Definition of Best Effort
Resources and Service
The items and coverage of this agreement are governed by the availability of SchoolNow resources, and our definition of best effort. Any item, service, or support offered is defined by the definitions below, to establish a fair working agreement between both parties.
SchoolNow defines best effort as a reasonable response to a request that can be achieved within the context of the technology and platform available.
The SchoolNow team will make every effort to comply with all our customer requests, but request outcomes may be changed or denied based on:
- Requests that ask for something that the current version of the SchoolNow platform cannot do.
- Limits of technology or browser versions * See below
- Limits by a specific network system or point of access to SchoolNow
- If the SchoolNow team is unable to replicate the issue on its end, it cannot assist the client with troubleshooting
- If this issue is related to your organization's network configuration or policies (for example, your school may block YouTube or other sites.)
- Browser issues on a specific computer
- If the SchoolNow team cannot replicate the issue on its end, it cannot assist the client with troubleshooting its computer(s)
- Requests that require undue effort for a similarly available outcome or effect with available options
- Major requests without a defined work agreement
- Requests that are repetitive due to a lack of training
- Requests that have no specific needed function
Common Browsers
SchoolNow is dedicated to ensuring optimal compatibility with popular web browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox, supporting up to two versions back. Due to variations in browser capabilities, some features may not be universally compatible. Our team prioritizes best practices in website development to ensure seamless functionality across the most commonly used browsers. If you encounter a function that is not working as expected in a specific browser or version, please reach out to our support desk for assistance, and we will investigate the issue to determine if it can be resolved.
Apple and Safari
SchoolNow only supports iOS versions that are fully supported by Apple. Some features (such as the form email option that abstracts email addresses in directory listings) will not work in Safari running on older versions of iOS.
Availability of SchoolNow Resources
Support services are guaranteed only to those clients whose accounts are in “good standing” (i.e., paid in full with no outstanding invoices). For accounts not in “good standing”, granting support services to such clients is at the discretion of SchoolNow and is not guaranteed.
SchoolNow end-user support is available from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. EST on working business days, with 24x7 on-call support available, depending on the support plan selected. SchoolNow is closed on the following holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving
- Day after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Eve (Half Day)
- Christmas
Depending on the day of the week for some holidays, an alternative date may be selected that attempts to follow the same date(s) observed by most businesses. Support for the day after Thanksgiving will be on an on-call basis. Special time or scheduling requests can be accommodated given ample advance notice to the SchoolNow support team.
Extreme cases may occur that could affect the availability of SchoolNow support services. In the event of such cases, SchoolNow will attempt to alert clients of any scheduled or unscheduled support interruption of service. Such cases include, but are not limited to:
- Natural disasters or inclement weather in Newport, Kentucky or the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio area.
- Extended Internet or power outages that render SchoolNow on-site technology unusable.
- National/local crises that jeopardize the safety of SchoolNow employees.
SchoolNow genuinely considers our best practices guidance "intellectual capital". Our years of experience, technical research, as well as our familiarity with developing a wide variety of websites (large, small, educational, non-profit and the occasional corporate organization) has enabled us to build an extensive knowledge base. All plausible standards are built into our sites, wherever possible.
Our designers are constantly testing our design styles in multiple environments and on various stationary and mobile devices. Although standards can be stretched quite far, we always recommend erring on the side of compatibility and proven techniques that work in the most popular and common platforms. We’ll know right away whether or not a particular function request will perform consistently (i.e. we’ll ensure compatibility everywhere).
Whenever SchoolNow is asked to use technology not yet fully adopted by industry "standards" (such as the “flaming logo” scooting across the screen) we’ll deter members from incorporating it. Instead, we’ll guide them to an alternative solution that likely achieves their goal but works safely in a wider spectrum of environments.
The nature of design and function is subjective at best. Customers occasionally see something new they like on another site (for example, full-screen moving video on the home page). That function may be using a leading-edge technology not yet built or tested across the board. Our platform focuses on delivering school content to a wide variety of audiences (parents, students, faculty/staff, and the community at large) that is ADA-accessible, and uses minimal bandwidth. Here again, if the criteria of broad usage and industry acceptance is not met, we’ll strongly discourage its use and in some cases, simply cannot deliver.
Our process always seeks to follow best practices. Whenever SchoolNow is resistant to requests, please understand that we're trying to help you side-step trouble. Some requests are known to lead to functional outcomes that can’t be controlled. Informing a customer that we can’t break from our discipline is always a challenge, especially whenever they have seen it work elsewhere (albeit in a limited environment). We strongly caution members not to jeopardize their long-term results. Following our lead will leave you with little to worry about.
Deviating from widely accepted standards, often results in devastating consequences. Simple as that. Most best-practices are tried and true, while others are somewhat subjective. Having built every kind of educational site imaginable, solid, predictable functionality never falls out of favor, only the style and look of a design fades.
The SchoolNow "playbook" that is referenced often, helps governs our best practices. Clients can rest assured that we have their overall best interests at heart and we intend to reward those who rely on our dedication to serve them best.
