Service Level Agreements: An Important Component of a Proactive Customer Service Strategy
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By NAFA Associate Member Randy Owen, CAFM®,
Senior Manager, Matrix Consulting Group
Service Level Agreements (SLAS) are commonly used by fleet organizations to communicate with customers. These agreements normally include information to provide customers with a better understanding of policy, how to access the services offered by the fleet organization, replacement standards, repair procedures, etc.
However, limiting SLAs to only descriptive information limits the usefulness of these documents and misses the point. That is, they should foster a partnership between the fleet organization and fleet users that results in a high-level of customer satisfaction and, at the same time, a more effective fleet operation.
To accomplish this, SLAs need to include:
• Narrative on service requirements specific to each customer, in recognition that a one-size-fits-all service approach is not appropriate
• A description of each customer group’s responsibilities to make the SLA work and that will lead to more effective operation and management of the fleet
• Key indicators of fleet performance as an excellent way for a fleet organization to demonstrate the value of the services that it provides. While most performance measures will apply to the entire enterprise, fleet managers should focus on developing customized measures that speak to the issues important to each group.
• Description of data and reports that are available to each customer
Summary reports should be available to track each customer group’s specific operations so they don’t have to wade through reams of data that is not important to them.
SLAs can be an important part of an effective customer service strategy if done right.
The key is to make them relevant to each customer and keep them alive through frequent reporting of key performance data.
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