Setting Up a Service Level Management Process

A service level management process ensures that all IT services provided to customers meet agreed-upon standards of quality. It is about making sure that Service Level Agreements are in place and being met, measuring and reporting on service levels, and constantly striving to improve service levels over time.

To accomplish all of this, it is crucial to have the appropriate tools in place. Often, the processes and systems that determine service levels are outsourced to third-party companies. It is therefore vital to know how best to manage them within the context of your own SLM processes.

The first step in setting up an SLM process is to determine the services that are most crucial for the business and establish appropriate metrics for success. This is usually a matter of considering factors such as efficiency, user base, and design aspects. It is crucial to choose the expertise in technology you require – a company specializing in specific platforms may be able commit to greater performance than a generalised service provider.

After the SLA targets are set the teams need to create plans to keep them. This typically involves implementing systems that track the progress of the team and notify them automatically when there are issues in achieving goals.

A solid SLM process also includes ongoing improvement processes. These processes will enable teams to improve and learn http://www.slm-info.org/2020/04/17/service-level-management-slm-benefits/ through the metrics they track. For instance, if a NOC service is consistently failing to meet its SLA of answering phone calls in 30 seconds, it’s likely to be possible to determine the cause and fix it.