Service Level Agreement (SLA)
The following is a guide to Response Times in line with priority - in practice these may be tailored to meet the specific needs of the business.
As a general rule, by working 'ahead of time' to get requests to us early, more of your work can be delivered comfortably within the Low/Normal SLA range - greater flexibility for us means better value for you.
| Service Level |
Priority |
Issue type |
Response Time |
Telephone Support | Project Management | Timing | Saving |
| Consulting |
Urgent |
Web, CRM, Mail server down |
within 4 hours |
Unscheduled | High | Fixed | 0% |
| Premium |
High |
Current Problems e.g. posting content, existing events, bulk emails, user issues, functionality not working |
within 8 business hours (same or next day) |
Scheduled | Medium | Fixed | 25% |
| Standard |
Normal |
New additions e.g. upcoming events, configuration changes, new permissions/roles, enabling/disabling features |
within 5 working days |
Monthly | Light | Flexible | 50% |
| Light |
Low |
General support, minor requests |
within 30 days |
N/A | Self Managed | Flexible | 75% |
Notes
- All requests will be graded using this or an otherwise agreed table, and response times will be applied accordingly.
- Whilst issues may not always be resolved in the expected time due to variables outside Audienceware's control, every effort will be made to ensure that the appropriate level of resource is assigned to the case for resolution.
- Optionally the business may escalate requests beyond the SLA as may be specified in agreed commercial terms.
Automatic Escalation - Major System Issues
- Issues qualifying for Urgent or High priority according to the above criteria will be billable at normal rates
- Please note these issues are likely to arise from a hardware or software issue which does not necessarily imply a fault with Audienceware's own work, however we will investigate and apply best endeavours to resolve
Client Escalation - Fast Turnaround / Telephone Support
We understand that from time to time clients have unavoidable ‘urgent’ requirements and/or the need for telephone support, for which we can accommodate under Consulting and Premium service levels at rates as per your agreed commercial terms‘Bumping up the queue’ incurs different billing as escalation carries costs of increased management effort, loss of flexibility of scheduling and resource allocation, and interruptions to current work.
Telephone Support
- Unscheduled: available under Consulting service level or Urgent priority
- Scheduled: available under Premium service level or High priority
- Monthly: subscription clients are entitled to two monthly 1 hour calls defined as follows:
- Proejct Management (billable): review delivery and schedule, clarification of specifications, confirm deliverables
- Account Managment (non billable): discuss budget, process, complaints/issue resolution, continuous improvment
Fixed vs Flexible Timing
Fixed date delivery is available under Consulting and Premium service levels. Standard service provides delivery on flexible timing, proceeding in the order of tikcets as you set them.
Project Management
Intensive Project Management is available under Consulting and Premium service levels, Standard service provides additional value
Tips for Maximising Value
Audienceware’s Managed Service model is designed to keep support costs low, for which the key is working within Normal Priority, as it allows us to operate a ‘lean’ resource model that is 100% utilised, with flexible delivery timing allowing us to load balance smoothly., and without the need for intesnive management.
We can provide the low management framework by which we can reduce cost, but it's up to clients to proactively managing their requests in order to make it work for them. Tips to keeping requests in ‘normal priority’ include
- Planning ahead, raising tickets in advance
- Regular review of the order of your tickets - we work on tickets in the order that you set, noting that new tickets float tot he top of your list
- Ensure you have sufficient ‘Reserve’ hours for the month (contract clients)
- Regular monitoring of the online Usage Report to see your billable timetracking throughout the month
More Information
More information can be found on the Audienceware Website at these links: