Every ticket gets a severity. It decides how quickly an engineer responds, how quickly the issue should be resolved, and when it escalates if a deadline is at risk. This article explains the four levels and how to choose the right one.
Severity levels at a glance
| Severity | Description | Initial response | Target resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1: Critical | Full site outage, or major functionality unavailable | 1 hour, around the clock | 8 to 16 hours, around the clock |
| P2: High | Significant degradation affecting multiple users | 2 business hours | 16 to 24 business hours |
| P3: Medium | Partial impact, with a workaround available | 4 business hours | 1 to 2 business days |
| P4: Low | Minor issue or request | 1 business day | 3 to 5 business days |
How time is counted. P1 targets run around the clock, 24x7. P2 to P4 targets count business hours only: 8am to 5pm ET, Monday to Friday, which makes a business day 9 hours. For example, a P3 ticket raised at 4pm ET on a Friday, with its 4 business-hour response target, is due by 11am ET the following Monday.
The acknowledgement email with your ticket number is immediate for every severity. The initial response is when an engineer engages with the issue itself. These are eWay's standard targets; if your service agreement specifies different targets, your agreement applies.
P1? Submit the ticket, then call 877-487-3929 (8am to 5pm ET, Monday to Friday) so an engineer engages immediately. See calling support for critical issues.
Examples
| Severity | Typical examples |
|---|---|
| P1 | The website does not load for anyone. Publishing has stopped entirely before a deadline. Sign-in is failing for all editors. A security incident such as defaced pages. |
| P2 | Pages are loading very slowly for many visitors. Search or a key form is failing. Publishes are completing only partially. |
| P3 | One section shows stale content but a republish works around it. A form fails for some users. An intermittent error on a few pages. |
| P4 | A cosmetic issue, a question about how something works, a small configuration change, or a request for access. |
Choosing a severity
Ask three questions:
- How much work is blocked? Everything, a significant part, a small part, or nothing?
- How many people are affected? All visitors or editors, many, a few, or one?
- Is there a workaround? None, one that is painful, or a reasonable one?
An issue does not need to match every description exactly. Choose the level that fits best, and describe the impact in the ticket. The engineer will confirm it with you.
How severity is agreed
- When the engineer triages the ticket, they confirm the severity with you where needed.
- Severity can change. If an issue gets worse, reply to the ticket and say so, and it will be raised. If a workaround is found, it may be lowered while the permanent fix continues.
- The ticket's priority always matches its agreed severity, and its resolution due date is based on that priority.
How the clock works
- Response and resolution deadlines are tracked by the support desk for every ticket. For P2 to P4 the clock runs during business hours only; for P1 it never stops.
- When a ticket is Pending because we are waiting on information from you, the clock pauses. It resumes as soon as you reply.
- If a deadline is at risk or missed, the ticket escalates automatically. See escalating a ticket.
- Target resolution times are targets. Complex issues, or those that depend on a third party such as a software vendor, can take longer. When that happens, the ticket is updated with the reason and a revised estimate.
Related: what happens after you submit a ticket and how to request support.
Was this article helpful?
That’s Great!
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry! We couldn't be helpful
Thank you for your feedback
Feedback sent
We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article