You are here: Chapter 7: Configuration and Administration > Workspace Administration > Automated Workflow > Defining Service Level Agreements

Defining Service Level Agreements

An unlimited number of service level agreements (SLAs) can be defined.  The names, resolution times, and contract descriptions of each SLA depend on the service level field type, the capacity of the service desk, and the requirements of the customers and their service contracts.

For example, in a corporate service desk, SLAs may be defined for different incident types, such as “Network outage”, with a resolution time of 2 hours, or “request new speakers”, with a resolution time of 2 weeks.

Tip

Because missed service level due dates can produce negative SLA reports, and unhappy customers, it is important to set realistic expectations when creating SLAs.  Over time, as the system is used and service level metrics are tracked, you should see an increase in issues that meet or exceed their service levels.

  1. Name—Enter a name for the Service Level, for example, Gold or Network outage.  This is the name that is displayed.
  2. Description of Contract—Enter the details of the service level contract, for example, "Resolve in 2 hours". A virtually unlimited amount of text can be entered. The description is available to agents in a pop-up window when viewing a customer’s Issue.
  1. Attach a new description file (optional)—An electronic file, such as a Word document or text file, can be uploaded containing a detailed service level description. This attachment is available to agents in the SLA Information pop-up window from the customer’s Issue screen.
  1. Response Time— Enter the amount of time allowed for Issue response for this service level. Time can be specified in minutes, hours, days, and/or weeks.  The response time auto-populates an SLA Date/Time field (which you can designate).  If, for example, 2 hours is entered and an Issue comes in at 9am on Friday, the associated Date/Time is automatically set to 11am on Friday.  This differs from the resolution time in that the Issue is supposed to be resolved by the designated time with resolution time, but with response time, only a response to the Issue needs to be sent within the designated period.  There are two additional choices for calculating response time:
  2. Real Time (default)—Time is calculated on a 24-hour, 7-day week, 365-day per year basis. So, if an Issue is received at 4pm on Friday, and the response time is 2 hours, the due date will be set to 6pm on Friday.
  3. Work Schedule Time—Time is calculated using the Workspace Work Schedule.  For example, if an Issue is received at 4pm on Friday (with a two-hour response time) and the Workspace Work Schedule is defined as 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, the due date is Monday at 10am.
  4. Fulfillment Percentage Threshold——Enter the Fulfillment Percentage Threshold defined in the SLA.

Note

One day of work schedule time is equal to the number of workday hours of work schedule time, not necessarily the next day that work is scheduled.

Note

If you specify work schedule time, but you haven't defined the Workspace Work Schedule, real-time is used.

  1. Resolution Time—Enter the amount of time allowed for Issue resolution for this service level. Time can be specified in minutes, hours, days, and/or weeks.  The resolution time auto-populates the SLA Due Date field.  If, for example, 2 hours is entered and an Issue comes in at 9am on Friday, the due date is automatically set to 11am on Friday.  There are two additional choices for calculating resolution time:
  1. Real Time (default)—Time is calculated on a 24-hour, 7-day week, 365-day per year basis. So, if an Issue is received at 4pm on Friday, and the resolution time is 2 hours, the due date will be set to 6pm on Friday.
  2. Work Schedule Time—Time is calculated using the Workspace Work Schedule.  For example, if an Issue is received at 4pm on Friday (with a two-hour resolution time) and the Workspace Work Schedule is defined as 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, the due date is Monday at 10am.
  3. Fulfillment Percentage Threshold—Enter the Fulfillment Percentage Threshold defined in the SLA.
  1. Escalations Associated with SLA—If this is a new service level, there are no associated escalation rules.  Escalation rules can be defined in the next step.
  2. SLA Response Time—If you select Auto-populate based on the Submission Time + Response Time, the designated Response Time field is automatically set by the system when Issues are created based on the response time defined for this service level. For example, if the response time is one hour, and the Issue is received on Friday October 1 at 2pm, the response time field is automatically set to Friday October 1 at 3pm. This is done dynamically on the Create Issue page for Issues submitted by an Agent or by the system for Issues submitted by Customers via the web or email. If you do not want the system to auto-populate this field, select Do not auto-populate. You can also opt to leave the field empty.
  3. SLA Due DateIf you select Auto-populate based on the Submission Time + Resolution Time, theDue Date field is automatically set by the system when Issues are created based on the resolution time defined for this service level. For example, if the resolution time is two hours, and the Issue is received on Friday October 1 at 2pm, the due date is automatically set to Friday October 1 at 4pm.  This is done dynamically on the Create Issue page for Issues submitted by an Agent or by the system for Issues submitted by Customers via the web or email. If you do not want the system to auto-populate this field, select Do not auto-populate.  You can also opt to leave the field empty.
  4. When you are finished, enter your password and click Save SLA to create the service level. The page refreshes to the Service Level Agreement Administration page.

To create additional service levels, click the Add New SLA button on the Service Level Agreement Administration page and repeat the above process.  An unlimited number of service levels can be created. Each is listed as a drop-down choice in the Service Level field.

Note

Metric reports are available for service-level agreements.