IT support SLAs: which response times to demand
An SLA is not a sales promise: it is a measurable commitment. Here is what we put in writing.
Response is not resolution
Response time is how long we take to pick up the ticket and tell you what is happening. Resolution time is how long we take to get you working again.
We commit to both and report them separately every month.
The three severity levels we use
Correct classification is what keeps a production outage from queueing behind a printer issue.
- Critical: the business is down. Response within 1 hour, continuous work until resolved.
- High: a department or key service affected. Response within 4 business hours.
- Normal: a single workstation or change request. Response within 8 business hours.
What to demand in writing
Who classifies severity, when the clock starts, what cover exists out of hours and what happens when a target is missed.
In our contracts the client proposes the severity and we confirm it; if we disagree, the client’s view prevails for the first hour.
Out-of-hours cover
Many companies do not need full 24/7: they need someone to answer on a Saturday if the site loses connectivity.
Where there are night shifts or continuous production we do set up full cover with a direct line and a defined escalation path.
Related services
Is your current provider meeting its times?
We will review your SLA and tell you whether it fits your operation.
Talk to an engineer