Service Level Agreement (SLA) for Ticket Resolution
Overview
This Service Level Agreement (SLA) defines the expectations and responsibilities for the resolution of customer service tickets within our organization. The primary goal of this SLA is to ensure that all customer issues are resolved promptly and efficiently, minimizing any potential negative impact on customer satisfaction and operational performance.
Objectives

Ensure timely resolution of customer service tickets.
Define clear escalation paths for unresolved or time-sensitive tickets.
Improve service desk efficiency by adhering to strict response times for critical issues.
Enhance overall customer experience by minimizing delays in service.

Priority Levels and Resolution Time Targets
We classify tickets into three distinct priority levels based on the impact and urgency of the issue:


High Priority

Definition: Issues that critically affect business operations, such as system outages, security breaches, or severe performance degradation.
Examples: Website down, inability to process payments, major security vulnerability.
Target Resolution Time: 4 hours from ticket submission.
If unresolved within 3 hours, the ticket must be escalated to Tier 2 support.



Medium Priority

Definition: Issues that affect business operations but do not halt critical processes. These include performance slowdowns, non-urgent requests, and minor service disruptions.
Examples: Reports not generating correctly, intermittent technical issues, requests for feature modifications.
Target Resolution Time: 8 hours from ticket submission.
If unresolved within 6 hours, the ticket must be escalated to Tier 2 support.



Low Priority

Definition: Issues that have a minor impact on business operations or requests for enhancements. These are typically non-urgent requests or issues affecting a small number of users.
Examples: Cosmetic website bugs, minor feature requests, documentation updates.
Target Resolution Time: 24 hours from ticket submission.
If unresolved within 20 hours, the ticket must be escalated to Tier 2 support.



Escalation Process
Escalation is necessary to ensure that critical issues receive prompt attention from senior support staff. The escalation process is automated and will be triggered when a ticket approaches or exceeds its predefined resolution time.

Real-Time Monitoring: The Ticket Escalation Alert Agent monitors all incoming tickets in real time, continuously checking the status and time elapsed since submission.
Initial Notification: As soon as a ticket approaches 80% of its allowed resolution time, the Ticket Escalation Alert Agent will notify the assigned Tier 1 agent to prioritize the ticket.
Escalation Trigger: If the ticket remains unresolved beyond the allowed time, it is automatically escalated to the next level (Tier 2 support).
Escalation Alerts: Alerts are sent to Tier 2 agents, service managers, and other stakeholders to ensure visibility of the critical issue.
Response Time Post Escalation: Once escalated, Tier 2 agents must respond within 30 minutes to avoid further delays.

Responsibilities

Tier 1 Agents: Responsible for resolving all tickets within the defined SLA. If unable to resolve, they must communicate with the Tier 2 agent during the escalation process.
Tier 2 Agents: Handle escalated tickets that require more expertise or resources. Their goal is to resolve the issue within the shortest possible time after escalation.
Service Desk Manager: Responsible for overseeing the entire support process, ensuring that SLAs are adhered to and that the support team is meeting performance metrics.

Reporting and Accountability
To ensure transparency, regular reports will be generated, showing ticket resolution times, escalation rates, and SLA compliance percentages. These reports will be reviewed by the service desk manager weekly.

SLA Compliance: Our goal is to maintain 95% compliance with the SLA.
Escalation Rate: We aim to keep escalation rates below 10% of total tickets.
Resolution Time Monitoring: Metrics will be tracked to ensure that high-priority tickets are addressed promptly and with sufficient resources.

Revisions and Updates
This SLA will be reviewed quarterly to ensure it remains relevant to current operational needs. Any updates or changes to the SLA will be communicated to all relevant stakeholders.

Support Team Hierarchy and Escalation Protocol
Overview
This document outlines the structure of our support team, their areas of expertise, and the escalation protocols followed to resolve customer service tickets efficiently. The support team is divided into two tiers to ensure that tickets are addressed by the appropriate personnel based on the complexity and urgency of the issue.
Tier 1 Support Agents
The Tier 1 Support Agents are the frontline of the service desk. They are responsible for addressing the majority of customer inquiries, including troubleshooting, initial diagnostics, and basic technical support.


Agent 1 (Rohn Martinez): 

Expertise: Network and VPN connectivity issues.
Role: Handles tickets related to remote work, VPN access, and internal network disruptions. Alex has over 5 years of experience in IT support, with a focus on securing and maintaining network infrastructure.
Availability: 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Friday.



Agent 2 (James Anderson): 

Expertise: Backend systems and data handling.
Role: Manages tickets related to data processing, backend server issues, and database errors. James specializes in resolving issues that impact data integrity and report generation.
Availability: 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday to Friday.



Agent 3 (Linda Wright): 

Expertise: Customer-facing platforms (web and mobile).
Role: Resolves issues related to website and mobile app functionality. Linda is skilled in front-end development and user experience, ensuring seamless interaction for customers across platforms.
Availability: 10 AM to 7 PM, Monday to Friday.



Agent 4 (David Thompson): 

Expertise: Billing and financial systems.
Role: Handles all billing and invoicing issues, including payment failures, incorrect charges, and refund processing. David has a deep understanding of financial software and customer account management.
Availability: 11 AM to 8 PM, Monday to Friday.



Tier 2 Support Agents (Escalation Team)
The Tier 2 Support Agents handle complex or high-priority issues that require specialized knowledge and experience. They are the escalation point for unresolved Tier 1 tickets.


Senior Agent A (Sarah Patel): 

Expertise: Network architecture and critical infrastructure.
Role: Handles escalations related to high-priority network issues, security incidents, and infrastructure downtime. With over a decade of experience in network engineering, Sarah is responsible for ensuring that all network-related tickets are resolved with minimal business impact.
Availability: 24/7 on-call for escalated tickets.



Senior Agent B (Michael Clark): 

Expertise: Complex software troubleshooting and technical systems integration.
Role: Specializes in resolving escalated issues involving multiple systems, deep technical troubleshooting, and software debugging. Michael works closely with development teams to resolve escalations that involve new releases or feature bugs.
Availability: 24/7 on-call for escalated tickets.



Escalation Protocol
The escalation protocol ensures that unresolved tickets are moved up the chain of command in a timely manner. It is designed to prevent service delays and ensure customer satisfaction.

Initial Assignment: All incoming tickets are first assigned to a Tier 1 support agent based on the type of issue and the agent's expertise.
Time Tracking: The Ticket Escalation Alert Agent monitors the elapsed time for each ticket based on the priority level (High, Medium, Low) as defined in the SLA.
Escalation Trigger: If a ticket remains unresolved beyond its allotted time, it is automatically escalated to the corresponding Tier 2 agent.
Notification: Upon escalation, both the assigned Tier 1 agent and the responsible Tier 2 agent are notified. Alerts are also sent to the Service Desk Manager to ensure visibility.
Tier 2 Resolution: Once escalated, Tier 2 agents are expected to prioritize the ticket and resolve it within 30 minutes.
Further Escalation: In rare cases where a Tier 2 agent is unable to resolve an issue, the ticket may be escalated to the Head of IT or a specialist from the engineering team, depending on the nature of the problem.

Reporting and Escalation Metrics
All escalated tickets are logged and tracked through weekly reports. The Service Desk Manager is responsible for reviewing escalation metrics, including:

Total Tickets Escalated: Tracks the number of tickets that were escalated from Tier 1 to Tier 2 within a given period.
Average Resolution Time Post-Escalation: Measures the average time taken to resolve escalated tickets after being assigned to Tier 2 agents.
Escalation Success Rate: Tracks the percentage of escalated tickets that were resolved by Tier 2 agents without needing further escalation.

These reports help identify areas for improvement within the team and provide insights into potential bottlenecks in the escalation process.