Many IT projects revolve around the SLA (Service Level Agreement), providing clear agreements on performance aspects such as uptime, response times, and availability (a solid foundation). But the true added value lies not only in fulfilling these agreements, but also in how users actually experience the service.
The XLA (Experience Level Agreement) is a crucial component of this. By using XLAs in addition to SLAs, you move from purely technical performance to creating demonstrable added value for the organization. This revolves around end-user satisfaction and their daily interaction with systems and processes. Even if the technology is sound on paper, true value only emerges when people work smoothly and enjoy using IT.
When you treat SLAs and XLAs equally, you create a complete picture of the service delivery. You not only ensure that systems do what they're supposed to do, but you also invest in a pleasant user experience. This delivers immediate benefits: less resistance to change, faster adoption of new tools and systems, and a higher chance of successful implementations.
Organizations that consciously prioritize user experience demonstrably reap the benefits. By continuously measuring and improving collaboratively, problems are identified and resolved more quickly, processes run more smoothly, and employee satisfaction increases. The added value is immediately noticeable and measurable in daily practice.
Achieving an XLA requires a mature approach from all organizations involved. While the SLA primarily focuses on resolving incidents, the XLA focuses on the user experience. By combining both, you not only ensure compliance with agreements but also create added value together.
👉 Curious how your organization can leverage XLAs alongside SLAs to extract more value from IT services? Contact SourceMinds. We'd love to help you realize true added value for your organization.
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