Moving Beyond SLAs: Why Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) Matter

For decades, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) have been the cornerstone of IT Service Management. They provide measurable commitments between service providers and customers—covering metrics like response times, uptime, and resolution targets. Alongside them, Service Level Management (SLM) ensures that services are designed, monitored, and improved in line with business needs.

But while SLAs and SLM help measure operational performance, they don’t always capture how services are truly perceived by the people using them. That’s where Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) come into play.

What is an XLA?

An Experience Level Agreement (XLA) shifts the focus from purely technical and process-driven measures to the end-user’s actual experience. Instead of asking, “Was the service available 99.9% of the time?”, an XLA asks, “Did the service enable employees to do their jobs effectively and without frustration?”

Where SLAs measure outputs, XLAs measure outcomes. For example:

• SLA: “Password resets must be resolved within 30 minutes.”

• XLA: “90% of employees report being satisfied with the ease of resetting their password.”

This subtle but powerful difference ensures that IT services are not just delivered efficiently but are also perceived as valuable by the people who rely on them.

Why XLAs are Important

1. Human-Centred IT: XLAs bring the human element into IT Service Management by recognising that technology is only successful if it supports productivity and satisfaction.

2. Bridging the Gap: SLAs can be met perfectly while users remain unhappy. XLAs bridge that gap by aligning technical performance with real-world experience.

3. Business Value: Positive user experience correlates with higher productivity, stronger adoption of digital services, and ultimately better business outcomes.

4. Continuous Improvement: Measuring experience provides actionable feedback that SLAs alone cannot deliver—helping IT teams to adapt and innovate.

Real-World Examples of SLA vs XLA

• IT Support Desk

  • SLA: “80% of tickets must be resolved within 8 business hours.”

  • XLA: “Employees rate their support experience an average of 4 out of 5 stars or higher.”
    Even if tickets are resolved quickly, users may still feel frustrated if the communication is unclear or if the solution doesn’t address the root cause. XLAs capture that nuance.

• Collaboration Tools (e.g. Teams, Zoom)

  • SLA: “The service will be available 99.95% of the time.”

  • XLA: “95% of meetings start on time without technical issues.”
    The service may technically meet its uptime target, but if employees consistently experience lag, dropped calls, or confusing interfaces, their work suffers.

• Application Downtime

  • SLA: “Planned downtime will not exceed 2 hours per month.”

  • XLA: “Users feel confident they can continue their work effectively during planned downtime due to clear communication and alternative solutions.”
    Meeting the SLA says little about how disruptive downtime feels to the business—whereas the XLA ensures the impact is managed well.

• Self Service Portal

  • SLA: “Service catalogue requests are fulfilled within 24 hours.”

  • XLA: “85% of employees find the portal intuitive and easy to use for raising requests.”
    A quick fulfilment time is meaningless if staff avoid the portal because it’s confusing. The XLA highlights usability and adoption.

• Cybersecurity Training

  • SLA: “All staff must complete security awareness training annually.”

  • XLA: “At least 80% of employees feel the training improved their ability to recognise phishing attempts.”
    Compliance metrics tick a box, but experience-based measures show whether the training actually makes employees more secure in practice.

The Balance of SLA, SLM, and XLA

It’s important to see XLAs as complementary rather than a replacement for SLAs. Each plays a role in a balanced service management approach:

• SLAs ensure services meet agreed, measurable standards.

• SLM provides the governance and process to manage, report, and improve service delivery.

• XLAs ensure those services deliver value in the eyes of the users and the business.

Together, they create a complete view of IT performance—covering efficiency, governance, and experience.

Putting XLAs into Practice

To introduce XLAs successfully:

• Start with listening: Gather feedback from end-users through surveys, sentiment analysis, and interviews.

• Define meaningful measures: Focus on what matters to people, not just what’s easy to track.

• Align with business goals: Ensure XLAs connect directly to productivity, satisfaction, and outcomes.

• Combine with SLAs: Don’t abandon operational metrics—integrate experience measures alongside them.

Shifting from a service-centric to an experience-centric mindset is one of the most important steps organisations can take in modern IT Service Management. By adopting XLAs alongside traditional SLAs and SLM, IT leaders can ensure that technology not only functions but truly empowers people to work smarter and more effectively.