The ITIL Service Level Management process is designed to negotiate, define, agree and monitor the service levels of customers. It works in conjunction with other processes, such as Capacity Management or Availability Management to ensure that services are delivered at a reasonable level.
The ideal service level management process starts by determining what needs to be delivered and at which dates. This is done with input from both the business and the IT team. This will allow you to set reasonable goals, which are achievable and relevant to the business. Teams should also work together on determining how the targets are being evaluated and the impact that they have on customer experience.
After establishing these targets Once these goals are set, the SLM should begin by defining the service level requirements and establishing agreements with customers. This includes describing the services (including what is included and what’s not, to ensure there is service level management slm benefits no room to miss the mark) setting out escalation and responsibility procedures, as well as setting performance measures. This should be documented in an SLA.
The SLM process should also include a strategy for monitoring and reporting on service level compliance which is monitored regularly to determine whether objectives are being met or not. Automated alerting systems are vital for this. SLM must be coordinated between teams so that everyone is aware what services they are responsible for and that these services are upholding the agreed upon service level.
