at least two Technical Contacts and quarterly review.
Q3. Can my employees raise tickets directly, or only Technical Contacts?
Per the MSA (clause 5), only nominated Technical Contacts can log support calls. This is to prevent unauthorised changes to your environment. End users with issues should contact your Technical Contact, who will then escalate to GMS if needed.
Q4. What is the difference between "respond within 2 hours" and "fix within 4 hours"?
Respond means we acknowledge the ticket, assign it, and begin investigation. Plan means we provide a written plan of action and our initial assessment. Workaround means we provide a temporary way to continue working while we engineer the permanent fix. Fix means the issue is permanently resolved. For Priority 1 issues, the response (within 2 hours) is faster than the workaround (within 4 hours) is faster than the permanent fix (within 15 business days).
Q5. Why do I need to give you a callback phone number for Priority 1 and 2 issues?
Per MSA clause 15.1.2, we must be able to reach you immediately to keep work moving. P1 and P2 issues often need clarification, configuration changes, or test confirmation we cannot do without your input. If we cannot reach you, your ticket may be reduced to Priority 4. For Priority 3, 4, and 5 we work asynchronously — email and ticket updates are sufficient.
Q6. I called outside hours and got "extension not found" when I entered my code. What happened?
A few possibilities: your plan may be Bronze or Silver (after-hours codes only apply to Gold and Platinum); you may be on Gold and it is outside Extended Working Hours (before 06:30 or after 21:30 SAST, weekends, or public holidays — Gold only covers Extended Working Hours); you may be on Platinum but typed the code incorrectly (verify with your account manager); or you may be on Platinum and the code is correct — contact us at support@globalmicro.co.za and we will investigate.
Q7. Why are response times measured in South African time when I am in another country?
Our Helpdesk is based in South Africa, with extended-hours coverage during SAST business and extended hours. Response times are measured during Coverage Hours of the support team, not the customer. For Platinum 24×7 cover, this distinction does not matter — the team is available continuously.
Q8. My company has multiple subsidiaries. Do we all share one support plan?
It depends on how your contract is structured. Often each subsidiary or operating company has its own MSA and its own support plan. If you are not sure, contact your account manager or check your contract addenda. Each MSA has its own Technical Contacts and entitlements.
Q9. Can I escalate a ticket from Priority 4 to Priority 1 if the impact changes?
Yes — if the impact of an open issue escalates (for example a P4 intermittent issue becomes a P1 service outage), notify the Helpdesk immediately by phone. The Helpdesk will reclassify the ticket and the new Priority’s response and coverage rules will apply from that point.
Q10. How does the after-hours emergency Helpdesk work for Gold and Platinum?
For Gold and Platinum customers calling outside Working Hours, the +27 11 731 0600 number transfers to an after-hours emergency Helpdesk specifically for Priority 1 and 2 incidents. Priority 3, 4, and 5 issues raised outside Working Hours are accepted but will not be worked on until the next Coverage Hours window.
Q11. What happens if Global Micro fails to meet the SLA response time?
Per MSA section 16, failure to meet the Response Time Commitment entitles the customer to a Service Credit on the next billing cycle. The credit amount depends on tier and severity of breach (see MSA clause 16 for details). Service Credits are the customer’s sole remedy for SLA Response Time breaches.
Q12. Where can I read the full SLA terms?
The Master Services Agreement (Annexure A) at globalmicro.co.za/contracts/annexure-a-master-services-v10-13.pdf contains the full legal terms. This page translates the operational parts into plain English; the MSA is authoritative if there is any conflict.
Related links
- Read the full Master Services Agreement (Annexure A) — PDF
- All contracts and service schedules
- Contact a security engineer
This page is an operational guide. If anything here conflicts with the Master Services Agreement (Annexure A), the MSA is authoritative.