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Chat with us for assistance finding technical documentation and product information, or using your subscription benefits.

• Access Online Chat

1. What is the TechNet Online Chat?

   Online Chat is a one-to-one Web-based chat service for TechNet subscribers, that can be used for finding technical documentation, product information, or information on how to use your subscription benefits.

   The Online Chat does not provide answers to TechNet subscription queries. For assistance on questions specific to managing subscriptions, or to make changes to your subscription by phone, online, or email, please contact customer service.

2. When is the TechNet Online Chat service available?

   TechNet Online Chat is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in English. It is also available in Japanese during Japanese business hours.

Post your technical questions in TechNet Forums to receive a response from a Microsoft support professional within 2 business days if the community hasn't answered your question.

• Access TechNet Forums

3. Is there a limit to the number of posts I can place?

   There is no limit to the number of postings that you can make to the Forums.

4. How do I access the priority based support in TechNet Forums?

   To access TechNet Forums, sign in to My Account. To ensure you receive a response within 2 business days, you must post using the Microsoft account associated with your subscription.

5. When will I get a response to questions I have posted on the Forums?

   You will receive a response within two (2) business days (English only) by a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) or one of your peers. A Microsoft support professional will review responses for accuracy and post a response if needed.

6. Is anyone ensuring that responses are accurate?

   There are two ways we ensure that responses are accurate: First, Forum members tend to do a good job of guiding discussions and challenging answers that are suspect. Second, Microsoft support professionals review queries posted by registered TechNet Forums users to ensure that the community's responses are correct, and will respond if the community provides an incorrect or incomplete answer.

7. I posted a question to TechNet Forums and someone in the community responded, but I’m not satisfied with the response. Do I have to post the question again to get help from a Microsoft support professional?

   If an answer from the community does not resolve your issue and you require further assistance, you do not need to repost your question, but you do need to reply to the thread and state that your issue is not resolved to your satisfaction.

   Note: Microsoft support professionals review all responses to TechNet Subscribers. A Microsoft support professional will correct erroneous replies to a question, but may not directly respond if the community has correctly answered the question.

8. What's the difference between TechNet Forum support and the Professional support calls benefit?

   With TechNet Forums, TechNet subscribers enjoy unlimited, complimentary support as opposed to the limited number of professional support calls.

   Complex break/fix issues that involve extensive research time and issues involving custom-environment or server down situations are best handled by working with a Microsoft support professional through a Professional Support Call, rather than through Forum support.

As a TechNet Professional subscriber, you are entitled to receive two (2) complimentary support calls and a 20 percent discount¹ on any additional support calls you purchase. TechNet Standard subscribers are not entitled to complimentary Technical Support incidents.

• Contact Microsoft Technical Support

9. For which types of technical issues can I use the complimentary professional support calls included in my TechNet Professional subscription?

   TechNet Professional subscriptions include professional support calls to assist when encountering specific symptoms while using a Microsoft product and where there is a reasonable expectation that the problem is caused by the Microsoft product. These Support calls can be used:

   • To resolve technical break/fix issues in a non-production environment
   • To find a solution to a production issue that can be replicated in a non-production environment.

   A call is defined as a single support issue and the reasonable effort needed to resolve it. A single support call is a problem that cannot be broken down into subordinate issues. If a problem consists of subordinate issues, each shall be considered a separate call.

   If a problem is determined by Microsoft to be the result of a defect in a Microsoft product, the customer will not be charged for that call.

10. How can I activate my professional support calls?

    You must set up your support contract while or before submitting your first incident. This process may take up to 3 business days.

    Subscribers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa:

    Follow the activation instructions included on http://support.microsoft.com/activatesupport.

    Subscribers in all other geographies:

    1. Call the Microsoft Technical Support number for your country. Subscribers in the US and Canada can also set up a contract via chat when you submit your first support incident.

       You will need your Subscriber ID (Benefit Access Number), which can be found within My Account.

    2. Tell the agent that you need to set up a support contract for your TechNet subscription.
    3. The agent will provide you a Contract ID and Access ID. You will need these each time you submit an incident online or by phone.

    Already have your Contract ID or Access ID? Submit an issue online or call the Microsoft Technical Support number for your country.

11. Can I purchase additional professional support calls?

    Additional support calls can be purchased at a 20% discount¹ any time during your active subscription period. This offer only applies to pay-per-incident Professional Support and cannot be used for 5-incident packs, Premier Support, or Essential Support.

    ¹Discounts on pay-per-incident support are available only in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Austria, Ireland, Finland, France, South Africa, Greece, Liechtenstein, Faeroe Islands, Gibraltar, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

12. Can unused support incidents be carried over when I renew?

    Unused support incidents cannot be carried over when renewing your subscription. If you renew your TechNet Professional, you are entitled to new incidents.

If you are a TechNet Volume License Administrator, for information on TechNet benefits administration using the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) site, please visit the Volume Licensing section. If you don’t find what you are looking for, please contact us.

Software Assurance Benefit recipients: To manage your subscription, contact your benefits administrator, or find details in Subscriptions and Licenses.

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