How do I configure Service Level Agreements (SLAs)?

Created by Mark Eves, Modified on Thu, 6 Oct, 2022 at 10:32 AM by Ben Hayes

The MCS platform allows organisations to configure Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for use in various parts of the system. These are based on Impact, and consider working patterns and holidays.

This allows organisations to monitor and time stages of a lifecycle - in a Service Request, for instance - and to notify where specific stages are near or have passed.

What steps do I follow to configure SLAs on my system?

Go into Administration > Service Request and Case > Service Level Agreements

The following screen will appear, where you can configure all the required options for SLAs.

SLA Impact

Click on "Impact" to bring up the following. This is a list of all the current SLA impact levels added to your system.

Click Add to create a new Impact Level.

The following screen will appear. Give the new Impact a Code and a Name. You will then need to select the Impact Type: None, Low, Medium, High, or Critical.

These are the only mandatory fields, though you can configure an Impact Level with an icon and colours. Specifying a Start Date and End Date will limit the availability of this Impact Level to between those two dates.

Click Add to finish.

SLA Holiday List

Click on "Holiday List" to bring up the following. This is where you can add holiday dates (e.g. Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Bank Holidays, etc). The system will take these into consideration when applying SLAs, putting the timer on hold if there will not be any service.

Holidays require a Title, a Code, and a Holiday Date. Specify if the holiday lasts all day, or between specific times.

Click Save to apply the changes.

Work Pattern

Once Impact and Holidays have been configured, you can begin to create SLA Policies.

You will first need to create a relevant Work Pattern. This can be done via Administration > Workforce > Work Pattern > Add

The following screen will appear. You only need to provide an appropriate name.

Click Add to generate more options.

Scroll down, and from here you can specify the usual work weekly schedule. These are the days and start/end times the system will take into consideration when monitoring the stages of SLAs.

Click Save to apply the changes.

Once the above has been configured, go back to Administration > Service Request and Case > Service Level Agreements, and click on "Policy" to bring up the following, where you can view already existing policies.

Click Add to start creating a new SLA Policy.

The following pop-up will appear. Provide a name, and select the relevant Work Pattern. You will also need to specify the Type, which is what part of the system this policy will apply to.

Click Continue to configure the policy further.

Timer

This sets the Statuses for each stage in the SLA policy. When a Service Request is placed in one of these Statuses, the SLA timing and targets will be re-configured automatically.

Initial - This is the first Status in the lifecycle, and where the timings will start. Related to the allocated "respond within" time.
Hold - When the Service Request needs to be put on hold for any reason.
Respond - When the Service Request is in the review and planning stage. Related to the allocated "plan within" time.
Planned - When the Service Request has been reviewed, and work has been scheduled to resolve it. Related to the allocated "resolve within" time.
Resolve - When the Service Request has been resolved, or no further action is needed. Related to the allocated "resolve within" time.

Target

These are the timings for SLA targets, based on their Impact.

"Notify before/after" settings are used for timings when required to send a message/notification before or after dealing with a Service Request. Appropriate Rules will be needed for these.

Please set any timings to "Hours". Your response, planning, and resolution times can be specified based on your organisation's requirements.

IMPORTANT

Timings will take your working days into account (see below). For example, if your working days are 8 hours long, and you have a resolution time of 3 working days, you should set the "Resolve within" field to 24 hours (which amounts to 3 working days).

Timing

This will be imported from the Work Pattern chosen earlier. You can edit these if you wish.

Add/Select Timing and Holidays

From here you can "Add" new Timings and Holidays against this SLA, or "Select" Timings and Holidays that are already configured in your system.

Any Holidays added against the SLA will be taken into consideration with timings.

What steps do I follow to configure SLA Rules on my system?

There are two separate Rule events:

1. Applying SLAs to a form

This will apply the SLA Policy and start timings on any Targets defined in the Policy.

Go into Administration > Service Request and Case > Rules

Create a new Rule, with "Type: When" and "Option: Service Request Submitted".

Add Conditions to specify the relevant form, and the Question/Answer on the form to trigger a certain SLA.

Add an "Assign Service Level Agreement" Action, and determine the Impact and relevant SLA Policy.

When a customer submits a Service Request using the specified form and answer, the system will assign the appropriate SLA Policy to their report, depending on how you've configured it.

Within the Service Request itself, you can scroll down to "Service Level Agreement", where you can see the time left to deal with the issue under "Service".

2. Monitoring SLAs and required actions

The system will continuously monitor active SLA Policies, based on the Statuses set in the "Timer" section. These can be used to send notifications when response, plan, and resolution deadlines are approaching, or have been breached.

Note

These Rules must be set up by an Abavus team member.