Service Level Agreement Development

Client Need Summary:

In the course of doing business, you quite often require a third party to assist in providing a service that is vital to your overall business process. During times of business as usual activities, they will fulfill their responsibilities as expected and you will be pleased with their service. The problem may arise during an emergency situation when they cannot fulfill their responsibility. Can you afford to be without their service for any period of time? Can you wait to find out what they are capable of in an emergency? A service level agreement can outline what is expected of them during normal and emergency situations.

Approach:

To successfully develop a service level agreement, you need to:

  • Identify the service that you need provided by the third party.
  • Identify any periods of time that you could survive without the service.
  • Identify any penalties that should be imposed should they fail to meet your requirements.
  • Stipulate how often this service level agreement should be reviewed.
The Solution:

The development of a detailed service level agreement will provide the peace of mind that your third party providers will be there for you. The quality service that they provide for you will be there even during emergency situations. Having this type of commitment guarantees that you will be able to maintain your competitive edge in all situations.