The Assignment SLE categorizes priorities into three levels. Each priority has a certain amount of duration in which it will be assigned to an agent, if it's not assigned within the correct duration, it will be considered a breach:
| Priority | Duration |
|---|---|
| P1 | 15 minutes |
| P2 | 4 hours |
| P3 | End of business day |
SLEs are response-based and not resolution-based, thus the goal is to make sure customers get updates within the phase duration so they are aware that their incident is being looked into, otherwise, the incident will be considered a breach. There are two distinct phases: In Progress and Waiting. Each has its own duration in which an agent must get an update out to the customer.
Once an incident is assigned, it enters the In Progress phase, during which active efforts are made to resolve the issue. Depending on the incident type, the In Progress phase has varying timeframes in which an agent must update the customer within:
| Incident type | Phase duration |
|---|---|
| Internal Work | 5 business days by 5 pm |
| Questions | 3 business days by 3 pm> |
| Request | 3 business days by 5 pm |
| Incident | End of business day |
There are instances when an incident must pause its resolution due to external factors, such as waiting for the requestor's response, or when the incident is taking longer than usual to handle. In these cases, the incident enters the Waiting phase, halting the countdown on the phase-specific timer. Once the external factor is resolved, the incident re-enters the In Progress phase with a refreshed timer:
| Incident type | Phase duration |
|---|---|
| Internal Work | 10 business days by 5 pm |
| Questions | 10 business days by 5 pm |
| Request | 5 business days by 5 pm |
| Incident | 5 business days by 5 pm |
In addition to the response-based SLEs, there are also resolution-based SLEs that track the time taken to resolve incidents. These SLEs are silent, meaning they do not send notifications to DIT leadership when breached, but they do appear in reporting. The resolution SLEs for incidents are as follows:
| Priority | Duration |
|---|---|
| P1 | 8 business hours |
| P2 | 45 business hours |
| P3 | 90 business hours |
Service Level Expectation breaches are situations where incidents fail to meet their prescribed timelines. Several operational considerations play a pivotal role in managing SLEs effectively:
Notifications are sent to escalate unresolved tickets based on the percentage of elapsed SLA Time for that record. These notifications are related to the Assignment and Response SLEs and do not include the silent Resolution SLEs. The recipients include the Assignment Group, Assignment Group Manager, Supervisor of Assignment Group Manager (Directors), and DIT Leadership (Vice Presidents and CIO).
Generic Notification Rules Based on Elapsed SLA Time:
75% of SLA Time elapsed: Assignment Groups and Assignment Group Managers notified.
100% of SLA Time elapsed: Assignment Groups and Assignment Group Managers notified.
200% of SLA Time elapsed: Assignment Groups, Assignment Group Managers, Assignment Group Manager Supervisors (Directors) notified.
300% of SLA Time elapsed: Same recipients as 200%.
400% of SLA Time elapsed: Same recipients as 200%, plus DIT Leadership notified.
All timings were set after an analysis of current DIT performance, and consideration for the desired impact on customer service quality.
Learn more about Incident Categories, Service Level Expectations, and Supported Services.