How to use Critical Support
Guidance on critical support - what it is and how to communicate critical issues - whether you have an enhanced support pack or Enterprise
Written by Jean Kemp
Updated at January 16th, 2026
Table of Contents
What is Critical Support?
Critical Support provides coverage for P1 (Critical) incidents and is 24/7 with an Enterprise licence. This ensures that when a Critical issue occurs, it will be acknowledged and actively investigated around the clock, with an initial response within one hour, regardless of time or day for Enterprise customers, and within 30 minutes during business hours for all customers, regardless of licence tier.
What are Critical issues?
Critical issues are where your app does not function at all, or one of the key functions is very severely degraded. We use the prioritisation categorisation below to help us determine urgency and impact of an issue - only P1 issues are considered Critical.
| Priority | Description | Typical examples | Initial response | Resolution target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 – Critical | App does not function at all | App shows no content; timelines do not load; editions not publishing; breaking news or live blogs not publishing; widespread log in issues | Within 30 minutes in working hours (Enterprise: Within 1 hour outside of working hours) |
As soon as possible |
| P2 – High | App functionality is severely compromised | Timelines or editions not updating; users unable to register; users unable to make in-app purchases | Within 2 working hours (Enterprise: 1 working hour) |
Within 1 business day |
| P3 – Medium | Functional defect or non-essential features impaired | Layout or styling issues; push notification issues; ads issues; analytics issues; canonical linking or comments not working as expected | Within 3 working hours | Within 3 business days |
| P4 – Low | Cosmetic defect or no material impact on service | Fonts, colours or icons incorrect; minor styling issues; inline images missing | Within 4 working hours | Within 5 working days |
How do I report a Critical Support issue?
In the first instance, raise a support ticket with support@pugpig.com as usual, clearly indicating that the issue is Urgent in the subject line.
Please include as much relevant detail as possible – such as screenshots or screen recordings, affected devices, the number of users impacted, when the issue started, and clear steps to reproduce – to ensure our engineers can begin investigating quickly.
Critical Support tickets should be raised regardless of the time of day, and irrespective of licence tier.
When should I use the Critical Support number?
If the issue is P1 (Critical) and a response to a ticket has not been received within the applicable service level agreement, Enterprise customers may then use the Critical Support number to ensure the ticket is prioritised.
The Critical Support number is for out-of-hours use only and must be used solely for P1 (Critical) incidents.
How is Critical Support Time tracked and billed?
Once Critical Support work begins, time is tracked in line with Pugpig’s standard support time-tracking practices for both Enterprise licences and Enhanced Support Packs.
For Enterprise licence customers, Critical Support time is included as part of the Enterprise licence.
For customers using an Enhanced Support Pack, any out-of-business-hours Critical Support engagement is subject to a minimum charge of two hours, with all time worked outside business hours billable at double the standard rate.