The Secrets to Writing Effective SLAs

Service-level agreements (SLAs) are vital for building strong, effective relationships with your service providers. Use this guide to help make sure your SLAs convey everything you need to effectively communicate your facility maintenance needs to help ensure you get the results you expect.   

What are Service-Level Agreements (SLAs)? 

Service-level agreements outline the expectation (agreed upon on the front end) for how your service partner will perform their services from exterior services like landscaping and snow removal to interior service programs such as pest control and fire extinguisher maintenance. SLAs are metrics-driven and reflect the aspects of service that are most important to you as the client.  

Common SLA examples include arrival times (standard, critical and emergency), usage of your mobile app for validation of work completed, time to completion and average service cost. SLAs are different from client satisfaction (CSAT) measures, which are typically driven by the provider and use measures like post-service surveys to gauge your satisfaction with the work completed. Combined, the two methods can provide a more detailed look at a partner’s overall performance.   

What SLAs communicate and measure  

There are two primary types of metrics for SLAs: the more rigid pass/fail metrics that are to the letter and a newer methodology that uses a sliding scale. Generally, the sliding scale may be more motivating for the provider to keep working toward the goal.  

Why SLAs matter 

Having measurable objectives for your provider is beneficial for both parties. SLAs help you increase the chances of achieving the goals that are most important to you and your business. Plus, they help ensure there are no surprises, as providers know exactly what you want and what they have to do to meet your expectations. 

Tips for well-written SLAs  

When writing SLAs, there are two critical elements to consider: 

1. SLAs should be clear and measurable, data-driven and not based on feelings or preferences about the services.  
2. SLAs should be realistic. This can be most challenging with pass/fail SLAs, where it can be next to impossible to achieve a target with no room for error. If your partner can offer performance metrics on their current projects with other clients, you can place more trust in their ability to complete the work to your standards as well, without the need for such rigid measures. 

As for formatting, simple and to the point is almost always better. SLAs can be effectively outlined using a table with an SLA header, the metric your partner should be tracking and the percentage that they’re expected to achieve. The MCS team can help identify the most important metrics for your business and customize a program to address those items.   

Steps for writing a Service-Level Agreement

As you write your SLAs, use the following steps:  

1. Identify areas of need.  
Identify the primary (four to five) aspects of your business that will help you and your facilities managers worry less about maintenance so you can focus on the more important aspects of running your business and not being bothered with maintenance and repairs (or finding someone to manage them). As mentioned above, these tend to be critical aspects like arrival time, time to completion and cost.    

2. Set goals.  
From here, you should set measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess your partner’s performance and define targets for each. All metrics should be documented to ensure both you and your service partner agree on the terms.  
 
3. Monitor SLAs.  
SLAs should be monitored and reviewed at least quarterly to ensure the partner is on track with your targets. Additionally, scorecards can be used to help track overall performance, allowing you to adjust based on data.   

4. Revisit SLAs regularly.  

Though your KPIs and SLAs should be well-defined, it’s also important to leave room for potential changes down the road, which could be based on shifting requirements, circumstances or business needs. By reviewing them regularly, you can determine their effectiveness and whether changes may be needed.  

Are you looking for a trusted service provider you can partner with to help you achieve your SLA goals and KPIs?

Find out how Chain Store Maintenance - an MCS Company, can help. Contact your Chain Store account representative or email CSMsales@ChainStore.com to learn more.