What value is a Service Level Agreement?
Indeed, good question! Marketing gurus preach that companies such as ours should offer guarantees to their clients based on Service Level Agreements. However, having reviewed many Service Level Agreements, they are frequently so carefully worded and qualified that the headline “guaranteed response time” becomes valueless; a document that looks cast iron in an effort to win your business but in fact can let you down when you most need it. This is a tactic to which we do not subscribe nor will adopt. Here at EasylifeIT™ we do things differently.
What we can promise you is the following:
- A critical incident such as the server failing or failed will receive our undivided attention until the issue is resolved. Our response, dedication and pursuit in a disaster recovery situation is impressive and frequently commented upon.
- A call placed with EasylifeIT will invariably be answered by an experienced and trained technician who will immediately attempt to resolve your issue. We don’t triage, we don’t use voicemail, we don’t insist you create a ticket and wait for a callback.
- EasylifeIT™ will liaise with third parties in pursuit of a resolution to your problem. If we support your system, we do not limit our responsibility or actions to a predefined schedule.
- Regular reviews of your system and the service we offer.
- If you are not happy with any aspect of the service you receive, you can speak directly with the Managing Director.
- If you are still unhappy with the service after speaking with the Managing Director, you may immediately cancel your service with us with just 30 days’ notice without penalty.
- We will always work with your best interests and business continuity at heart.
The problem with many SLA’s
- Guaranteed response time doesn’t mean “fix”. In the worst examples, a response can just mean an email acknowledgement within the response time. Fix times are hardly ever guaranteed. In fairness; because it depends on too many factors.
- With the best will in the world, any organization has finite resources and in extreme scenarios; you can only be in so many places at one time. It’s a calculation of course, but if an organization offers a guarantee it shouldn’t be qualified in T&C small print.
- SLA response times can lead to delay. An 8 hour “non-critical” issue on a workstation might be a low priority according to the SLA, but very critical for the person trying to send an email on a deadline.
