Service Level Management (SLM) is one of the most misunderstood areas of IT Service Management (ITSM). Ask a support team, and they might define Service Level Agreements (SLAs) as response and resolution time targets. Ask an infrastructure team, and they’ll likely think of SLAs as uptime and downtime percentages. So, who’s right?
The truth is, SLAs are agreements that depend entirely on what is being negotiated—they are not just about response times or system availability but about ensuring that services meet the expectations and needs of both providers and customers.
Common Misunderstandings About SLAs
- “SLAs are just response and resolution times.”
- While these are essential for support teams, they are only a part of what an SLA can cover.
- “SLAs are only about uptime.”
- Infrastructure teams often think of SLAs in terms of service availability, but SLAs can also include performance metrics, security commitments, and business impact considerations.
- “SLAs are set in stone.”
- SLAs should be flexible and evolve based on business needs, technology changes, and customer priorities.
Different Views, Different Priorities
Service Level Agreements are shaped by who is involved in the discussion. Here’s how different teams might perceive SLAs:
- Support Teams: Response and resolution times, customer satisfaction, first-contact resolution rates.
- Infrastructure Teams: System availability, recovery time objectives (RTO), recovery point objectives (RPO).
- Business Stakeholders: Impact on operations, cost-effectiveness, regulatory compliance.
- End-Users: Service usability, consistency, and speed of issue resolution.
SLAs and XLAs: A Holistic Approach to Service Agreements
At its core, an SLA is an agreement between a service provider and a customer. However, organisations are increasingly shifting towards Experience Level Agreements (XLAs), which focus on delivering measurable business value and positive user experiences rather than just technical performance metrics. What is being promised and expected depends on the nature of the service, the customer’s needs, and what the provider can realistically offer.
For example:
- A cloud storage provider might focus on uptime guarantees and data durability.
- A managed IT service provider might emphasise response times and security measures.
- A business application provider might highlight transaction processing speeds and feature availability.
Key Factors in a Strong SLA and XLA
- Define What Matters – Understand the customer’s priorities (availability, performance, support) and align them with realistic service commitments.
- Set Measurable Targets – Use metrics that can be tracked and reported on consistently.
- Include Flexibility – Build in room for adjustments as business needs evolve. This is where Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) come into play, focusing not just on measurable metrics but also on the overall user experience. Flexibility should allow for continuous improvements based on feedback, ensuring that services meet both operational and experiential expectations.
- Ensure Mutual Agreement – SLAs should be negotiated, not imposed. This aligns with XLA principles, where agreements go beyond technical commitments and incorporate the actual experience of end-users. Successful agreements consider not just response times or uptime but also how seamless, efficient, and valuable the service feels to those using it.
Service Level Management: A Shared Responsibility
Ultimately, SLM is about balancing expectations, capabilities, and business value. A well-defined SLA, when combined with an XLA approach, fosters transparency, trust, and continuous improvement between service providers and customers, ensuring that IT services are both reliable and user-centric.
💡 Need help defining effective SLAs that truly reflect your business needs? Northera IT Solutions can guide you in crafting SLAs that align with your services, customer expectations, and operational goals. Let’s build agreements that work for everyone!
