Creating a Service Level Agreement (SLA) is essential as it forms the foundation for the service between you and your users(s). The SLA is a mutually agreed-upon document that outlines various aspects of the technical support service, including average technician response and resolution times for addressing support issues. It helps establish clear expectations and ensures transparency in terms of the level of service provided to the users.
Creating a Service Level Agreement (SLA) is essential as it forms the foundation for the service contract between you and your customer(s). The SLA is a mutually agreed-upon document that outlines various aspects of the technical support service, including average technician response and resolution times for addressing support issues. It helps establish clear expectations and ensures transparency in terms of the level of service provided to the customers.
Note:
- The following steps only apply for Atera subscriptions that started before January 1, 2025.
- For subscriptions that started after January 1, 2025, create a business hours calendar, and then create an SLA policy. In the new SLA workflow, policies are assigned per individual ticket based on conditions defined in the SLA policy.
Create Business hours calendar
Defining your business hours is key to setting support expectations and is the crucial first step in creating SLAs, which depend on your operating schedule. Learn more about how to Create Business Hours calendars
Create SLA policy
Once your Business Hours are created, you can proceed to create your Service Level Agreement (SLA). An SLA outlines the response and resolution times your support team is responsible for delivering to your users. Learn more about how to Create a Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Once your Business Hours are created, you can proceed to create your Service Level Agreement (SLA). An SLA outlines the response and resolution times your support team is responsible for delivering to your customers. Learn more about how to Create a Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Create contracts
After you have created your Business Hours and SLA, the next step is to create a contract. Contracts can be structured based on various pricing models, such as a retainer/flat fee, hourly rate, block hours, block money, project hourly rate, project one-time fee, or specific services like remote monitoring and online backup. It is also possible to have multiple contracts per customer, each tailored to different types of support or varying support hours.
By offering diverse contract options, you can accommodate different customer needs and preferences, ensuring flexibility in the services you provide. This allows you to establish clear terms and conditions for the support services rendered, fostering a transparent and mutually beneficial relationship with your customers.
Assign SLA to your Site
After you have established your Business Hours and SLA, the next step is to assign the SLA to the desired Site. You can assign the SLA by going to the Overview tab of a site, and selected the SLA under the SLA dropdown.
Understanding SLA targets: hours vs. days
The SLA targets for first response and closed tickets can be set based on hours/minutes or days. The hours/ minutes follow the defined work schedule of the Business hours calendar attached to the SLA policy, while the days follows the full days of the week (Monday - Friday).
- Hours: The SLA only counts during the hours defined in the SLA's attached business hours calendar work schedule. Any time outside of this, and the holiday schedule, are not calculated in the SLA.
- Days: The SLA counts full business days of the week (Monday - Friday), regardless of the work schedule defined in the business hours.
Example 1: 48 hours vs 2 days:
- Business hours calendar: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (9 hour work schedule).
- Ticket created: Monday at 10:00 AM
| SLA response target | Due date | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| 48 Hours (Business hours calendar) | Next Monday, 1:00 PM | 48 business hours ÷ 9 hours per day = 5.33 business days |
| 2 Days (Business Days) | Wednesday, 5:00 PM | 2 full business days later |
If you have an SLA policy with a 48 hour first response target and an 8 hour Work schedule on Monday–Friday, a ticket response will be due 6 business days later. (48 hours ÷ 8 hours/day = 6 days). But if you have a policy with a 2 day first response target, the ticket response will be due exactly 2 business days later.
Example 2: Ticket created outside of work schedule:
- Business hours calendar: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (9 hour work schedule).
- Ticket Created: Friday at 7:00 PM (outside of work schedule).
| SLA response target | SLA start time | Due date | Calculation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 Hours SLA (Business Hours) | Monday, 8:00 AM | Next Monday, 11:00 AM | 48 hours ÷ 9 hours per day = 5.33 business days |
| 2 Days SLA (Business Days) | Monday, 8:00 AM | Wednesday, 5:00 PM | 2 full business days later |
FAQs
Why does my 48 hour SLA target take longer than 2 days?
48 Hours means 48 business hours, not 2 calendar days. If your business operates 8 hours a day, a 48 hour target will count 6 full workdays.
Solution: If you expect a ticket to be due in exactly 2 business days, select Days in your SLA targets instead of hours.
Why does a ticket created at night show a longer SLA?
If a ticket is created outside of the work schedule defined in your business hours calendar, the SLA countdown starts at the next business opening.
What happens on weekends and holidays?
If your business does not operate on weekends, those days are skipped in the SLA calculation.
