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SLA Policies

Define response and resolution time targets for different ticket types.

Creating an SLA Policy

Step by Step

  1. Go to Settings → SLAs
  2. Click + New Policy
  3. Name your policy
  4. Set conditions (when this policy applies)
  5. Define targets
  6. Save

Policy Components

Conditions

Which tickets this policy applies to:

ConditionExample
PriorityUrgent, High, Medium, Low
TagsContains "vip", "enterprise"
ChannelEmail, Widget, Slack
Customer tierEnterprise, Standard
Custom fieldsProduct = "Pro Plan"

Targets

What you're committing to:

TargetDescription
First ResponseTime until first agent reply
Next ResponseTime until any subsequent reply
ResolutionTime until ticket resolved

Time Format

Set targets in:

  • Minutes (m)
  • Hours (h)
  • Days (d)

Examples: 30m, 4h, 2d

Example Policies

Urgent Priority

Name: Urgent Response SLA
Conditions: Priority = Urgent
Targets:
  - First Response: 1 hour
  - Resolution: 4 hours
Business Hours: 24/7

VIP Customers

Name: VIP SLA
Conditions: Tag contains "vip"
Targets:
  - First Response: 30 minutes
  - Resolution: 2 hours
Business Hours: 24/7

Standard Support

Name: Standard SLA
Conditions: (default - all other tickets)
Targets:
  - First Response: 8 hours
  - Resolution: 48 hours
Business Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5

Policy Priority

When multiple policies could apply, order matters:

  1. Most specific policy wins
  2. Policies are evaluated top to bottom
  3. First matching policy applies

Setting Order

Drag and drop policies to reorder in Settings → SLAs.

Example Order

  1. VIP SLA (tag = vip)
  2. Urgent SLA (priority = urgent)
  3. High SLA (priority = high)
  4. Standard SLA (default)

Business Hours Mode

Each policy can use:

Calendar Time

  • Counts 24/7/365
  • No pauses for nights or weekends
  • Use for: Urgent issues, 24/7 support

Business Hours

  • Only counts during defined hours
  • Pauses nights, weekends, holidays
  • Use for: Standard support

Example

Policy: First response in 4 hours (business hours)

  • Ticket created: Friday 4pm
  • Business hours: Mon-Fri 9-5
  • SLA due: Monday 12pm (next business day)

Pause Conditions

SLA timers pause when:

ConditionTimer Behavior
Status = PendingPaused (waiting on customer)
Status = On HoldPaused
Outside business hoursPaused (if using business hours)

Resuming

Timer resumes when:

  • Customer replies (if Pending)
  • Status changed back to Open
  • Business hours start again

Multiple Targets

A single policy can have multiple targets:

Name: Enterprise SLA
Targets:
  - First Response: 30 minutes
  - Next Response: 2 hours (subsequent replies)
  - Resolution: 8 hours

Next Response SLA

Useful for ongoing conversations:

  • First response was timely
  • But subsequent replies also need targets
  • Ensures continued responsiveness

Editing Policies

Changing Targets

  1. Edit the policy
  2. Modify targets
  3. Save

Note: Changes apply to new tickets only. Existing tickets keep their original SLA.

Applying to Existing Tickets

To recalculate SLAs on existing tickets:

  1. Bulk select tickets
  2. Actions → Recalculate SLA
  3. New policy targets apply

Best Practices

  1. Start conservative: Set achievable targets, then tighten
  2. Align with capacity: Don't promise what you can't deliver
  3. Consider channels: Some channels expect faster response
  4. Review regularly: Adjust based on actual performance
  5. Document externally: Communicate SLAs to customers

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