SLA Management
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) define the expected response and resolution times for support requests. DZDESK provides comprehensive SLA tracking and management.
What is an SLA?
An SLA is a commitment to respond to and resolve requests within specified timeframes. DZDESK tracks:
- Response Time: Time until first agent response
- Resolution Time: Time until request is resolved
SLA Tiers
DZDESK supports multiple SLA tiers to handle different priority levels:
Default Tier Structure
| Tier | Name | Response Target | Resolution Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Critical | 1 hour | 4 hours |
| 2 | High | 4 hours | 8 hours |
| 3 | Standard | 8 hours | 24 hours |
| 4 | Low | 24 hours | 72 hours |
Actual values depend on your organization's configuration.
Tier Assignment
SLA tiers are assigned based on:
- Request priority
- Request category
- VIP user status
- Custom rules
Working Hours
SLA calculations respect working hours:
Business Hours
- Define start and end times
- Configure timezone
- Different hours for different days
Weekend Settings
Per-tier weekend configuration:
- Include Saturday: Count Saturday in SLA time
- Include Sunday: Count Sunday in SLA time
Example configurations:
- Tier 1 (Critical): Include weekends
- Tier 3 (Standard): Exclude weekends
Holidays
Define company holidays:
- Holidays are excluded from SLA calculations
- Configure per-year calendar
- Import holiday lists
SLA Calculation
How Time is Calculated
SLA Time = Total Elapsed Time - Excluded Time
Excluded Time includes:
- Non-working hours
- Weekends (if configured)
- Holidays
- Pause periods (if enabled)
Example Calculation
Request created: Friday 4:00 PM Working hours: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Weekends excluded
| Time Period | Duration | Counted |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM | 2 hours | ✓ |
| Friday night | 15 hours | ✗ |
| Saturday | 24 hours | ✗ |
| Sunday | 24 hours | ✗ |
| Mon 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM | 3 hours | ✓ |
| Total SLA Time | 5 hours |
SLA Statuses
Visual Indicators
| Status | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| On Track | 🟢 Green | Plenty of time remaining |
| At Risk | 🟡 Yellow | Approaching deadline |
| Breached | 🔴 Red | Target exceeded |
Status Thresholds
Default thresholds:
- Green: > 25% time remaining
- Yellow: < 25% time remaining
- Red: Deadline passed
SLA Pausing
Certain conditions may pause SLA timers:
Automatic Pause Triggers
- Status changed to "Pending"
- Waiting for customer response
- External dependency noted
Manual Pause
Administrators can:
- Pause SLA for specific requests
- Document pause reason
- Resume when appropriate
Pause Visibility
- Pause periods are logged
- Total pause time shown
- Audit trail maintained
SLA Notifications
Warning Alerts
Notifications sent when:
- 50% of time elapsed
- 75% of time elapsed
- 90% of time elapsed
- SLA breached
Alert Recipients
- Assigned agent
- Group managers
- Escalation contacts
- Custom notification rules
SLA Reports
Compliance Metrics
Track SLA performance:
- Response SLA compliance rate
- Resolution SLA compliance rate
- Average response time
- Average resolution time
Trend Analysis
Monitor over time:
- Daily/weekly/monthly compliance
- Breach patterns
- Team performance comparison
Export Options
Export SLA data:
- CSV format
- Date range selection
- Filter by group/agent
Configuring SLAs
Creating SLA Tiers
Administrators can:
- Navigate to Settings > SLA Configuration
- Click Add Tier
- Configure:
- Tier name
- Response target (hours)
- Resolution target (hours)
- Weekend inclusion
- Save configuration
Editing Existing Tiers
- Select tier to edit
- Modify targets
- Changes apply to new requests
- Existing requests keep original SLA
Priority Mapping
Map priorities to SLA tiers:
| Priority | Default Tier |
|---|---|
| Critical | Tier 1 |
| High | Tier 2 |
| Medium | Tier 3 |
| Low | Tier 4 |
VIP Users and SLA
VIP users receive enhanced SLA treatment:
- Automatic priority boost
- Faster response targets
- Expedited handling
- Special notifications
See VIP Users for configuration.
Best Practices
Setting Realistic Targets
- Analyze historical resolution times
- Consider team capacity
- Account for complexity variations
- Build in buffer time
- Review and adjust regularly
Maintaining Compliance
- Monitor dashboards daily
- Address at-risk requests immediately
- Balance workload across team
- Escalate before breach, not after
- Document delay reasons
Continuous Improvement
- Review breach patterns
- Identify systemic issues
- Adjust tiers based on data
- Train team on SLA importance
- Celebrate compliance achievements
Troubleshooting SLA Issues
SLA Not Triggering
- Check request has priority assigned
- Verify SLA tier mapping exists
- Confirm working hours configured
Incorrect Time Calculation
- Review working hours settings
- Check holiday calendar
- Verify weekend configuration
Missing Notifications
- Check notification settings
- Verify email delivery
- Review alert thresholds
Related Topics
- Working Hours - Configure business hours
- Weekend & Holiday Rules - Exclusion settings
- SLA Policies - Policy configuration