How to turn your Service Level Agreement (SLA) into your best ally

Companies that carry out maintenance in any sector normally work under a service level agreement that not only sets out each client's requirements but also creates penalties and benefits according to how well the agreed standards are met.

That agreement, known as the SLA (Service Level Agreement), is meant to generate variable revenue tied to performance and to serve as extra motivation so that those responsible for maintenance give their best and clients receive the best possible service.

While it is true that performance incentives put more pressure on the team, it is also true that they can often distort how teams work in ways that do not always translate into better productivity.

For instance, when SLAs are set to unrealistic standards, far beyond what can actually be delivered, the result is a target that is never met. Consistently missing a target demotivates teams, creates friction with clients and produces a working climate that generally lowers productivity.

At GoDoWorks we take a different view of the subject. Turn the SLA into your greatest ally. How?

By meeting it.

That sounds obvious and easy to say, if not to do — but at GoDoWorks we have experience across more than 10 countries and 150 companies that do meet their SLAs throughout Latin America.

Every time a maintenance company meets its SLA it earns backing. A fulfilled SLA is nothing more and nothing less than proof of a job well done, and therefore of deserving the agreed billing and, in time, better terms on the contract in the provider's favor.

Work delivered puts you in a strong position with your client, winning new contracts, improvements to existing ones and higher productivity through the benefits the SLA sets out.

So if we shape the work and point our workflows toward meeting the SLA, we will not only be delivering what was agreed: it will also be our main asset in negotiating future agreements, and it will let teams work day to day under less pressure and with greater productivity.

GoDoWorks turns any SLA into a work plan, taking into account the resources available, the history and the requirements, producing a workflow aimed at fully meeting the agreed SLA.

With GoDoWorks's various modules you can generate enough intelligence to never miss your SLA again and to organize the work simply and efficiently. 

The GoDoWorks suite in version 2.0 generates dynamic workflows that match field technicians' skills to the requirements of each incident or job. At the same time it factors in the supplies needed, the geographic position of the work to be done, the time each task requires, and the order of importance of the clients.

From all those variables it produces optimal routing that not only makes the best use of resources and directly maximizes returns, but also allows the SLA to be met and the relationship with each client to be consolidated.

With GoDoWorks you will keep a reliable record that not only steers your team toward meeting the agreed service level, but also — if failures appear in the workflow — lets you see where and when, so you can correct them right away and keep compliance problems firmly in the past.

By meeting the agreed level and being able to prove it with clear figures, the SLA becomes your greatest ally, and along with it you gain one more: your client.