ITS- Communication & Service Level Agreement (SLA) Standards

Information Technology Services (ITS) Communication & Service Level Agreement (SLA) Standards

 

Effective Date: August 25, 2025
Revised Date: August 27, 2025

1.     Purpose

This document establishes unified standards for communication response times and service level agreements (SLAs) within Information Technology Services (ITS). It ensures consistent, transparent, and professional handling of emails, voicemails, tickets, and incidents based on severity and priority.

2.     Scope

These standards apply to all full-time ITS staff at Arkansas State University responsible for responding to:

·       University email communications

·       University-assigned voicemail systems

·       TeamDynamix (TDX) service management tickets (incidents, service requests, changes, projects)

 

Normal business hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM.
Exception: Priority 1 (Critical) incidents are supported 24x7.

3.     General Principles

Information & Technology Services (ITS) has the following general principles for communication with internal and external constituents:

·       All ITS staff are expected to monitor communication channels regularly throughout the business day.

·       E-Mail is the official communication channel of Arkansas State University, and all ITS staff should respond in a timely manner to both internal and external constituents.

·       Initial responses should acknowledge receipt and set expectations, even if full resolution is not yet possible.

·       Communication should be professional, concise, and courteous.

4.     Communication Response Standards

The following table outlines the expected initial response times for each communication channel used by ITS, along with guidelines for follow-up communication. These expectations are intended to ensure timely acknowledgment of requests and maintain transparency with stakeholders while work is in progress.

Communication Type	Initial Response Time	Follow-Up Expectations
Email	Within 1 business day	Regular updates if resolution is delayed; use out-of-office messages when unavailable.
Voicemail	Within 1 business day	Voicemails should be checked at least twice daily during business hours.
TDX Ticket – Urgent/Priority 1	Within 15-30 min (24x7)	Hourly updates until resolved. Escalate immediately.
TDX Ticket – High/Priority 2	Within 4 business hours	Updates every 4 hours until resolved.
TDX Ticket – Medium/Priority 3	Within 1 business day	Update every 2–3 business days until resolution.
TDX Ticket – Low/Priority 4	Within 2 business days	Update at completion or weekly if pending (or upon request).

Note: "Initial response" refers to acknowledgment and confirmation that the issue is being reviewed—not necessarily full resolution.

5.     Incident Severity and SLA Matrix

The Incident Severity and SLA Matrix defines how ITS prioritizes and responds to reported issues based on their impact. Each priority level (P1–P4) includes specific response and resolution targets, communication frequency, escalation paths, and compliance expectations. This structure ensures that the most critical issues are addressed urgently while maintaining consistent, transparent service for all requests.

Important Note: All work performed, regardless of how it originates (email, phone call, WebEx/Teams chat etc.), is expected to have an associated TDX ticket. This is not about adding steps – it is about ensuring visibility, consistent tracking, accountability, and accurate SLA reporting. Without this linkage, we risk gaps in service, reporting, and justification for resources. While other channels (WebEx, Teams, phone, etc.) may be used for quick communication, they do not replace ticket creation.

*P3 and P4 - During peak/busy periods such as semester start, compliance may fluctuate.

**For SLA compliance, “progress” means that tangible, documented steps toward resolution have been recorded in the TDX ticket. Generic updates such as ‘still investigating’ or ‘working on it’ are not considered sufficient. If no such progress can be demonstrated and an SLA breach is likely, staff are required to escalate the ticket in TDX and notify their manager.

6.     SLA Measurement

·       Response Time: From ticket creation to first IT acknowledgment.

·       Resolution Time: From ticket creation to closure or workaround.

·       SLA tracking and breach alerts will be automated in TDX, with dashboards visible to leadership.

7.     Priority Assignment and Validation

Requestors may assign an initial priority when submitting tickets (typically P3 or P4). However, ITS staff and managers are responsible for validating and, if necessary, adjusting the final priority level in alignment with the Incident Severity & SLA Matrix.

P1 and P2 designations are reserved for incidents with significant or university-wide impact and may only be assigned or confirmed by ITS managers. SLA compliance reporting will be based on the ITS-validated priority, not the initial requestor selection.

 

8.     Accountability and Enforcement

·       Tickets must be created and maintained in TDX for all work performed, including incidents, service requests, projects, system changes (also via Change Management), and maintenance.

·       Managers are responsible for monitoring SLA dashboards and addressing recurring non-compliance within their teams. Accountability applies at both the individual and leadership levels.

·       Every ticket must have a clear owner, and ownership must be reassigned if the original staff member is unavailable (vacation, sick leave, etc.).

·       If an SLA breach is imminent, staff must both escalate the ticket in TDX and proactively notify their manager.

·       SLA measurements are based on university business hours (8:00 AM–5:00 PM, Monday–Friday), except for P1 (Critical) incidents which are supported 24x7.

9.     Escalation Guidelines

·       If unable to respond within the expected timeframe, escalate to the team lead or supervisor.

·       Use the TDX reassignment or escalation workflow for appropriate routing, along with communicating via appropriate channels for immediate support on critical/high priority tickets (e.g. Phone, WebEx)

10.Exceptions

·       These guidelines apply during normal university business hours (Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM).

·       During weekends, holidays, university closures, or periods of high volume (e.g., semester start), slight deviations may occur, but efforts should be made to acknowledge receipt within 2 business days. During high volume periods, staff should inform their immediate supervisor of any anticipated delays, and that will be escalated to leadership to determine if any reallocation of resources is needed. Exception will be P1 – Critical requests which should be always supported outside of normal university business hours.

·       Internal ITS units (e.g., Help Desk, Security, Infrastructure, etc.) may adopt more stringent response time standards when business needs dictate, particularly for time-sensitive operations or critical incident management. These standards should be documented and communicated within the team and to relevant stakeholders.

11.Best Practices

·       Use out of office automatic replies when out of the office for more than one business day. Coordinate with manager for reassignment of ticket ownership where appropriate.

·       Document all actions taken within the ticket in TDX for continuity and transparency.

·       Communicate clearly when requesting more information or explaining delays, and ensure expectations are set with requestor and agreed upon.

·       Always log ticket activity in TDX for transparency; if work is performed outside of TDX, it will not count toward SLA compliance reporting.

12.Standards Review

This document will be reviewed and reaffirmed annually, or upon significant changes to university IT governance, systems, or regulatory requirements.

Effective Date: August 25, 2025
Next Review Date: August 25, 2026
Version: 1.0