Scheduling Work

Philosophy

Percona operates by scheduling work with consultants in advance. We know that your needs for help are often wildly unpredictable, and we strive to be ready to meet all your needs anytime. However would you prefer to wait one week for a doctor but then feel he's quickly rushing you out the door because he's overloaded, or wait two weeks but have his full and undivided attention when you finally see him? For us the choice is obvious, and this is how we try to work. So our rule is first come, first served, with no jumping of the queue unless you require that your issue be handled as an emergency.

How To Schedule

For new customers our Shift Captains will schedule your initial time with our consultant. Once your work with a consultant is underway, you switch to scheduling time directly with him. See here for how to contact consultants directly. The minimum block of time consultants will schedule is one hour. If the work takes less time, say 20 minutes, you are billed only for actual 20 minutes worked, not for the one hour that was scheduled. Any new task where you require work to begin in three business days (72 hours) or less is treated as a request for emergency help.

Effective Scheduling

Usually you also want your technical staff to be online and accessible at the same time. Quick back and forth interactions can often solve misunderstandings and avoid delays. Other important considerations when scheduling: the amount of advance preparation needed by the consultant, the amount of time he will need to do the actual work, time zone differences, non-working hours, and local holidays. It helps if you propose several different times for your consultant to choose from. Don't forget to always specify the timezone!