What is an SLA? Why should customer service teams care about SLA?
What is an SLA?
An SLA is a Service Level Agreement which are agreements between you and your client/customers. Here are 2 examples of an SLA:
- In the event of a downtime, the maximum time taken to respond to customer requests is 15 minutes.
- In the event of a corruption, the maximum amount of downtime the application can tolerate is 20 minutes.
Furthermore, there are always different service levels, we must tailor our services to align with the customer’s needs and offer exceptional customer service. An SLA will ensure that you are meeting your customer’s expectations this can include queue and response. You must make it clear how available you are inside and outside business hours so there is clear visibility over expectations. Furthermore, your customer service solutions should allow you to monitor how these SLA policies are being met and escalate when the SLA is violated.
Why is it Important?
- Clearly defines the expectation to reduce the chances of disappointing a customer.
- Drives internal processes by setting a clear, measurable standard of performance.
- Allows you to save time and money
- Provides the recourse or steps made when an SLA policy is not met
- An SLA can provide peace of mind to the client. They have a contract that they can refer to that allows them to hold their provider accountable.
The On-going Process
It is important to hold service reviews regularly, with both provider and customer representatives participating to assure requirements are being met. SLA will act as a benchmark and you should adjust the response and resolution times as the customer expectation or agent performance changes. For example, if you run a seasonal business adjusting the SLA based on the peak times will help you service your customer better and keep them happy.
If you are struggling with customer expectations and need help. Get in touch with our team.
