Every SLA is made up of certain, key components. It may vary depending on the company or specific SLA but there are some basics that you should consider for each individual Service Level Agreement.
- Exact Service(s) Being Provided: This helps eliminate any potential communication mishaps or confusion from the beginning. If you list the exact services you will be providing with no loopholes, the customer will not expect more than you are going to give them per the SLA.
- Responsibilities of Both Parties (supplier & customer): Let the customer know what they should expect from you and what you expect from them. This goes along with the first component but each party needs to communicate effectively from the beginning of their business relationship so no one feels like they’ve been taken advantage of.
- Timetable for Delivery: SLA’s will give customers a timetable to let them know how long it will take the service provider to get back with them via phone call, email- whatever your agreed upon method is. For example: “If you submit a help-desk ticket, we will call you no later than 2 business days after it is received”.
- How Disputes Are Handled: This lets the customer know what your procedure is for any disagreement and how exactly you will approach it. Even if your procedure will vary depending on the dispute, putting a section in your SLA overviewing how disputes are handled, it gives the customer peace of mind.
- Payment Terms: Like an apartment lease contract; they let you know when you’re expected to pay and if you don’t pay by that time, what the repercussions will be, the same goes for a SLA.
There are other components to Service Level Agreements but I have found these to be the most common and critical.
What components to you think are critical to a SLA? Let us know in the “comments” section below.
Go to the SLA Website to find more tips to creating the perfect SLA for your company.
Stay tuned for our next blog on different SLA metrics and why they’re important.
