Implementing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for Service Management

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a type of service management system that establishes a two-way accountability for service, mutually agreed upon by customer and provider. It is really a contract that documents operational and interpersonal relationships, establishes mutual expectations, and provides a standard to measure performance. Organizations that have such systems in place achieve higher customer and employee satisfaction ratings.

This white paper explains how to get started in creating a Service Level Agreement and pitfalls to avoid. The following is the table of contents for the white paper:

1. Service Goals
2. Definition of terms
3. Service delivery elements
4. Escalation procedures
5. Telephone, Web and Email response times
6. First contact resolution by the Support Center
7. Reporting methods
8. SLA contract period
9. Examples of cases by severity level and case type
10. Sample of the customer satisfaction survey questions