"We promise to respond within 24 hours." This promise is an SLA. But do you really know what it entails and how to implement it effectively?
In this guide, learn everything there is to know about SLAs: their definition, how to build them, how to measure them, and above all, how to comply with them without leaving your team behind.
An SLA (Service Level Agreement) is a formal commitment that defines the level of service a customer can expect.
In the context of customer service, SLAs generally define:
SLAs create clear expectations for the customer and a measurable goal for the support team.
The customer knows what to expect. No gray areas, no frustration due to uncertainty.
A quantified objective motivates and allows for prioritization. Without an SLA, everything is "urgent"... so nothing really is.
SLAs are a clear KPI for evaluating customer service performance.
Ambitious and respected SLAs are a powerful selling point, especially in B2B.
The most common. Sets the maximum time for an agent to acknowledge receipt of the request.
Examples:
Defines the maximum time allowed to completely resolve the issue.
Examples:
Different deadlines depending on criticality:
Before making any promises, take a look at your current times:
A single SLA for everything does not work. Differentiate by:
If your average response time is 2 hours, don't promise 2 hours. Aim for an SLA that you can meet 90%+ of the time.
Does "within 24 hours" mean 24 calendar hours or 24 business hours? Please be explicit.
Formula:
Compliance rate = (Tickets resolved within the SLA / Total tickets) × 100
Typical target: 90-95% compliance
Most CRMs (Zendesk, Freshdesk, Salesforce) include native SLA features: alerts, automatic escalations, dashboards.
An effective triage system is essential. Tickets close to the breach must be escalated as a priority.
Notifications to agents and managers when a ticket is approaching the limit.
Analyze volumes by time slot and adjust staffing levels accordingly.
The more efficient your agents are, the more tickets they can handle within the SLA. Automation helps enormously here.
Klark speeds up responses by suggesting specific answers to agents, helping to meet SLAs even during peak volumes.
When a ticket is at risk of exceeding the SLA, automatic escalation to a senior staff member or manager can save the day.
What you promise your customers. Often contractual in B2B, sometimes with penalties for non-compliance.
Your operational objectives, which are often more ambitious than external SLAs in order to maintain a margin of safety.
Example:
A 15-minute SLA for email with a team of three people? You're setting yourself up for failure and frustration.
Treating a simple question and a critical incident with the same turnaround time does not make sense.
An SLA that the customer is unaware of does not create value. Display it clearly.
Tracking compliance rates without analyzing the causes of breaches is pointless.
Responding to the SLA with a sloppy answer is worse than slightly exceeding it with a real solution.
SLAs directly impact satisfaction, but be mindful of the nuances:
The ideal scenario: realistic SLAs that you regularly exceed. The customer expects a response within 24 hours, you respond within 2 hours = satisfaction.
It depends on the channel and the expectations of your industry. In B2B email, 4-8 hours is often fine. In chat, a few minutes at most.
In B2B, this is common (credit, discounts). In B2C, it is rarer, but the risk is losing the customer.
Have a plan B: flexible resources, strict prioritization of premium customers, proactive communication about deadlines.
Specify whether SLAs apply during business hours or calendar hours. Most exclude weekends and holidays.
SLAs (Service Level Agreements) are not just an operational constraint: they are a promise made to your customers and a framework for your team.
The keys to a good SLA:
Need help meeting your SLAs? Discover how Klark speeds up your team's responses.
