SLA time refers to the estimated time a service provider gives to the client for completing a project or resolving some technical issue. SLA time helps in setting the expectation of the client for service delivery and communications between the client and the service provider. Two aspects are core elements of calculating SLA time, one is issue priority which is categorized in 4 Ps, P1 to P4, highest to lowest respectively and second is defined working hours required to complete the task. Here is the SLA calculator tool to help you.
Key Aspects of SLA Time
- Response Time:
Response time is the time it takes service provider to understand and respond to clients support ticket or inquiry.
- Resolution Time:
Resolution time is the total time it took to totally get the issue resolved from it getting logged to getting fixed.
- Working Hours:
Only working hours are included in SLA time calculation in which provider is actively available and working on the issue.
- Issue Priority:
SLAs time targets are different as per the levels of urgency or priority of the issue. Like critical issue of “server down” vs the routine task issues.
- SLA Metrics:
Core SLA metrics or (KPIs)are response and resolution times which help in measuring reliability, efficiency and effectiveness of the a service provider.
How SLA Times Are Used
- Setting Expectations:
Expectations become clearer in communication timelines between and customer and the service provider.
- Ensuring Accountability:
SLA is like service commitment which holds you accountable after the promised timeline time reaches.
- Managing Performance:
SLA time helps service providers in managing and optimizing their performance too while highlighting outliers disrupting service delivery.
- Defining Business Operations:
SLAs are not just external with clients, but they are internal too for your teams. Services across different departments can also be managed and used to set expectations.
What is SLA P1, P2, P3, P4?
SLA P1 to P4 are used to set different priorities for the issues or incidents. Critical system failures with immediate attention requirement are P1 SLA while lowest priority or routine tasks are included in P4 SLAs which can be addressed in longer timeframes.
How to calculate SLA time?
There are two formulas used to calculate SLAs. Here are both described
1. For SLA which uses 24/7 default calendar
Time to Resolution for tickets that meet SLAs is expressed as x = (SLA – displayed value in green).
Regarding tickets that failed to meet SLA Resolution Time as y = (SLA + displayed value in rеd)
Hours total = (Σx + Σy) = z. This will have to be changed to a decimal.
The average resolution time in hours is equal to [z / Σ tickets].
2. For SLA which uses 9-5 calendar
Time to Resolution for tickets that meet SLAs is expressed as x = (SLA – displayed value in green)- (omit the hours from 5pm-9am).
Regarding tickets that failed to meet SLA Resolution Time as y = (SLA + displayed value in rеd) – (omit thе hours from 5pm-9am)
Hours total = (Σx + Σy) = z. This will have to be changed to decimal.
The average resolution time in hours is equal to [z / Σ tickets].
It should be noted that the final computation must be within a decimal place to match the report’s results.
What is a good SLA time?
Normally good SLAs are those that meet industry standards with immediate response and resolution normally within 5 hours to critical and high priority problems.
