Find the right priority
Priority decides how fast we respond, who works on the ticket and how often you hear from us. Answer four questions to see where your issue fits. Your Support Specialist confirms the priority within 15 minutes of receiving the ticket.
Your answers will show the matching priority, response and resolution times.
See what happens nextBusiness hours and days follow your service agreement. Where your agreement sets different or stricter service levels, your agreement applies.
How to raise a ticket
A ticket is the record of everything we do for you. It starts the clock and keeps every decision in one place.
During business hours
- 1Raise a ticket in the HR Blizz support portal or email your usual support address.
- 2Tell us what you see: entity, pay period, number of employees affected, payment date and payroll cutoff, and any recent changes.
- 3Attach evidence: screenshots, reports or file names. This saves a round of questions.
Your ticket's journey by priority
Times count from when the ticket is raised. Steps marked in orange need something from you.
- 15 minSupport SpecialistConfirms the ticket is Urgent and alerts the support team leader.
- 15 minSupport team leaderOpens a dedicated war room and brings in the on-call engineer. The war room stays open until you confirm the fix works.
- 30 minOur account teamIf a fix might not be ready in time, starts assessing workarounds in parallel.
- 1 hourSupport SpecialistFirst notice to you: impact, entities and pay period affected, what we are doing, next update time.
- Every 2 hSupport SpecialistOne consolidated update until resolved.
- 2 hoursSupport ManagerIf resolution before the deadline is at risk, our Support Manager takes over and calls you with your options (see payroll cutoff).
- If neededYouApprove any workaround or payroll option in writing on the ticket.
- 4 h or cutoffMercansFix deployed and tested, or an approved workaround applied. Resolution notice tells you what to check.
- Before approvalYouCheck the real payroll result (payslips, bank or statutory file) and confirm in writing.
- 5 bus. daysSupport SpecialistRoot-cause report and permanent-fix plan sent to you.
- On receiptSupport SpecialistConfirms the priority and becomes your single point of contact for this ticket through to closure.
- Same daySupport SpecialistInvestigates. Resolves directly, or assigns one accountable specialist team (for example configuration, payroll operations, compliance or engineering).
- OngoingSupport SpecialistUpdates you at every status change (Low: every 10 business days while we chase the third party).
- At 75% of resolution timeTeam leaderIf the deadline is at risk, the ticket is escalated to the responsible team leader, who adds resources and sets a new plan. We tell you the new ETA.
- Still at riskMercans leadershipReviewed by our Support Manager and our executive leadership, who assign an owner who stays with it until it is closed.
- 48 hoursYouVerify the fix. If we don't hear back within 48 hours, we close the ticket; you can reopen it if the issue returns.
- If neededMercansRoot-cause report for missed deadlines, recurring issues and regressions.
If a High or Medium issue starts to affect an open payroll, tell us: it moves to Urgent at once.
- 15 minSupport ManagerDeclares a major incident, takes command and opens an incident bridge with our engineering lead.
- 30 minSupport ManagerFirst notice to every affected client: what is affected, what we are doing, next update time.
- 30 minEngineeringContains the issue: stops affected jobs, freezes changes, rolls back linked changes where needed.
- Every 60 minSupport ManagerUpdate with the impact on your payroll and next update time.
- Before cutoffSupport ManagerIf service is not restored, per-client options notice so your employees are paid on time.
- RestoredMercansService verified for every affected client; resolution notice sent. Your ticket stays open until you confirm your result.
- 5 bus. daysSupport ManagerPost-incident report: timeline, root cause and preventive actions.
Data and security incidents
Any suspected data or security issue, however small, is owned by our Quality, Compliance and Risk Management (QCRM) team from the moment it is discovered. We contain access, preserve evidence and notify you within the time set by your data processing agreement or applicable law, whichever is stricter. Report suspected issues at once, marked as security.
When your payroll cutoff is close
An Urgent ticket must be resolved within 4 hours or before your payroll cutoff, whichever comes first. When the cutoff is sooner, every checkpoint moves earlier. Try it: set the time left until your cutoff.
Raise Urgent tickets as early as possible: more time before cutoff means more options.
Your timeline
- War room open, on-call engineer engaged
- First notice to you
- If resolution is at risk, our Support Manager takes over and calls you with your options
- Resolution target: 4 hours
- If still unresolved: your written decision needed (cutoff − 1 h). No decision: we pay on time and correct off-cycle
- Every 2 hConsolidated update (next at 3 h)
- Your payroll cutoff
Workarounds and payroll options
Paying your employees correctly and on time comes first. If a permanent fix won't be ready before the deadline, we give you safe alternatives. You decide.
Workarounds
Workarounds touch your payroll data, so they are designed and applied only by your account team: Managed Services operations for managed-payroll clients, Customer Success for HR Blizz SaaS clients. Engineering advises; it never changes your data.
- We explain what the workaround does, its limits and the permanent-fix date.
- Nothing is applied without your written approval on the ticket.
- Every change is peer-checked and fully audited.
- A permanent fix follows, with a due date we track.
Payroll options notice
Pay on time, correct next run
Pay with the known issue and correct it in the next payroll.
Off-cycle correction
Pay on time, then run a correction payment.
Manual payment
Controlled manual payment for affected employees.
Delay
Only on your written instruction.
If we don't hear from you
If we have no written decision one hour before your cutoff, we pay on time with the best available data and correct any difference off-cycle. We never delay payment without your written instruction.
How we keep you informed
One voice, one thread. Your Support Specialist is your single point of contact on every ticket (our Support Manager during a major incident). Our engineers work behind the scenes and don't contact you directly.
Ticket email thread
All notices, updates, options and the root-cause report. Your approvals and confirmations go here, in writing.
Phone
Urgent and major incidents: we call if you haven't acknowledged within 30 minutes, and to walk you through options. Every call is summarized on the ticket within 15 minutes.
Your account manager
Your way to reach us outside business hours for Urgent issues, and your contact for service reviews and contract questions.
Closing the loop
You confirm the result
Urgent: you check the real payroll result before approval or cutoff. Other priorities: 48 hours to verify. If the issue isn't fixed, tell us and we continue on the same ticket, with the original clock.
Root-cause report
Within 5 business days for every Urgent ticket, missed deadline, recurring issue, regression and workaround: cause, fix and prevention.
If we miss a service level
We tell you straight away with the cause, recovery plan and new ETA. We review any contractual remedies with you, and every miss is reported in your monthly service review.
How you can help us resolve faster
- Tell us your payment date and payroll cutoff on every payroll ticket.
- Name a contact who can approve decisions during Urgent issues, including out of hours.
- Keep your account manager's out-of-hours number on hand during payroll periods.
- Reply on the ticket thread so nothing is lost.
- Give approvals and confirmations in writing.
- Check results promptly so we can close, or keep working.
Frequently asked questions
This page summarizes the Mercans HR Blizz support and escalation process (version 5.0, September 2026). Your service agreement, including any agreed service levels and business hours, takes precedence.