Before you call the repair person, you'll probably want to go ahead and take the tank outside and get that old caked salt out of it.  Will save you from paying the repair guy to do it.  You might find the seller/installer's name and number on a tag somewhere on the unit if you're lucky.  If not, see if a local plumber can tell you who works on that brand.  We had issues with ours after we had to replace the submersible pump in our deep well, and the repairs were not expensive at all in my opinion.  I hope you have good luck with it........I'd hate to be without our softener.  On a side note, we use potassium salt in ours.  Our basic water is such that when we use sodium salt, I can't water houseplants or the garden with the softened water without killing them; with the potassium salt, the plants all love it.  Just a thought.