Service Level Agreement: Key to Efficiency, or Support Team’s Worst Nightmare?

Service Level Agreement: Key to Efficiency, or Support Team’s Worst Nightmare? | Live Agent01:44

Live AgentDecember 29, 2016

Service Level Agreement: Key to Efficiency, or Support Team’s Worst Nightmare?

Understanding the Importance of Service Level Agreements

Service Level Agreements, or SLAs, are agreements between a business and its customers that specify the level of support the business will provide, including response times and resolution times. SLAs are essential for any company looking to offer high-quality customer support as they provide a clear understanding of expectations. They are vital to ensuring that customer support teams deliver consistent, timely service to customers. By setting clear expectations and outlining key metrics, SLAs enable support teams to work more efficiently and effectively. SLAs can significantly impact efficiency as they determine when a customer expects a response, and what level of urgency a ticket has. This way the teams know which tickets to prioritize, and when a customer can expect to receive a resolution. 

Setting Effective SLAs to Improve Customer Support

When setting SLAs, it is essential to take into account your business’s capacity to meet service levels effectively. SLAs must be realistic because failing to meet the defined metrics will lead to customer dissatisfaction and reduced efficiency. If they are set incorrectly, it can lead to several issues, including customer dissatisfaction, lack of productivity, and reduced revenue. If the SLAs are set too low, customers may not be satisfied with the level of support they receive, which can lead to lower customer retention rates, negative reviews and bad reputation. If they are set too high, it can be challenging for customer support teams to meet them. Setting unrealistic or unachievable SLAs can result in inefficient workflows, causing support teams to invest more time and resources in resolving issues than necessary. The video covers the importance of SLAs and provides useful tips on how to set them correctly to benefit both customers and the support team.

Related Articles

What is the Best Marketing Strategy for Your Business?

Different marketing strategies work for different businesses. Local businesses should focus on being found on Google and optimizing their website. For remote businesses, platforms like YouTube or social media can be more effective. Digital marketing may not be necessary right away, and print marketing, like postcards, can still be effective for local businesses. It's important to focus on what already works and gradually invest in other strategies.

Pull and Push Strategy in Marketing | Quick guide

Pulse strategy builds brand awareness and encourages loyalty through strong marketing efforts. Examples include Nike, Apple, Starbucks, and Glossier. Push strategy focuses on distribution and visibility, utilized by Coca-Cola, Procter and Gamble, Best Buy, and Nestle. Combining both strategies in a marketing mix can enhance product success.

The Technical SEO Specialist Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Site Ranking

Technical SEO is crucial for improving search rankings and overall site health. It involves optimizing elements like rendering, indexing, and crawling. Use HTTPS, make your site mobile-friendly, improve site speed, fix broken links, use canonical URLs, create an XML sitemap, perform backlink audit, and optimize internal links.

Mastering live chat best practices for exceptional customer service

Optimize live chat by training agents to be responsive, friendly, and professional. Use SLAs, co-browsing, and canned responses to enhance customer experience. Consider mobile-friendliness, ticketing systems, CRM integration, and post-chat surveys for improved service.