--- title: "What is a service level agreement?" description: "What is a service level agreement? A written promise about response and resolution times. See the worked example, the common mistakes and how we handle it." url: https://assistbpo.com/glossary/service-level-agreement/ updated: 2026-09-20 publisher: AssistBPO (SS Support Network LLC) language: en-US --- # What is a service level agreement? Glossary What is a service level agreement? A service level agreement, or SLA, is a written commitment between a service provider and a client that sets measurable targets for how the service will perform, such as how quickly calls are answered, how fast tickets receive a first reply, and what hours are covered. An SLA also states how performance is measured and reported, and what happens when a target is missed. Updated September 2026 · Reviewed by [Nimra Khalid](https://assistbpo.com/team/nimra-khalid/) ## How does a service level agreement work? 1. Pick a small number of measures that matter to customers: answer speed, first response time, resolution time, coverage hours. 2. Set a target and a threshold for each, for example 90 percent of chats answered within 60 seconds during covered hours. 3. Define how each measure is calculated and which tool produces the number, so both sides read the same report. 4. Agree the review cadence and what a miss triggers: a root-cause note, a staffing change or a credit as written in the contract. 5. Revisit targets quarterly as volume and channels change; an SLA written for email rarely fits live chat. ## A worked example An online furniture retailer in Ohio outsourced its email and chat support and wrote a short SLA with the provider. It covered three things: chat answered within 45 seconds, email first reply within four business hours, and coverage from 8am to 8pm Eastern, seven days a week. The help desk reports were set to calculate each measure the same way every week. In month two the email target was missed during a shipping delay, and the review produced a root-cause note showing the volume spike, a temporary second agent and a revised macro for delivery questions. The SLA turned a complaint into a fix within a week. ## Where does a service level agreement show up in your tools? Zendesk, Freshdesk and Gorgias have SLA policies that stamp each ticket with a target, show a countdown to agents and report breaches. Call answer targets come from the queue reports in RingCentral, Dialpad or Aircall, and HubSpot Service Hub applies SLA rules by ticket priority. ## Common mistakes - Writing ten metrics into the SLA so nobody watches any of them closely. - Setting a first reply target and then letting canned acknowledgements count as a reply. - Measuring against the calendar clock instead of covered hours, which makes weekends look like failures. ## Why does a service level agreement matter? Without a service level agreement, good service is an opinion and bad service is an argument. An SLA gives both sides one set of numbers, one way of calculating them and a routine for fixing misses. For a business handing customer contact to an outside team, it is the document that keeps the relationship honest. ## How does AssistBPO handle a service level agreement? AssistBPO agrees service targets with each client during onboarding, tied to the help desk or phone reports you already trust, and the team lead brings the numbers to the weekly review. Specific targets are set per engagement rather than published as a rate card, because coverage hours and channels differ. Misses get a written root-cause note and a staffing or process change, not an excuse. [Tickets resolved by agents who learn your product](https://assistbpo.com/services/customer-support-outsourcing/)[Get a staffing plan](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/) ## Related terms - [First response time](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/first-response-time/) - [Ticket backlog](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/ticket-backlog/) - [Escalation matrix](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/escalation-matrix/) - [Quality assurance scorecard](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/quality-assurance-scorecard/) - [Help desk](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/help-desk/) - [Live chat](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/live-chat/) - [Macro](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/macro/) ## Where it is used - [Tickets resolved by agents who learn your product](https://assistbpo.com/services/customer-support-outsourcing/) ## Next in the A to Z - [Setup fee](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/setup-fee/) - [Shared inbox](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/shared-inbox/) - [Showing scheduler](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/showing-scheduler/) - [Social media calendar](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/social-media-calendar/) [All 148 terms, A to Z](https://assistbpo.com/glossary/) Next step ## Your desk, staffed. Wherever you are. Tell us what is overloaded. A named person replies within 1 business day with a staffing plan, and we propose your assistant within 72 hours. [Get a staffing plan](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/) [Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) Or call [+1-657-777-0006](tel:+16577770006) during US, UK or Australian business hours, or [hear our demo receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/demo-line/). - A named assistant proposed within 72 hours - Employed, screened and managed staff, never freelancers - Your hours, your tools, your data --- Source: https://assistbpo.com/glossary/service-level-agreement/ · Contact: https://assistbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://assistbpo.com/llms.txt