How it works
An SLA has three parts:
- The target: how fast, for example “within 15 minutes”.
- The scope: which conversations it applies to, for example new inquiries only, or every customer message.
- The hours: when the clock runs, for example weekdays 8 AM to 6 PM, with after-hours messages answered by 9 AM next business day.
The term comes from formal contracts between vendors and customers, but most small teams use it internally: a promise the team makes to itself and sometimes publishes (“We reply within one business hour”).
Tools support an SLA with timers that show how long each conversation has been waiting, and with alerts or reminders before the target is missed.
Example
A tutoring center sets this SLA: new inquiries get a human reply within 30 minutes between 9 AM and 8 PM; existing families get a reply within two hours. A parent texts at 4:05 PM asking about SAT prep. At 4:25 the conversation is still unanswered, so it is flagged for the assigned coordinator. She replies at 4:28. The SLA was met.
At the end of the month, the center checks what share of conversations met the target and which hours had the most misses.
SLA vs. first response time
They are easy to confuse:
- First response time is a measurement: how long customers actually waited.
- A response time SLA is a target: how long they should wait at most.
You need both. A target without measurement is a slogan; measurement without a target gives you numbers but no line to act on.
Why it matters for messaging teams
Chat has no natural deadline. An email might wait a day; a text feels urgent to the sender and optional to a busy team. A clear SLA turns “reply soon” into something everyone can check, and makes it obvious when coverage needs to change.
Common mistakes
- Setting a target you can’t staff. Start from your current median and tighten it.
- One SLA for everything. New leads and routine questions often deserve different targets.
- No business-hours definition, so every overnight message counts as a miss.
- Tracking the SLA but not following up on the misses.
Response timers and “no reply in X hours” reminders in inChat are in development as part of launch scope.