A service-level contract (SLA) can be an important part of consulting for businesses. It is often used to establish a relationship between the internal operations of a company and its clients. It provides the information that each party needs to achieve their goals.
SLAs are designed to protect both the service provider and the end user by establishing expectations, standards and consequences for either meeting or not exceeding them. They also allow the creation key performance indicators which can help a company identify areas of its business that are not on course to meet their strategic objectives.
The SLA should include all services included http://royston-consulting.com/outsourcing-consulting-services-by-board-room/ in the contract, including details on turnaround time and any exclusions. The contract should include a list that specifies the metrics used to measure service provider performance.
Metrics must be easy to collect and reflect only those factors that the service provider can reasonably control. They should be set at a reasonable baseline so that they can be improved over time.
KPIs are metrics that measure how well an organization is performing with respect to its primary goals. It can help the business determine whether it is veering off course, which is a problem that is common with small businesses.