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Find out what an SLA (Service Level Agreement) is, what are its advantages and how to apply it in your business in search of customer satisfaction.

What is the SLA (Service Level Agreement) and what is it for?

<p>Service level agreements (SLAs) are a way to guarantee the quality of your service and the loyalty of any type of customer.</p><p>This service management enables customer satisfaction, which is nothing more than meeting consumer expectations in a certain amount of time.</p><p>Continue in this article and learn how to apply the SLA to your business through the following topics:</p><ul><li>What is SLA?</li><li>What is the SLA for?</li><li>What are the impacts of the SLA on customer satisfaction?</li><li>How to apply the SLA?</li><li>Stand out as a leader!</li></ul><h2><strong>What is SLA?</strong></h2><p>A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is an accord between two parties, namely, the entity that will provide the service and the customer that will benefit from the service.</p><p>That agreement includes all the characteristics of the type of service that will be provided are specified in detail, as well as their deadlines, quality and the amount to be charged. Among them, we can mention:</p><ul><li>Definition of the results that will be achieved;</li><li>The execution time required for the development of the activity;</li><li>The people who will be responsible for each activity;</li><li>Details about the level of service that will be delivered.</li></ul><p>In general, the SLA can be applied throughout the sector that works with service provision, however, it is conventionally used in contracts of companies in the Information Technology (IT) area.</p><p>It is important that SLA metrics can guarantee the public&#39;s interest in acquiring a certain service, making it possible to identify the quality of the results obtained by the company that performs it.</p><p>For this, good communication with stakeholders can be very important!</p><p><strong>Learn to develop and sketch new (or existing) business models.</strong></p><br/><p>The CANVAS or &quot;Business Model Framework&quot; is a strategic management tool that allows you to develop and draft new or existing business models.</p><br/><p>In this eBook we will understand the business model that is increasingly important in the corporate world, which seeks to clarify the main factors involved in the creation and operation of an enterprise. You will learn how to apply it in our business.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://conteudo.pocketbook4you.com/ebook-business-model-canvas">          <Image  quality="95"  src="https://images.prismic.io/voitto-blog/d27d2c52-c65a-4ebc-b3f0-5d0626a7a4e6_Bot%C3%A3o+Banner+Cursos+-+TLSS+%283%29.png"          width="1025"          height="205" alt="Business Model Canvas" title="Business Model Canvas"/></a></p><h2><strong>What is the SLA for?</strong></h2><p>If someone creates an SLA, it will be able to evaluate, measure and report service performance levels. Identify the positive and negative points, so that next time the team can correct what is necessary and replicate what is working well.</p><p>SLA also directly influences the level of customer satisfaction and the quality of customer service, being essential to improve their performance.</p><p>It also provides transparency between both parts, guaranteeing more security for all activities - with cloud computing.</p><h2><strong>What are the impacts of the SLA on customer satisfaction?</strong></h2><p>Now that you know what the SLA is for, let&#39;s take a closer look at some of its main benefits.</p><h3><strong>Customer Satisfaction</strong></h3><p>Customer satisfaction is related to meeting consumer expectations from the beginning of the purchase journey.</p><p>This variable is also related to the compatibility between the brand and the buyer&#39;s needs. A satisfied consumer promotes the brand.</p><p>It can be calculated by NPS (Net Promoter Score), CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) and CES (Customer Effort Score).</p><h3><strong>Communication Improvement</strong></h3><p>One of the main benefits of the SLA is to optimize communication between both parties to the contract.</p><p>In this way, those involved are aware of the obligations in a clear and precise way throughout the service desk with a good response time.</p><h3><strong>Increase in Loyalty</strong></h3><p>An SLA done right will bring greater customer loyalty.</p><p>This ends up being a benefit for both parties, as they will already be used to the quality and reliability of the service:</p><ul><li>The customer will not need to look for a competitor; </li><li>The service provider will continue selling, not being necessary to prospect for more customers.</li></ul><h3><strong>Highest Quality Service Provided</strong></h3><p>Through the SLA, contractual services are more organized, following a standard, that is, all parties to the contract know exactly what must be provided, which increases the productivity and efficiency of the service.</p><p>This point will help the company when carrying out a satisfaction survey.</p><h3><strong>Flexible Contracts</strong></h3><p>Traditional contracts are usually plastered, everything that is written must be fulfilled. If any changes are identified, it will be necessary to create an amendment, making the process bureaucratic and time-consuming.</p><p>In turn, the SLA is simpler, being possible to edit whenever necessary. It is enough that both parties are in agreement, facilitating the execution of the service in an efficient way.</p><h2><strong>How to apply the SLA?</strong></h2><p>We will present the main tips that can be applied when preparing the SLA.</p><h3><strong>Determine the purpose of the service</strong></h3><p>It is essential to make clear to the customer all the objectives that are intended to be achieved with the execution of the service.</p><p>In addition, it is necessary for both parties to be aware of the benefits of the service, and the returns that will be obtained...</p><p>Not having a specific objective can reduce the chances of project effectiveness. So be very careful when performing this step.</p><h3><strong>Define project participants and indicators</strong></h3><p>After defining the objective, it will be necessary to present the people who will be involved with the project, both in relation to the contracting company and in relation to the service provider.</p><p>All activities that each member will be responsible for must be mapped, in order to monitor progress and ensure quality.</p><p>It is also important to define performance indicators so that each person&#39;s tasks are correctly measured.</p><h3><strong>Define performance metrics</strong></h3><p>One way to ensure that what was agreed is actually being fulfilled is by defining metrics (KPIs).</p><p>It will be up to the team, through the know-how of each one, to define the appropriate metrics for monitoring the following types of SLA.</p><h3><strong>Build the guidelines</strong></h3><p>Each type of customer has its rules and ways of dealing with service providers. Therefore, the guidelines need to be clear.</p><p>Therefore, it will be necessary to identify all limitations of both parties in relation to the project. For example, if there is a day when the service will not be available, it is important to make this point very clear to everyone.</p><p>There are also cases where one of the parties uses a means of communication that the other party is not used to, and it is also necessary to define this point.</p><h2><strong>Stand out as a leader!</strong></h2><p>If this article was useful to you, keep following us on the Think Lean Six Sigma Blog and our social media!</p><p>Want to know how to jumpstart your career and become a true leader?</p><p>Discover the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow"  href="https://thinkleansixsigma.thinkific.com/courses/leadership">Leadership Development Program</a> for FREE, which prepares you to be a complete leader through personal development, communication techniques, feedback practices and coaching concepts to help you achieve high performance.</p><p>Do you know the importance of self-knowledge in shaping a true leader? Knowing your options and weaknesses is fundamental for you to be ahead of a team and be prepared for the most adverse situations.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://thinkleansixsigma.thinkific.com/courses/leadership">          <Image  quality="95"  src="https://images.prismic.io/voitto-blog/124eadc7-3d63-4dfb-805d-f62483a26f61_Bot%C3%A3o++Banner+-+Cursos+TLSS+%284%29.png"          width="980"          height="180" alt="Leadership Development Program" title="Leadership Development Program"/></a></p>

What is SLA (Service Level Agreement) and how does it impact customer satisfaction?

Learn in this article what the SLA (Service Level Agreement) is and how this document can guarantee the quality of your service.