Submit a Smart Hands Order

The following services are available from the Smart Hands Catalog. To view the Catalog, select Smart Hands from the Orders and Tickets menu in the Customer Portal.

Important: Requests that require custom materials not available at the IBX must be submitted as a Custom Sales Order. See Smart Hands vs. Custom Orders.

Tip: For complex orders that involve multiple services for the same cage, you can combine them into a single Smart Hands bundle. Then you can track the progress of each service individually, as well as track the overall progress of the bundle. To create a bundled order, use the Add Another Service option (included in the steps below). This bundling only applies to services within the same cage. You cannot bundle service orders across multiple cages.

1. From the Orders and Tickets menu in the Customer Portal, select Smart Hands.

   

2. From the Smart Hands Catalog, select the type of service you need. This streamlines the order process and ensures your request is processed correctly.

   

   Note:

   • If your request type isn't listed, use Smart Hands: Other.

   • To create an order that automatically repeats on a specified schedule, use Smart Hands Other: Recurring.

3. For Location, select the intended IBX data center, cage, and cabinet.

   

   Note: If you are creating an order for a SHARED cage, you must select a cabinet. For private cages, cabinet is optional.

   Once you select a location, the screen displays the location details (including the street address, hours of operation, and a link to a map of the surrounding area).

4. Enter details for the request. Each request type has different fields available.

   Note: Some fields are automatically populated with information based on your earlier selections.

5. If this will be a bundled order containing multiple services (such as Install Equipment and Equipment Maintenance), click Add Another Service and enter the details for the added service.

   Note: This option is available for the following service types: Install Equipment, Move/Replace Equipment/RMA, Remove Equipment, Equipment Maintenance, Install Cables, Move Cables, Remove Cables, Loopback Test, Cable Connectivity Check, Shipments, and Smart Hands: Other.

6. If you want the Equinix technician to call your designated Primary Technical Contact person before the work starts and/or once the work is completed, use the Call contact options under Scope of Work:

   

7. If you want to send and receive messages with the technician once your order is started, select Enable messaging with technician when work is in progress. For details, see Technician Messaging.

8. If the Request a video conference option is shown, you can use Zoom to collaborate with the technician when they're working on your order. This feature is only available at specific data centers, for selected order types. For details, see Technician Video Calls.

9. Use Upload File(s) to add any relevant attachments to your request.

   See attachment guidelines

   • Add up to 5 files.

   • The maximum size for each file is 5MB.

   • The files can be any of the following formats: bmp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, tif, tiff, txt, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pps, ppsx, pdf, and vsd.

   Your attachments are sent to on-site technicians to ensure your installation goes smoothly.

10. Under Scheduling, specify when the work should occur:

    

    For details, see Scheduling Options below.

    Note: The scheduled work time is shown in the IBX’s local time zone. To see the scheduled work time in your local time zone, click Show time zone.

    Tip: To change your local time zone in the portal, click your username (in the upper-right corner) and select an option from the Time Zone list.

11. Under Contact Info, specify at least one Technical Contact and at least one Notification Contact:

    Contact Types	Description
    Technical Contact	For troubleshooting or clarification of the order. If questions arise, and if multiple Technical Contacts are specified on the order, Equinix contacts the person designated as the Primary Technical Contact. Note: Technical contacts do not receive booking or completion notifications.
    Notification Contact	Contact(s) who will receive email notices about the status and pricing of the order. Note: If an Unlisted contact is selected as a Notification Contact, order pricing details are not included in the notifications they receive.

    

    Note:

    • The Technical Contact and the Notification Contact can be the same person.

    • If you select multiple Technical Contacts, designate one as the Primary Technical Contact.

    • For each contact listed, enable at least one of the boxes (Technical Contact and/or Notification Contact).

    • To remove a contact from the order, click .

    See steps to add contacts to the order

    • To find a contact by name or email address, use the Search box.

    • For additional search/filter options, or to add multiple contacts, click Add Saved Contact.

      

      You can use the search box, sort the columns, and/or use the filters at the top. Click the checkbox for the chosen contact(s) and click Done.

      Tip: For frequently used contacts, click the star beside the name. Then you can use the Favorites filter (at the top) to quickly find these contacts.

    • To add someone who doesn't have a Customer Portal account, click Add Unlisted Contact. Add their contact details and click Add.

      Note: If you plan to use this contact again, you can select Save this Unlisted Contact for future use. To later change or delete a saved Unlisted contact, click Add Saved Contact. Locate the contact, then click or in the Actions column:

      

12. Enter Internal Reference Information / Customer Reference.

    Many companies have an internal ticketing system to track issues or track items ordered from Equinix. This field provides a place to enter your internal reference information, such as P.O. numbers, ticket numbers, or descriptive text.

    Tip: This information can be searched for on the Orders and Tickets History screen, and will also appear on any related invoices.

13. Click Review Order.

    Tip: You will have a chance to review all the details and pricing before your order is submitted. If you have a Smart Hands Support Plan, your order will be deducted from your plan hours automatically.

    If any required information is missing, it is shown in red. For example:

    

    Correct the error(s) and try again.

14. Review all the order and pricing information, then click Submit.

Tip: After your request is completed, you can submit a brief survey to rate your satisfaction with the order. To open the survey, click on the Orders and Tickets History screen or on the Activity Timeline.

One or more of the following scheduling options are available to you, depending on the order type you selected.