Contents
- 1 Shareworks Customer Service — Expert Guide for Participants and Administrators
- 1.1 Overview of Shareworks support model
- 1.2 How to contact Shareworks support (channels, hours, and what to expect)
- 1.3 Common participant issues and step-by-step resolutions
- 1.4 Administrator support, SLAs and escalation paths
- 1.5 Security, compliance and data management
- 1.6 Pricing, onboarding timelines and practical advice
Shareworks (formerly Solium; acquired by Morgan Stanley in 2019) is a global equity plan administration platform used by thousands of companies to manage stock plans, RSUs, stock options, ESPPs and cap table administration. Support is organized by role: participant (employee) support, plan administrator support, and technical/integration support. Each tier has distinct channels, response expectations and documentation to reduce friction in high-volume events like IPOs, M&A transactions or year-end tax processing.
From a service-delivery perspective the platform follows a SaaS model with centralized help resources (knowledge base and online ticketing), phone support for participants and admins, and assigned account teams for enterprise clients. Typical vendor targets for enterprise SaaS of this type are 99.9% platform availability and initial ticket acknowledgement within 1 business day; Shareworks implementations commonly include an on‑boarding program, administrator training and periodic user webinars to keep response volumes manageable.
There are three primary contact channels: the secure message center inside the Shareworks portal, phone support (number is displayed on plan communication materials and inside the portal for your country), and the administrator/enterprise account manager for plan-level issues. For Morgan Stanley corporate matters you can reference the headquarters at 1585 Broadway, New York, NY 10036 and main switchboard at +1-212-762-4000; the dedicated Shareworks product pages and client portals are reachable via https://shareworks.com or through your company’s specific sign-on URL.
Expectation setting: participant inquiries are usually resolved during the first contact for routine matters (password resets, balance queries, simple trade executions) while more complex items (tax withholding reconciliation, historical transaction research, manual journal entries) commonly require 24–72 business hours. Administrator-level tickets that require engineering changes or data fixes typically escalate to a technical team with a 3–10 business day remediation window depending on complexity and data volume.
Common participant issues and step-by-step resolutions
The most frequent participant requests are: password resets, account locks, electronic access requests, exercising options or selling shares, and obtaining tax documents (1099-B, 3921/3922 equivalents or year-end summaries). For password and access issues, the portal supports self-service password reset (email or SMS-based) and standard identity verification: last four of SSN/NI number, date of birth, and a recent transaction or account number. If self-service fails, a secure ticket from the portal is the safest route — avoid emailing sensitive personal identifiers to non-secure addresses.
For trading or withdrawal requests during liquidity events, time is critical. Shareworks support will require: plan ID, grant ID or transaction reference, verification of identity and, for sales, bank routing/ACH details (in the U.S., a voided check or micro‑deposits). Expect additional documentation when selling shares acquired via an ESPP or RSU because of lookback and tax-withholding rules; those processes are typically described in plan documents and the online knowledge base, and complex trades may require 1–3 business days to settle depending on market and plan rules.
What to have ready when you contact support
- Account identifiers: full name as on account, email used to register, last four of SSN/NI, date of birth, and your employer’s Plan ID or Plan Sponsor name.
- Transaction context: Grant ID, vesting or exercise date, transaction confirmation numbers, and any previous ticket numbers to avoid duplicate work.
- Tax and bank documents: copy of 1099/other tax forms in question, voided check or bank statement for ACH, and a copy of government ID when requested for identity verification.
Administrator support, SLAs and escalation paths
Plan administrators receive an elevated support model: a designated service delivery manager or account executive, access to administrator-only phone lines and priority ticket queues. Typical enterprise contracts include Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that specify response and resolution targets — for example, initial acknowledgement within 4 business hours for severity-1 incidents, and priority routing to product engineering for system-impacting issues. Administrators should review their Master Services Agreement (MSA) or support addendum to confirm exact SLAs and penalty/remediation clauses.
Escalation path (practical): start with the support agent and provide ticket number; if unresolved within the SLA, request escalation to the support supervisor; for data integrity issues or API outages, request escalation to the Technical Account Manager (TAM) or Solutions Engineering; finally, unresolved contractual disputes go to the Account Executive or Client Services Director. Maintain a single point of contact and a documented timeline to speed resolution during audits or compliance reviews.
Security, compliance and data management
Security expectations for equity platforms include HTTPS/TLS transport encryption, role-based access control for administrators, two-factor authentication (2FA) for sensitive operations, and encrypted storage of personally identifiable information. Shareworks is used by publicly listed companies and must support SOX/SEC reporting requirements, insider trading restrictions, blackout-window enforcement, and audit trails for every system change. Administrators should request a copy of the SOC 2 or equivalent compliance report during procurement.
Data management best practices: run monthly reconciliation reports (grants, exercises, cancellations), export CSV/QIF snapshots quarterly for your internal records, and keep backups of participant communications and consent forms for at least seven years if you host a U.S. plan subject to IRS/SEC scrutiny. For cross-border plans verify local tax withholding rules; Shareworks supports localized tax calculations but plan sponsors remain ultimately responsible for filings and withholding correctness.
Pricing, onboarding timelines and practical advice
Commercial models for equity-plan platforms usually combine an implementation fee, an annual platform subscription and per-participant or per-transaction fees. As a practical benchmark, implementation projects for midsize companies (1,000–5,000 participants) typical take 6–12 weeks and can range from $10,000 to $75,000 depending on complexity (data cleansing, integrations, custom reporting). Ongoing per-participant fees often fall into a range companies negotiate based on volume; confirm renewal terms and any per-activity charges (exercise processing, tax filings, broker fees).
Practical tips to reduce support friction: centralize plan communication materials (FAQ, plan rules, videos) on your intranet; schedule administrator refresher training quarterly; run mock scenarios before liquidity events; and maintain a 24–36 hour response SLA with your participants for routine inquiries. For urgent situations, use the portal to create a secure ticket and reference your plan sponsor account number and ticket history — this is the fastest way to get priority attention and an audit-ready record of the interaction.
Morgan Stanley at Work stock plan accounts were previously referred to as Shareworks, StockPlan Connect or E*TRADE stock plan accounts, as applicable. In connection with stock plan solutions offered by Morgan Stanley at Work, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC provides brokerage services to stock plan participants.
Shareworks. Morgan Stanley at Work. Our workplace financial solutions deliver powerful tools, guidance and education to help your company and your employees thrive. We deliver financial benefit solutions tailored to the needs of your workplace—from startup to enterprise, venture capital to law firm.
How do I contact Etrade customer service?
If you experience any issues when attempting to enroll with a Joint Account, then please contact us at 800-387-2331 and we will be able to assist you with your enrollment.
What is the number for 1 888 454 3965?
For general account or technical support, you may contact us by telephone utilizing the following options: For assistance with Morgan Stanley accounts: 1 (888) 454-3965 (toll free) or +1 (801) 902-6997 (Outside the U.S.)
If you have vested Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) or shares in your savings plan, you will be able to sell or withdraw them directly from Shareworks. You will see the net proceeds in your account within two to five business days, depending on the delivery method.
Shareworks account holders may contact Shareworks at 877-380-7793 between the hours of 8:00am ET and 8:00pm ET on Monday through Friday on market trading days.
