Writing support SLAs you can actually keep
By the AOZO Team · · 4 min read
The short answer
Set separate first-response and resolution targets by priority, base them on what your team has actually achieved, and watch overdue tickets daily.
What an SLA is
A service level agreement, in support, is a promise about how quickly you will respond to and resolve a customer's request. Done well, it sets expectations. Done badly, it just creates a list of broken promises.
Use two clocks
- First response time: how long until a person replies.
- Resolution time: how long until the problem is solved.
Set targets by priority
Not every ticket deserves the same speed. A payment failure is not the same as a feature question. Group tickets into a few priorities and give each its own targets.
Base them on data
Look at last month's real response and resolution times and set targets your team can meet most of the time. You can tighten them later. Starting too ambitious teaches everyone to ignore the clock.
Make breaches visible
- Keep views for Overdue, Unassigned and Waiting on customer.
- Check the Overdue view at the start of every shift.
- Pause the clock when you are waiting on the customer, so the target stays fair.
Use knowledge to go faster
The quickest ticket is the one that never arrives. Turn your most common answers into knowledge base articles. AOZO Helpdesk keeps tickets, the knowledge base and SLA policies in one place, so a repeated question becomes an article.
This article is for general information and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change, so check current requirements with a qualified professional.
