Service Level Agreements

This volume describes how to manage the service relationship between provider and customer. A service level agreement defines the level of service which a customer can expect. As such, it is appropriate to all in-house services, where legal contracts do not exist, as well as to external services where a formal contract describing a business relationship is inappropriate for defining service quality in terms of the day-to-day customer relationship. This book defines service level agreements and describes how to quantify service quality and achieve the right balance between quality and cost. A plan for implementing service level agreements is provided, including checklists and worked examples. The book examines the practicalities of designing a service level agreement and explains the negotiation and implementation stages. These techniques apply equally to in-company service users and external commercial customers. They are applicable to any service and will improve customer satisfaction while containing service costs.