Seagull Software Technical Support Guideline

1. Overview

This Seagull Software (“Seagull” or the “Company”) Technical Support Guideline (the “Guideline”) describes Seagull’s commercial technical support practices for eligible BarTender solutions, including licensed BarTender software deployed on Customer-controlled infrastructure and BarTender Cloud subscriptions, to the extent the support operations described herein are applicable to the relevant offering. This Guideline supplements the applicable license, maintenance, subscription, ordering, or partner documentation governing Customer’s use of BarTender products. In the event of a conflict between this Guideline and the governing agreement, the governing agreement will control.

This Guideline is intended to consolidate and summarize Seagull’s current support-related guidance, including support scope, eligibility, support channels, issue prioritization, and case handling procedures, that are used across both BarTender Software and BarTender Cloud support operations. Cloud service availability commitments, hosted-service recovery commitments, and other service-hosting obligations remain governed, where applicable, by the separate Seagull SaaS/Cloud SLA.

2. Scope and Applicability

• This Guideline applies only to BarTender offerings for which Customer maintains an active subscription, maintenance, or other support entitlement recognized by Seagull.
• This Guideline applies to production and non-production use cases, except that production-impacting issues will receive elevated priority than issues affecting testing, development, sandbox, or staging environments.
• The support channels, response targets, severity definitions, issue-submission practices, and case-handling procedures described in this Guideline are generally used across both BarTender Software and BarTender Cloud support operations.
• For customer-hosted or on-premises deployments, Customer is solely responsible for hosting infrastructure, virtualization, networking, storage, operating-system administration, backup, disaster recovery, access management, security operations, and environmental resiliency.
• For BarTender Cloud, Seagull remains responsible only for the hosted service elements expressly covered by the applicable Seagull SaaS/Cloud SLA terms, while the support operations in this Guideline continue to govern how technical issues and inquiries are submitted, prioritized, and handled.

3. Definitions

• “Business Hours” means the support office hours applicable to the support region assigned to the Issue, excluding local holidays observed by that support office.
• “Customer Infrastructure” means all systems, infrastructure, services, and components not provided by Seagull and used to deploy, run, secure, manage, or connect to BarTender software, including cloud tenancy resources, servers, virtual machines, containers, databases, networks, storage, operating systems, identity services, monitoring tools, and backup systems.
• “Issue” means any support request submitted by a user related to an eligible BarTender offering, including but not limited to: (a) suspected errors or malfunctions; (b) service degradation or unexpected behavior; (c) potential security concerns; or (d) requests for technical clarification or usage guidance.
• “Supported Version” means a BarTender software version and service release that remains within Seagull’s published support lifecycle and is operated on a compatible, supported platform as reasonably designated by Seagull from time to time. Supported status means eligibility for technical assistance but does not by itself guarantee that defect fixes will be issued for that version or release.
• “Response Target” means a non-binding objective for the timing of an initial or subsequent reply from Seagull Technical Support. Response Targets are operational goals only and are not guarantees, warranties, or penalty-bearing commitments.
• “Workaround” means a temporary or alternative operational measure that reduces or avoids the practical effect of an issue without permanently correcting the underlying cause.
• “SLT” or “Service Level Target” means an objective that specifies the estimated time within which the Seagull Software support team should acknowledge or respond to a customer request, ticket, or issue.
• "AI-Assisted Support Output" means any response, recommendation, summary, troubleshooting suggestion, analysis, translation, categorization, interpretation, diagnosis, draft communication, proposed resolution, or other output generated in whole or in part through artificial intelligence, machine learning, large language models, automated reasoning tools, or similar technologies used by Seagull in the delivery of Technical Support. 

4. Support Eligibility, Support Lifecycle, and Software Fix Delivery

• Active entitlement required. Technical assistance is available only while Customer maintains an active subscription, or maintenance agreement, or comparable support entitlement associated with the relevant BarTender offering.
• Supported versions. Customer remains eligible for technical assistance while operating a Supported Version of BarTender software. Seagull will publish version support status and end-of-support information from time to time, and technical assistance will be limited or unavailable for versions designated unsupported or end-of-support.
• Validated versions in customer-hosted environments. A Customer’s decision to remain on a specific validated BarTender software version for internal quality, regulatory, or change-control reasons does not by itself terminate support eligibility, provided the version remains within Seagull’s supported lifecycle and the deployment otherwise satisfies this Guideline.
• Customer-controlled update timing for software deployments. For on-premises and customer-hosted deployments, BarTender software updates are not deployed continuously by Seagull into Customer’s environment. Customer determines whether and when to install updates, service releases, or major versions, subject to its own internal change-management process.
• Cloud offerings. Where Customer uses BarTender Cloud, the timing and method of service updates remain governed by the applicable SaaS/Cloud service model and related terms, and the support response processes in this Guideline continue to apply to support requests.
• Upgrade requests during troubleshooting. If an issue appears to be caused by an unsupported platform, unsupported BarTender software version, or an issue already resolved in a later supported release, Seagull may request that Customer test or reproduce the issue on a supported configuration or current service release as part of continued investigation.

4.1 Published Supported BarTender Software Versions

The table below reflects the supported BarTender software versions. Supported status means eligibility for technical assistance. 

Exceptionally, customers on a BarTender version that has reached End of Support (EOS) will receive assistance with license activation cases if they have an active Subscription or Maintenance agreement for that license. Otherwise, EOS licenses not on a contract are not eligible for support in any form.

4.2 On-Premises Software Fix Delivery Terms

• Supported status means eligibility for technical assistance and troubleshooting; it does not mean that Seagull will issue code fixes for each supported version or release.
• For BarTender on-premises software, Seagull generally develops and releases software defect fixes only in the then-current latest BarTender version and latest release.
• Except for critical security issues handled at Seagull’s discretion, Seagull generally does not backport software defect fixes to prior BarTender versions or prior releases even where those versions remain within the published support lifecycle.
• Seagull does not provide one-off patching or hot fixing of an existing installed on-premises version. Customers typically receive fixes only by installing a subsequent general release, service release, or newer major version that includes the fix.
• Accordingly, Seagull may advise Customer to upgrade to a later release or version to obtain a software fix, while continuing to provide reasonable technical assistance and troubleshooting on the supported version then in use.

5. Support Languages and Response Target Applicability

• Support for BarTender Software and BarTender Cloud is available in English, and may be available in Spanish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish at Seagull’s discretion and availability.
• Response Targets apply to replies made by Support in English. Replies in non-English languages are supported on a best-efforts basis.
• Response Targets do not apply to issues that have been internally escalated to engineering such as BarTender bug reports, feature requests, or questions.
• All support offices observe local holidays.

6. Support Plans, Availability, and Channels

Unless otherwise specified in an applicable order form or supplemental support offering, support is provided under the support plan attached to Customer’s active subscription or maintenance entitlement. The following tables summarize Seagull’s current support plans and response targets used across eligible BarTender offerings.

6.1 Regional Office Hours

Applies to BarTender Software and BarTender Cloud support.

6.2 Support Plans Summary

6.3 First Response SLTs by Support Plan and Severity

6.4 Next Reply SLTs by Support Plan and Severity

6.5 Additional Target Applicability Notes

• For Premium Support, during and outside office hours, First Response SLTs apply only to support inquiries initiated through the Get Support page; they do not apply to inquiries initiated via email.
• For Standard and Essential Support, First Response SLTs apply only to support inquiries initiated through the Get Support page; they do not apply to inquiries initiated via email. Response time targets measured against an issue will not exceed eight business hours in a day, regardless of open office hours.
• Support tickets from Premium Support customers/licenses that are incorrectly created may be assigned to Standard Support time targets instead.

7. Scope of Technical Support

• Activation, licensing, and maintenance-status assistance;
• Installation and configuration questions for eligible BarTender offerings;
• Issue diagnosis, troubleshooting, and reproduction assistance;
• Post-sales support on capabilities, features, and product behavior;
• Collection and review of logs, configuration details, repro steps, and related diagnostic materials reasonably necessary to investigate an issue;
• Investigation of suspected code-level defects in supported, unmodified BarTender software, including in customer-hosted or internally managed cloud environments, provided Customer reasonably cooperates with diagnosis and provides the information and access required to assess the issue;
• Escalation of suspected product defects to engineering where Seagull reasonably determines that the issue likely arises from a BarTender product rather than Customer Infrastructure or unsupported third-party components
• Support operations for BarTender Cloud inquiries and issues, including ticket intake, prioritization, troubleshooting, and communication, except that cloud availability, uptime, maintenance, backup, and recovery commitments remain governed separately by the SaaS/Cloud SLA where applicable.
• Support for Drivers by Seagull only when used together with a supported version of BarTender and under a maintenance and support agreement or subscription.

If an issue involves both BarTender products and Customer Infrastructure, Seagull will use commercially reasonable efforts to help determine the probable point of failure and support hand-off. Seagull is not responsible for administering or remediating Customer Infrastructure, but a mixed-environment deployment does not by itself exclude review of a suspected BarTender software defect.

Section 7.1 – AI-Assisted Support Services 

To help deliver efficient and responsive Technical Support, Seagull may use artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, large language models, automated classification systems, and similar technologies ("AI-Assisted Support").

AI-Assisted Support may be used to provide information, recommendations, troubleshooting guidance, workflow assistance, case management activities, and other support-related services. While Seagull strives to provide accurate and helpful support experiences, AI-generated outputs may not always be complete, accurate, or appropriate for every situation and may occasionally contain errors, omissions, or incorrect assumptions.

Customers should review and evaluate AI-Assisted Support Output in light of their specific business, technical, operational, security, regulatory, and compliance requirements before implementation or reliance. Where appropriate, Customers should independently validate recommendations, configurations, diagnoses, or proposed actions, particularly in production, regulated, safety-sensitive, or business-critical environments.

AI-Assisted Support Output is intended to assist Customers in the use and support of Seagull products and services. However, unless expressly confirmed in writing by an authorized Seagull representative, AI-Assisted Support Output does not constitute professional, legal, regulatory, compliance, engineering, certification, or security advice, nor does it represent a formal product commitment, warranty, guarantee, or binding statement regarding product behavior.

Because AI systems can generate responses that appear plausible but may be inaccurate or incomplete, Customers remain responsible for determining the suitability of AI-Assisted Support Output for their particular circumstances. Seagull does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or fitness for a particular purpose of AI-Assisted Support Output and recommends that significant decisions or actions be appropriately reviewed before implementation.

When AI-Assisted Support Output is subsequently reviewed, approved, or otherwise confirmed in writing by an authorized Seagull representative, such confirmation shall govern to the extent specified in that communication.

8. Not Included in Technical Support; Professional Services

• Technical Support does not include introductory or in-depth product training, consultation and implementation assistance, configuration or usage best-practices engagements, programming, coding, integration design, or custom label and template design.
• Where an issue falls outside the ordinary scope of Technical Support, Seagull may recommend that Customer engage Seagull Professional Services, a BarTender partner, or other qualified resources.

9. Exclusions and Limitations

• Issues caused by factors outside Seagull’s reasonable control, including force majeure events and Internet or telecommunications failures beyond Seagull’s control;
• Issues caused by Customer Infrastructure failures, misconfiguration, insufficient resources, facility or power problems, network segmentation, security tooling, endpoint restrictions, virtualization behavior, backup practices, disaster recovery practices, or operating-system-level administration;
• Issues arising from unsupported BarTender versions, unsupported service releases, unsupported operating systems, unsupported system configurations, or unsupported deployment patterns;
• Issues caused by third-party hardware, third-party software, third-party integrations, or third-party services, except to the extent Seagull is diagnosing interoperability with supported BarTender functionality;
• Custom development, programming, code writing, implementation consulting, custom integration design, custom label design, or project deliverables typically performed as professional services;
• Feature requests, product enhancement requests, roadmap commitments, or the timing of future releases, fixes, or certification activities;
• Beta, preview, trial, alpha, or otherwise non-generally available functionality unless expressly stated otherwise by Seagull;
• Issues where Customer fails to provide reasonably requested information, logs, access, personnel availability, or timely cooperation necessary for diagnosis.
• Administration or repair of Customer databases, operating systems, infrastructure services, identity platforms, cloud tenancy resources under Customer control, or backup and disaster-recovery systems.
• Inaccuracies, omissions, misclassifications, mistranslations, incomplete analyses, incorrect recommendations, or other errors contained in AI-Assisted Support Output, except to the extent liability cannot be excluded under applicable law.

10. Issue Submission and Customer Cooperation

• Unless otherwise specified in a supplemental support offering purchased by Customer, issues should be submitted by the registered end user of the relevant BarTender offering, or an authorized Seagull partner, through the supported channels for the applicable support plan.
• To suitably track and investigate an issue, Customer should register for an account and register the relevant product(s), identify the registered end user or relationship to that end user, provide the BarTender Support Number where applicable, state a clear subject and full description of the issue, and provide relevant files or logs reasonably requested by Support.
• Customers should provide: license or support identifier; product edition and version; service release or build where applicable; operating-system version where relevant; deployment description; issue description and desired outcome; severity/business impact; relevant files; logs; screenshots; and reasonable contact availability for troubleshooting.
• For Severity 1 and Severity 2 issues, Customer should make appropriate technical personnel available during active troubleshooting and, where reasonably necessary, provide timely access to logs, repro steps, test environments, or remote sessions needed to isolate the cause.
• Seagull may reclassify the stated severity level if the reported impact does not align with the severity definitions in this Guideline.
• Where Customer requests interpretation of logs, diagnostic information, system configurations, documentation, labels, workflows, integrations, regulatory requirements, or other technical materials, Customer acknowledges that automated analysis tools may be used to assist Technical Support. Customer remains responsible for verifying all conclusions and recommendations before implementation in production environments. 

11. Issue Response, Severity Classification, and Closure

For each issue reported in accordance with these procedures, Technical Support will ordinarily confirm receipt of the issue with an automated electronic acknowledgement for issues initiated via email or web form, set a Priority or Severity Level, analyze the issue, request additional information where needed, provide guidance or assistance in resolving the issue, and keep a record of ongoing communications.

11.1 Severity Classification

11.2 Resolution and Closure

• Resolution may take the form of an explanation, recommendation, usage instructions, workaround instructions, a recommendation to install a later supported release, confirmation of infrastructure or third-party causation, or escalation of a suspected product defect to engineering.
• For BarTender-related feature requests or software fixes, Support Targets apply until Technical Support has identified and reported the feature request or suspected defect to Development, after which the support ticket may be changed to Closed. Decisions about implementing feature requests or software fixes remain at Seagull’s sole discretion, and there is no guarantee that a requested fix or feature will be implemented.
• If unsupported Windows versions and/or unsupported BarTender versions or service releases are used, Seagull may request that Customer update Windows and/or the licensed BarTender software to a supported and compatible version as part of attempting to resolve the issue. If the problem disappears upon installing the updated version, Seagull may consider the issue resolved.
• An open issue may be treated as dormant if Customer does not respond during qualification or troubleshooting. Dormant Issues may be moved to Solved status. Solved issues may generally be reopened within ninety-six (96) calendar hours, after which they may be considered Closed, subject to Seagull’s then-current support operations.

• Any AI-Assisted Support Output provided during investigation may be revised, corrected, superseded, or withdrawn following additional review by Technical Support or Engineering. Customer should not treat preliminary AI-generated analyses or recommendations as final determinations of root cause. 

   

12. Customers with Expired Subscription or Maintenance 

An active subscription or maintenance agreement, or other recognized support entitlement is required in order to receive assistance from Seagull Technical Support for BarTender offerings, including activation support and other technical assistance, unless Seagull expressly states otherwise in writing. Customers whose subscription or maintenance has expired are required to renew or reinstate to an active contract status before Seagull provides assistance.

13. General Terms

• Commercially reasonable efforts. Seagull will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide support under this Guideline, subject to Customer eligibility, cooperation, staffing, language availability, and the nature of the reported issue.
• Guideline updates. Seagull will revise this Guideline from time to time to reflect operational, product, or support-model changes. Unless otherwise required by the governing agreement, the version in effect at the time support is requested will apply.
• No expansion of license rights. Nothing in this Guideline expands Customer’s license scope or authorizes use of BarTender beyond the rights granted in the governing software license, subscription terms, or ordering document.

14. AI Output Disclaimer

• Seagull may use artificial intelligence, machine learning, large language models, automated classification systems, and similar technologies to enhance Technical Support, including customer interactions, issue classification, knowledge retrieval, translation, summarization, troubleshooting assistance, workflow automation, and related support activities.
• AI-Assisted Support Output is intended to help Customers obtain information, guidance, and support more efficiently. Because AI-generated content is probabilistic in nature, outputs may occasionally be inaccurate, incomplete, based on incorrect assumptions, or unsuitable for a Customer's particular environment or circumstances. Customers should use appropriate judgment and validation before implementing recommendations, configurations, diagnoses, corrective actions, or other AI-generated guidance, particularly in production, regulated, security-sensitive, or business-critical environments.
• Unless expressly confirmed in writing by an authorized Seagull representative, AI-Assisted Support Output is provided for informational and support purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, compliance, certification, or professional advice, nor does it create any warranty, guarantee, product commitment, or binding statement regarding product functionality, performance, compatibility, root cause, or future behavior.
• AI-Assisted Support Output does not modify, expand, or supersede any applicable agreement, support policy, product documentation, published specifications, security commitments, compliance statements, or service-level commitments.