SLA Management

SLA (Service Level Agreement) management defines and monitors response and resolution time commitments for support tickets. This guide covers SLA configuration and tracking.

Overview

SLA management enables you to:

• Define service commitments
• Track response times
• Monitor resolution times
• Configure escalations
• Report on compliance
• Improve service quality

Accessing SLA

Navigate to Settings → Support → SLA or Support → SLA Dashboard.

Understanding SLA

SLA Components

Component	Description
Response Time	First reply deadline
Resolution Time	Fix completion deadline
Business Hours	When clock runs
Escalation	What happens if breached
Conditions	When SLA applies

SLA Metrics

Metric	Description
Time to First Response	Minutes to first reply
Time to Resolution	Hours to resolve
SLA Compliance	% met targets
Breach Rate	% exceeded targets

SLA Status

Status	Description
On Track	Within target
Warning	Approaching deadline
Breached	Exceeded target
Paused	Clock stopped
Achieved	Target met

SLA Policies

Standard SLA Table

Priority	First Response	Resolution
Critical	15 minutes	2 hours
High	1 hour	8 hours
Medium	4 hours	24 hours
Low	8 hours	48 hours

SLA by Customer Tier

Tier	First Response	Resolution	Support Hours
Premium	15 min	4 hours	24/7
Business	1 hour	8 hours	Extended
Standard	4 hours	24 hours	Business

How-To Guides

How to Create SLA Policies

Creating SLA Policy

1. Go to Settings → Support → SLA
2. Click New SLA Policy
3. Enter details:

Field	Description
Name	Policy identifier
Description	Purpose
Conditions	When applies
Targets	Time goals
Actions	Escalations

4. Configure targets
5. Set escalations
6. Activate policy

Policy Example

SLA Policy: Premium Support

Conditions:
- Customer Tier = Premium
- OR Priority = Critical

Targets:
- First Response: 15 minutes
- Resolution: 4 hours

Business Hours: 24/7

Escalation:
- 50% elapsed: Notify agent
- 75% elapsed: Notify manager
- 100% elapsed: Escalate to L2

How to Configure Response Times

Response Time Settings

Define what counts as response:

• First public reply
• First any reply
• Assignment acknowledgment
• Status change

Time Calculation

Response Time = First Response - Ticket Created

Only counts business hours (if configured)
Excludes paused time

Response Targets

Set by priority:

Priority	Target	Stretch Goal
Critical	15 min	10 min
High	1 hour	45 min
Medium	4 hours	3 hours
Low	8 hours	6 hours

How to Configure Resolution Times

Resolution Definition

Resolved when:

• Status = Resolved
• Status = Closed
• Customer confirms fixed

Time Calculation

Resolution Time = Resolved - Ticket Created

Minus: Paused time (awaiting customer)
Minus: Non-business hours (if configured)

Resolution Targets

Set targets:

Priority	Target	Max
Critical	2 hours	4 hours
High	8 hours	12 hours
Medium	24 hours	48 hours
Low	48 hours	72 hours

How to Set Up Business Hours

Business Hours Configuration

1. Go to Settings → Support → Business Hours
2. Define schedules:

Standard Business Hours:
Monday-Friday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Sunday: Closed

Timezone: America/New_York

3. Set holidays
4. Assign to SLA policies

Multiple Schedules

Create different schedules:

• Standard (business hours)
• Extended (early/late)
• 24/7 (always on)

Holiday Calendar

Add holidays:

1. Go to Business Hours → Holidays
2. Add holiday dates
3. Select affected schedules
4. SLA clock pauses on holidays

How to Configure Escalations

Escalation Rules

Define what happens:

Stage	Timing	Action
Warning	50% elapsed	Notify agent
Alert	75% elapsed	Notify manager
Breach	100% elapsed	Escalate
Critical	125% elapsed	Executive alert

Setting Up Escalation

1. Open SLA policy
2. Go to Escalations
3. Add escalation rules:
   • Trigger percentage
   • Action type
   • Recipients
4. Save configuration

Escalation Actions

Available actions:

• Send notification
• Change priority
• Reassign ticket
• Add to queue
• Notify management
• Create alert

How to Monitor SLA Compliance

SLA Dashboard

View real-time status:

• Tickets by SLA status
• Response compliance
• Resolution compliance
• Breach trends

Dashboard Widgets

SLA Overview - Today

Response Time:
├─ On Track: 45 tickets (85%)
├─ Warning: 5 tickets (9%)
└─ Breached: 3 tickets (6%)

Resolution Time:
├─ On Track: 38 tickets (72%)
├─ Warning: 10 tickets (19%)
└─ Breached: 5 tickets (9%)

SLA Reports

Generate reports:

• Compliance by period
• Breach analysis
• Team performance
• Trend analysis

How to Handle SLA Pauses

Pause Scenarios

SLA clock pauses when:

• Awaiting customer response
• Pending external dependency
• On hold by request
• Scheduled maintenance

Automatic Pause

Configure auto-pause:

1. Go to SLA Settings → Pause Rules
2. Define conditions:
   • Status = Pending Customer
   • Status = On Hold
3. Clock pauses automatically

Manual Pause

Pause manually:

1. Open ticket
2. Click Pause SLA
3. Select reason
4. Clock stops
5. Resume when ready

How to Analyze SLA Performance

Key Reports

Report	Shows
Compliance Report	% targets met
Breach Report	Failed SLAs
Trend Report	Over time
Agent Report	By team member

Compliance Calculation

SLA Compliance % =
(Tickets Met Target / Total Tickets) × 100

Target: >95%

Root Cause Analysis

For breaches:

• Identify patterns
• Common categories
• Peak times
• Resource gaps

Advanced Features

Multi-SLA Tickets

Multiple SLAs on one ticket:

• Different targets for stages
• Multiple commitments
• Tracking each separately

SLA Inheritance

Apply SLAs based on:

• Customer tier
• Contract terms
• Product type
• Priority combination

Proactive Alerts

Prevent breaches:

• Predictive warnings
• Workload balancing
• Automatic reassignment
• Resource suggestions

SLA Reporting API

External reporting:

• Real-time data
• Custom dashboards
• Integration with BI tools
• Automated reports

Best Practices

📋 Policy Design

• Realistic targets
• Clear conditions
• Appropriate escalations
• Regular review

⏱️ Time Management

• Prompt responses
• Efficient processes
• Proper prioritization
• Workload balance

📊 Monitoring

• Real-time tracking
• Trend analysis
• Breach investigation
• Continuous improvement

🎯 Targets

• Achievable goals
• Stretch objectives
• Team accountability
• Customer alignment

Configuration

SLA Settings

Navigate to Settings → Support → SLA:

• Policies - SLA definitions
• Targets - Time goals
• Business Hours - Schedules
• Holidays - Calendar

Escalation Settings

• Rules - Trigger conditions
• Actions - What happens
• Recipients - Who's notified
• Templates - Message formats

Reporting Settings

• Dashboards - Display config
• Reports - Standard reports
• Alerts - Threshold notifications
• Export - Data formats

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

SLA not applying

• Check policy conditions
• Verify priority set
• Review customer tier
• Check policy active

Time calculation wrong

• Review business hours
• Check pause periods
• Verify timezone
• Audit ticket history

Escalation not triggering

• Check escalation rules
• Verify notification settings
• Review recipient availability
• Test configuration

Compliance showing incorrectly

• Verify calculation period
• Check data completeness
• Review exclusions
• Audit raw data

Next Steps

Learn about the Customer Portal to provide self-service access for customers.