There are many good practices in business. SLAs are one of them. The telecommunications industry uses such agreements perhaps more than most. But what is SLA in telecom all about? What are the tools needed to manage it? In this article, we will shed some light on these questions.
The service level agreement in general
Let’s clear out what we actually mean by SLA in telecom. Generally speaking, a telecommunication service provider agrees to deliver certain aspects of services on a particular “must have” level. This level and the kind of “must have” elements is determined on paper signed between the provider and the client. So, sla in telecom may force the provider to promise network availability at all times, for example, no matter the weather conditions. Additionally, the agreement provides SLA metrics, which are used to measure the service according to the deal that was made. And yes, penalties and remedies are usually included in this document as well. Therefore, the provider is aware of precise consequences if service interruptions should occur.
The above is obviously just a simplification of the whole concept of what a telecom company’s SLA is about. In reality, such agreements are much more complex, and can contain quite a lot of details, depending on a type of services, that is, and particular deal requirements. Service level agreements are specific. They are tuned to specific customers and their needs.
The benefits of digital SLA tools for telecom services
In modern telecommunications sector, digital tools are very appreciated. SLA monitoring is one of the areas where a well-engineered software product can be of much use indeed. Customer satisfaction is a big thing, and it can be achieved by constant checking of the performance metrics, service levels’ analysis etc. Tools used for managing sla in telecom are designed to make sure that the provider keeps up with the requirements included in the SLA document. Because of that, eventual losses can be reduced to minimum. Service availability is also constantly measured, so a possible problem can be addressed in time. But most of all, SLA monitoring software delivers a healthy relationship with customers who appreciate that the provider is serious about the SLA requirements. That’s quite a benefit, is it not?
So, there we have it. Without tools for managing sla in telecom, building strong business connection would be harder and more expensive due to consequences of failure to meet particular requirements of services that are to be provided. Avoiding these consequences should be a priority for any telecom company.
