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Critical Response

When something goes wrong, we're there.

Something critical has happened. Your site is down, your checkout isn't working, revenue is stopping. You don't need a ticketing system, you need someone on it <em>right now.</em>

On all our support retainer plans, we provide a senior developer within <strong><1 hour </strong> for critical issues, available to investigate and start working on a resolution immediately, during business hours.

<1hr
Developer allocated
P1 Critical issues
3hr
Acknowledgement on all requests
The promise

From issue to resolution, we own it.

When a critical issue is raised, we don't just acknowledge it and leave you waiting. A named senior developer is allocated within one hour, works through triage, builds and tests a fix, and sees it through to resolution. Start to finish.

Critical cover never costs your hours

It never comes off your block hours.

Critical response time is included on top of your monthly retainer, not deducted from it. Your planned development hours stay exactly where they should be: for improvements, fixes, and growth. Critical cover is separate.

Business hours

Available 6am–8pm, Monday to Friday.

The <1hr critical response SLA applies during business hours. Outside of these hours, after-hours rush support is available for retainer clients, speak to us if you need cover beyond the standard window.

P1 Critical Issues

When do you use critical response?

Not everything is a P1, and knowing the difference matters. Critical response is for situations where revenue, security, or your ability to operate is at immediate risk.

Checkout or payments down

Customers can't complete orders. Payments are failing or not processing. Every minute this runs is direct revenue loss.

Site or app is down

Your website, ecommerce store, or app is returning errors, showing a blank page, or is completely inaccessible to users.

Security incident

Suspected malware, hacking attempt, unusual admin activity, or any situation where customer data may be at risk.

Critical access blocked

Admin access is locked out and you cannot process orders, manage content, or operate the platform normally.

Data loss risk

Orders, customer data, or product data is at risk of corruption or loss. Immediate containment is needed.

Revenue-stopping failure

Any platform failure that is directly preventing the business from trading or fulfilling orders at normal volume.

Critical response time is never deducted from your monthly hours. When we work on a critical issue, that time is included on top of your retainer, not taken from it. Your development hours stay intact for planned work. Critical cover is a separate commitment, within business hours (6am–8pm).

Priority Levels

How we categorise and respond to issues.

Every request is triaged and prioritised so revenue-critical issues always move to the front.

View our Service Level Agreement (SLA)
P1

Critical

<1hr developer allocated*
  • Site or app is down / inaccessible
  • Checkout blocked, payments failing
  • Critical admin access locked
  • Suspected security incident
  • Risk of data loss or corruption
  • Immediate escalation, rapid triage
p2

Major Disruption

3hr acknowledgement
  • Major feature broken (search, filters, promotions)
  • Partial checkout failures
  • Integration failures (ERP, shipping, CRM)
  • Severe performance degradation
  • Business can still operate with workaround
  • Urgent scheduling, next available slot
p3

Planned Work

Scheduled delivery
  • Planned improvements and enhancements
  • Minor bugs with low business impact
  • Content and layout changes
  • Non-urgent extension or plugin updates
  • UX refinements and small adjustments
  • Scheduled into normal delivery queue

* During business hours, 6am–8pm. Monthly retainer clients only. P1 response time never deducted from monthly hours.

What happens when you raise a P1

From the moment you report it.

Here's exactly what happens from the second a critical issue is raised with us, in order, every time.

  • We never ask you to wait in a general queue
  • A named senior developer is allocated, not a junior
  • You know who is on it and what they're doing
  • We update you at every stage, in plain English
  • Nothing is pushed live without your sign-off
  • Post-fix report confirming what was done and why
!
T+0, Issue raised
You report the issue
Via our project platform, email, or WhatsApp Business. The clock starts the moment we receive it.
T+<1hr, Developer allocated*
Named developer on the issue
A senior developer is assigned and begins triage. We confirm who is on it and what we're looking at first.
Active triage
Diagnosis and containment
Root cause identified, scope assessed, containment steps in place to stop the situation getting worse.
Fix prepared
Tested in staging, never on live
The fix is built and tested in dev before anything goes near production. Rollback path confirmed.
Your sign-off
Written approval before go-live
Fix sent for review. We only deploy once you've confirmed in writing, no surprises on your live platform.
Resolved
Fix live + post-fix report
Issue resolved. Written report confirming root cause, what was done, and any preventative recommendations.
Real Response Times

Actual logged incident resolutions.

These aren't estimates or averages. These are real timestamps from real client incidents, logged in our project management system and verified against ticket records.

Roam Everywhere · iOS / Android
35 min
Report to resolution
Login and chat service failures affecting live app users, core user journeys impacted.
Reported 15:04
Acknowledged 15:19
Resolved 15:39
Argentex · WordPress / Elementor
2h27 m
Report to resolution
Website issue affecting performance and accessibility on a global financial services platform.
Reported 11:52
Acknowledged 12:07
Resolved 14:34
Drummonds Bathrooms · WordPress
2h51 m
Report to resolution
Broken product pages, non-responsive forms, checkout issues, revenue at risk.
Reported 13:40
Acknowledged 14:07
Resolved 16:58
Expanded Metal Co · Magento 2 / ERP
7h27 m
Report to resolution, same day
Complex quotation errors and Epicor ERP integration failure. Resolved same business day.
Reported 08:46
Acknowledged 10:12
Resolved 15:38

All timestamps taken from project management system logs. Resolution times vary by complexity.

Case Studies

How it plays out in practice.

Real incidents, real timelines, real outcomes. Every case study below is based on logged ticket data. ✓

Roam Everywhere
iOS / Android Mobile App
35min
Report to resolved
Login and chat service failures on live app, users unable to access core features
15:04
Issue reported
Client reports login failures and chat service down affecting active users
15:19
Acknowledged + developer allocated
Senior developer assigned, triage begins, root cause identified within 5 minutes
15:39
Resolved, 35 minutes total
Fix tested, deployed, and verified on both iOS and Android stores
“"Working with this team was a game-changer for our mobile app. They seamlessly took control of our existing iOS and Android platforms, addressing login and chat service issues with exceptional efficiency."” Andy Bartlett, Founder, Roam Everywhere
Argentex
2h 27m
Report to resolved
Website performance and accessibility failures, global financial services platform
11:52
Issue reported
Client reports website issue, page load times and accessibility impacted
12:07
Acknowledged + developer allocated
15-minute acknowledgement, developer begins investigation of Elementor and Cloudflare configuration
14:34
Resolved, 2 hours 27 minutes
Cloudflare integration completed, Elementor issues resolved, performance verified
“"Resolve Beyond has been an exceptional partner in maintaining our website. They promptly resolve WordPress issues and consistently propose new methods to optimise the performance and security of the site."” Natasha Rocker, Head of Marketing Operations, Argentex
Drummonds Bathrooms
WordPress, Luxury Ecommerce, London & New York
2h 51m
Report to resolved
Broken product pages, non-responsive forms, checkout issues, revenue at risk
13:40
Issue reported
Client reports broken product pages, forms not responding, checkout affecting conversions
14:07
Acknowledged + developer allocated
27-minute acknowledgement, senior WordPress developer assigned, triage begins immediately
16:58
Resolved, 2 hours 51 minutes
Core infrastructure fixed, broken elements restored, checkout verified and trading normally
“"Resolve Beyond's ability to take over our website and provide immediate support was truly impressive. The speed and efficiency with which they managed everything have been remarkable."” Tadas Rimkus, Marketing Manager, Drummonds Bathrooms
The Expanded Metal Company
Magento 2 + Epicor ERP, Complex Integration
7h 27m
Same day, complex ERP
Quotation system errors + Epicor ERP integration failure, orders unable to process
08:46
Issue reported
Complex quotation errors and ERP integration failure, orders blocked, urgent escalation
10:12
Acknowledged + Magento specialist allocated
Magento 2 + ERP specialist assigned, full investigation of Epicor integration underway
15:38
Resolved same day, 7 hours 27 minutes
Complex ERP integration restored, quotation system fixed, orders processing normally
“"Resolve Beyond successfully delivered a Magento e-commerce website with seamless ERP integration. They remain extremely reactive to our support requests."” Ian Hutchinson, Commercial Manager, The Expanded Metal Company
FAQ

Critical response questions, answered.

Is the <1hr response available to all clients? +

The guaranteed <1hr P1 developer allocation is a monthly retainer benefit, available to all retainer clients during business hours (6am–8pm). Block hours clients receive our 3hr acknowledgement SLA on all requests, and P1 issues are prioritised as quickly as possible, but the guaranteed 1hr allocation is reserved for retainer clients.

What exactly happens within the 1 hour? +

Within 1 hour, a named senior developer is allocated to your issue and has begun active triage. They’re logged in, investigating the root cause, and have confirmed back to you what they’re looking at. It’s not just an acknowledgement, it’s a developer on the problem. The 1 hour is the allocation guarantee; resolution time depends on the complexity of the issue.

Is the P1 response time deducted from my monthly hours? +

No. For monthly retainer clients, P1 critical response time is never deducted from your monthly development hours. It’s included on top. Your monthly hours stay intact for planned improvements, fixes, and development work.

What are your business hours for critical response? +

Business hours are 6am–8pm, Monday to Friday. Outside these hours, rush and after-hours support is available subject to availability. For retainer clients, P1 after-hours rush carries no additional surcharge. P2 and P3 requests outside business hours, and all after-hours requests from block hours clients, are chargeable.

What if I'm not sure whether something is a P1? +

Raise it and we’ll triage it. You don’t need to classify it yourself, that’s our job. Describe what’s happening and we’ll confirm the priority level and respond accordingly. We’d always rather you raised something and we determine it’s a P2 than you hold off reporting something that turns out to be critical.

How do I raise a critical issue? +

Via our project management platform (the primary channel), email to hello@resolvebeyond.co.uk, or WhatsApp Business for urgent updates. All requests must come through an agreed channel to guarantee the SLA. For genuinely critical situations, use all channels simultaneously and mark it as P1.

Do you guarantee a fix within 1 hour? +

No, and we’ll always be honest about this. The 1-hour guarantee is for developer allocation and active triage, not complete resolution. What we guarantee is that a senior developer is on your problem within 1 hour and working to resolve it as quickly as the issue allows. Our logged case studies show resolutions ranging from 35 minutes (Roam) to same-day (EMC’s complex ERP issue).

Can you respond to issues on platforms you've never worked on before? +

Yes, and we do regularly. We cover WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento 2, mobile apps (Flutter, iOS, Android), bespoke PHP/Laravel backends, Node.js, React, CRMs, and more. For new clients, onboarding ensures we understand your platform before a crisis hits. We’ve never had a platform we couldn’t fix or support in 26 years.

Have a critical issue right now?

Don't wait. Contact us immediately and we'll get a developer on your problem as fast as possible.

* <1hr P1 developer allocation during business hours, 6am–8pm, for monthly retainer clients only. P1 response time never deducted from monthly hours. After-hours P1 rush available for retainer clients. Block hours clients: rush chargeable for all after-hours requests.