A Service Level Agreement Primer Optimizing Outcomes

In today’s technology-driven business culture, there are a number of concerns regarding service expectations from suppliers/providers to customers/end users. As a result, it is becoming increasingly necessary for both sides of the service equation to carefully evaluate how the delivery of services can impact performance and the bottom line.

Born out of the growing need for a formal contract, service level agreements (or SLAs) can help establish agreed-upon performance metrics between technology service providers and end users. Some of the most frequent users of SLAs are telecom companies, Internet service providers, and IT service providers. While many SLAs are established between companies and external suppliers, they are becoming increasingly popular between departments within the same company, such as between the IT department and internal customers.

The point of an SLA is to clearly state service expectations and therefore minimize potential issues between both parties. By mastering the ins and outs of SLAs, service providers and end users alike can experience the freedom and security that comes with shared understanding and well-defined performance metrics.

This white paper provides a conceptual overview of SLAs, shows how they can be used, and explores samples of the roles and responsibilities of involved parties. The examples herein are based on SLAs for internal departments within health care organizations but can easily be applied to any workplace environment.

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