How to Establish and Maintain Service Level Agreements [Paperback]

Char LaBounty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1994

What are the prerequisites for establishing an effective service level agreement (SLA)? This book introduces you to SLAs and takes you through every step of the process of building them and making them work. Learn to understand customers' business needs and goals, negotiate a strong SLA, accurately measure your support organizations performance, and maintain your SLA.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Char LaBounty is founder and president of LaBounty & Associates, Inc. a service management consulting firm focused on the growing field of customer support services, dedicated to providing quality technology support practices that enhance client's business initiatives. Char is one of the preeminent experts on the development and application of service level management and service level agreements and writes and speaks extensively on the subject, throughout the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 37 pages
• Publisher: Help Desk Institute (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571250093
• ISBN-13: 978-1571250094
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,975,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Narrow focus, brief and effective for its stated purpose, August 7, 2002

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Establish and Maintain Service Level Agreements (Paperback)

Note that this book only addresses SLAs at the help desk level. At less than 40 pages this pamphlet is focused on a narrow topic, but provides sufficient information to get you started on developing and implementing SLAs for help desk operations.

While the brevity of the book may give the impression that it's sketchy or too high level, it does a remarkable job of walking you through the what's, why's and how's of service level agreements and how they can form the foundation of improved operational efficiency and end user satisfaction. More importantly, the book steps you through the entire process of developing the SLA, negotiating objectives and implementing and managing to it.

With respect to the service level objectives that comprise the SLA I strongly recommend that you read "Using Service Goals and Metrics to Improve Help Desk Performance" by Mark W. Ellis (another pamphlet-sized resource) in conjunction with this book. Combined, you'll be able to understand SLAs and the significant metrics associated with help desk operations, which is the first step in the process of developing a more unified service delivery posture. Another book I recommend after you've established SLAs at the help desk level is "IT Problem Management" by Gary S. Walker. That book takes service delivery to the enterprise level.