The SLA contract?

Definition: A service level agreement (SLA: Service Level Agreement), or SLA contract is an agreement negotiated between two parties, one of whom is the customer and the other is the service provider.

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SLAs contracts are generally used by Purchasing departments. They measure the performance of their suppliers regardless of the purchasing families (IT, call centers, etc.).

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The SLA contract should include the following:

• ‍Basic information.

The parties to the agreement, a brief description of the agreement, the signatories, the effective dates. Also, the responsibilities of both parties and the scope of services must all be stipulated.

The service and support provided.

Provisions of the hours and days when the services will be offered (opening hours, closing times and when).

• Performance measurement.

• In the SLA, service performance must be defined in terms of availability, reliability, and production flow. But also, depending on the quality, the response time of a transaction or any other measures more appropriate to the outsourced service. Then, it is very useful to get an explanation of the measurements and to know how to calculate them.

• Reports and audits.

Determine the frequency of scheduled audits. The face-to-face or written, content and communication of the reports allow these verifications. It also concerns the responsibility for the measures to be taken.

• Problem management.

First, include a description of procedures for resolving service disagreements. The problem must be reported clearly. It should include conditions for intensification at the next level of support. Finally, it is necessary to stipulate the measures to be taken in case of poor performance.

• The functions of the client.
• Then, the responsibilities of the customer must be clearly defined. They concern the communication of the necessary information, contacts. Also, the use of resources to provide services successfully.

• Disasters and emergencies.

Even with The best schedule And the most concise SLA, disasters happen. The distribution and timing of each person's tasks should be planned in advance in the event of a crisis. This is especially important in the field of IT, security. But also in those of protection and other business-critical services.

• Sanctions and merits.

When outsourcing services, the sanctions clause is essential, but must be equal to the incentives or merits. Reward service providers offering superior performance is as important as punishing them for poor service.

• Amendments.

Situations change, businesses grow, they merge with others and so, needs also evolve. Both parts include an explanation of the procedure for requesting minor changes to how the service is provided.

The agreement can be oral or written

, it can be attached to a contract or be a document in its own right. The SLA defines a common understanding of the acceptable level of service that the customer expects to receive.

Final thought. Keep it short. A long document complicates the process for your service provider and for you. To do so, be sure to take a look at our latest expert advice: Negotiate your contract better