Help Desk Software Service Level Agreements (SLAs) 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is SLA escalation in help desk software?
- Increasing the ticket priority after an SLA breach or near-breach (Correct answer)
- Moving a ticket to a different help desk platform
- Deleting tickets that are close to breaching SLA
- Automatically closing tickets that are unresolved
Correct answer: Increasing the ticket priority after an SLA breach or near-breach
SLA escalation automatically increases ticket priority, notifies supervisors, or reassigns the ticket when it is at risk of or has already breached the SLA.
Question 2: In help desk SLA reporting, what does 'SLA compliance rate' measure?
- The percentage of agents who followed SLA training
- The percentage of tickets resolved within the agreed SLA timeframe (Correct answer)
- The number of SLA policies configured in the system
- The cost of meeting SLA commitments
Correct answer: The percentage of tickets resolved within the agreed SLA timeframe
SLA compliance rate is the percentage of tickets that were resolved (or responded to) within the time limits defined in the service level agreement.
Question 3: What is the purpose of SLA warning notifications in help desk software?
- To alert agents when a ticket is about to breach its SLA deadline (Correct answer)
- To notify customers of system maintenance windows
- To warn administrators about low ticket volume
- To send daily digest emails to all users
Correct answer: To alert agents when a ticket is about to breach its SLA deadline
SLA warning notifications proactively alert agents and managers when a ticket is approaching its deadline, giving them time to act before a breach occurs.
Question 4: Which SLA metric tracks the average time from ticket creation to final resolution?
- First Contact Resolution Rate
- Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR) (Correct answer)
- Customer Effort Score
- Ticket Reopen Rate
Correct answer: Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR)
Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR) calculates the average duration from when a ticket is opened until it is fully resolved and closed.
Question 5: What happens to SLA timers when a ticket is placed 'On Hold' or 'Pending Customer' status?
- The SLA timer continues running normally
- The SLA timer is paused until the ticket is updated or customer responds (Correct answer)
- The ticket is automatically closed
- A new SLA policy is applied
Correct answer: The SLA timer is paused until the ticket is updated or customer responds
Most help desk systems pause the SLA clock when a ticket is waiting on customer input, since the delay is outside the support team's control.
Question 6: What is a multilevel SLA in help desk software?
- An SLA with multiple breach penalties
- An SLA structure combining corporate, customer, and service levels into one framework (Correct answer)
- An SLA that requires multiple manager approvals
- An SLA measured in multiple currencies
Correct answer: An SLA structure combining corporate, customer, and service levels into one framework
A multilevel SLA creates a layered structure addressing different levels—such as company-wide policies, individual customer agreements, and specific service terms—within a single framework.
Question 7: In SLA management, what is a 'resolution target'?
- The minimum number of tickets an agent must resolve per day
- The maximum amount of time allowed to fully close a ticket after it is opened (Correct answer)
- The percentage of tickets that must be resolved on the first contact
- The number of escalations allowed per SLA period
Correct answer: The maximum amount of time allowed to fully close a ticket after it is opened
A resolution target defines the maximum time permitted to completely resolve and close a support ticket, as agreed in the SLA.
Help Desk Software Service Level Agreements (SLAs) 2
What is SLA escalation in help desk software?