Service Level Agreements (SLAs) define the target first response and resolution times for tickets. In Atera, SLAs align customer expectations with your support team’s business hours, priorities, and workflows—and power transparent reporting and accountability.
Overview
Q: What is an SLA?
A: An agreement that defines response and resolution time targets to set customer expectations for support.
Q: Why are SLAs important?
A: They provide transparent, predictable service quality and accountability across teams and customers.
Q: Are SLAs mandatory?
A: No, but strongly recommended for predictable support and accurate reporting.
Setup & Configuration
Q: Where do I create an SLA in Atera?
A: Admin > Support and ticketing > Service Level Agreements (SLAs) (also visible under Business Administration in some layouts).
- For Atera subscriptions that started before January 1, 2025 see Legacy SLA workflow
- For Atera subscriptions that started after January 1, 2025 see New SLA workflow
- Create SLA policy
Q: What fields are mandatory when creating an SLA?
A: SLA name, Business Hours calendar, and at least one First response or Closure target.
Q: Can I create multiple SLA policies?
A: Yes. Add multiple policies in Admin, define unique targets, and order their priority.
Q: Can an SLA policy be copied or cloned?
A: No auto-clone; create a new policy by entering the settings manually.
Q: Can SLAs be managed via API?
A: Core assignment is platform-based. You can build integrations around tickets/contracts with the API, but direct SLA CRUD is limited.
Business Hours & Timers
Q: How do I set business hours for SLA timers?
A: Create a Business Hours calendar in Admin; SLA timers only count time within these hours.
Q: What’s the difference between “hours” and “days” in SLA targets?
A: Hours count scheduled business hours; Days count full business days (e.g., Mon–Fri) regardless of daily shift length.
Q: What happens if a ticket is created outside business hours?
A: The SLA timer starts at the next business opening.
Q: Are weekends and holidays included?
A: Only if your Business Hours include them; otherwise, they’re excluded.
Q: Can SLA timers be paused?
A: Yes. The Pending status pauses timers; they resume on the next activity.
Q: Can SLA timers be restarted or recalculated?
A: Yes. On status/priority/group/contract change, the system recalculates targets in real time.
Assignment & Priority Logic
Q: Can SLAs be customised per customer or contract?
A: Yes. Assign unique SLAs to customers, sites, contracts, and technician groups.
Q: How is the SLA policy assigned to tickets?
A: Atera matches ticket conditions (group, contract, site, customer) to policies and applies the first matching policy in the list.
Q: Can multiple SLAs apply to a single ticket?
A: No. Only the first match applies.
Q: Do SLA targets change if ticket priority or group changes?
A: Yes. Policies are re-evaluated and timers recalculated instantly.
Q: Can I assign SLAs by ticket type or source?
A: No. Assignment is by site, group, contract, or customer (not by type/source).
Q: How do I assign an SLA to a new site or customer?
A: From the Overview tab of the site/customer, select the SLA from the dropdown.
Q: Is bulk assignment supported?
A: Create contracts and attach the SLA to each; direct bulk assignment isn’t supported.
Targets & Priorities
Q: What are the key SLA fields?
A: First response and Closure/Resolution times per priority.
Q: How do I set different times per priority?
A: Edit the SLA policy and set distinct targets for Critical/High/Medium/Low.
Q: What happens if an SLA policy is deleted?
A: It’s removed from open/pending tickets; Atera applies the next matching policy (or existing targets remain until closure if none match).
Reporting & Compliance
Q: How can I report on SLA performance?
A: Reports > General > Service Level Agreement (SLA Report). Filter by time, customer, site, or SLA profile; export PDF/Excel.
Q: What metrics does the SLA report show?
A: First response time, closure time, breached tickets, and compliance % (responded/closed within SLA).
Q: How do I filter SLA reports by customer/site/period?
A: Use the SLA report’s built-in filters for granular analysis; export for audits.
Q: What does “Tickets Within SLA” mean?
A: Open tickets that are still within their defined response or closure targets.
Q: How do SLA reports handle different ticket states?
A: Pending pauses timers; Closed shows final results vs targets; Open shows live countdowns.
Q: Where do I find historical SLA compliance?
A: In generated/scheduled SLA operational reports (trend over time).
Q: Can SLA reports be scheduled?
A: Yes—use Schedule Report to automate email delivery.
Q: Can I report on SLA by technician?
A: Yes. Technician performance reports include SLA compliance.
Escalations, Notifications & Automation
Q: Can SLA timers trigger escalations or notifications?
A: Yes—use ticket automation rules to send reminders or escalation emails on approaching/actual breach.
Maintenance & Lifecycle
Q: When should SLAs be reviewed or updated?
A: At least annually, or whenever business, process, or customer needs change.
Q: What happens if targets are not met?
A: Tickets appear as breached in reports—review root causes and adjust policies/processes.
Q: What if a contract with an SLA is deleted?
A: Tickets move to the next matching SLA; if none exist, current targets remain until closure.
Troubleshooting & Edge Cases
Q: Why aren’t SLA timers running?
A: Check the Business Hours calendar, ensure a matching policy is applied, and confirm ticket isn’t Pending.
Q: Why aren’t tickets showing in SLA reports?
A: They may lack a matching SLA, be filtered out by date/customer/SLA profile, or be Pending/Closed per your filters.
Q: Can customers see SLA breach analytics directly in the portal?
A: Not the analytics; they can see ticket status. Share scheduled reports for compliance views.
Q: Why isn’t an SLA applying to some tickets?
A: This usually happens when tickets are missing a contract or have conditions that don’t match any SLA policy. Verify that each ticket is linked to the correct customer, site, or contract with an assigned SLA.
Q: Why do my SLA operational and analytical reports show different numbers?
A: Discrepancies occur when tickets lack a contract or SLA assignment. Make sure all relevant tickets are tied to an active SLA for consistent reporting.
Q: Why isn’t the SLA timer pausing when waiting on third-party input?
A: The timer only pauses when the ticket status is set to Pending. Update the ticket status accordingly to prevent false breaches.
Q: Why do SLA timers seem off during certain hours?
A: Check your Business Hours calendar — incorrect or incomplete settings can cause timers to run outside expected hours.
Q: Why aren’t my SLA automation rules working?
A: Inactive or misconfigured automation rules can prevent SLAs from being applied correctly. Review your automation setup to ensure all rules are active and accurate.
Q: How can I quickly find tickets that have breached their SLA?
A: In reports or ticket views, use the “Due by: Overdue” filter to identify tickets that have exceeded their SLA targets.
