Crafting An Internal Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Jonathan Ward 23 July 2020 Inspire

What are SLAs?

Your service level agreement (SLA) sets the tone for your relationship between Sales and Marketing by outlining responsibilities, terms and timelines you will both work under.

When you’re clear on expectations, you will be able to measure and manage your teams performance in a meaningful way. The better your agreement, the more alignment you will see.

Why do you need an SLA?

By implementing SLAs, you can specify exactly what is (and is not) covered in campaigns, document roles and responsibilities of both teams, and define service prerequisites that set you up for success.

When done well, an SLA delivers a strong framework for your business and execution to run smoothly. All stakeholders will be able to refer to agreed-upon deliverables, see clearly defined terms of service, and access specific instructions for support and escalation.

Getting Started

The Do’s & Don’ts of SLAs

As you begin to craft your SLA, DO keep these principles in mind if you want to get the blueprint right the first time.

Do develop a framework to help you map out your SLA and maximize your efficiency. Rely on automated workflows, where possible, to help you save time and deliver faster service.
Do identify specifically what is and is not covered to avoid confusion on both sides. Make sure important things like team availability and stakeholders are clearly defined.
Do monitor your progress against SLA goals. Rely on reporting to help you keep customers aware of how you’re meeting and exceeding your SLA promises.
Do automate reporting. Providing real-time performance to customers through automated reporting provides full transparency into the real status of the agreed-upon metrics.

An SLA should be specific, measurable, and have clear priorities to hold all parties accountable. DON’T let these mistakes render your effort ineffective.

Don’t treat it as a solution to reported issues. Address concerns immediately, so each team feels heard, and then revisit the SLA if necessary.
Don’t make it one-sided. Your SLA needs to work for Sales and Marketing, so make sure it is equally beneficial.
Don’t let issues fester. Define thresholds to alert you to issues before they impact your SLA, and communicate performance expectations down to your sales and marketing teams to keep everyone on the same page.

Jonathan P. Ward