Announcing advanced SLA configuration settings

Announced on | Rollout starts | Rollout ends
July 22, 2024 | July 22, 2024 | July 31, 2024

Zendesk is excited to announce enhancements to service level agreements (SLAs).

You can now customize and apply SLAs in more situations, such as agent created tickets, tickets with internal notes, and tickets from light agents. You'll have more control and flexibility over SLA metrics so that you can measure what's relevant for your business.

This announcement includes the following topics:

What is changing?

Why is Zendesk making this change?

When does this change take affect and how does it impact my account?

What do I need to do?

What is changing?

This enhancement brings new advanced settings to three SLA metrics: first reply time, next reply time, and periodic update. These new settings give you the ability to change the logic for when an SLA metric is activated or fulfilled, on an individual policy basis.

It's optional to use these advanced  settings. Your existing SLAs' behavior will stay the same if you don't update your SLA policies.

Why is Zendesk making this change?

Here's a summary of the new capabilities:

First Reply Time

Can now be configured to start when a ticket is created on behalf of an end-user, whether this is done by an agent, API, or other means. This also applies to voicemail tickets.

Can now be configured to start when a ticket is created on behalf of an end-user by a light agent forwarding that ticket by email.

Can now be configured to start on a ticket where an agent is the requester. This can be useful in the case where a customer support agent needs to reach out to their internal department for help with their computer.

Can now be configured to be fulfilled (marked complete) by an internal note, not just a public reply.

Next Reply Time

Can now be configured to start when any end user replies to a ticket, not just the requester. This is helpful when there are other end-users who reply to a ticket they are copied on.

Can now be configured to start when an agent or light agent is the requester on a ticket and leaves any subsequent comment on it.

Periodic Update Time

Can now be configured to start when an agent leaves an internal note on a ticket, not just a public reply.

How does this impact my account?

SLA changes are never retroactively applied to tickets. If you update the advanced settings of one of your policy metrics, the changes take effect only when a ticket is subsequently updated.

Reporting

Your reporting changes based on the new criteria specified. This means that SLA achievements or breaches could be measured differently than before, based on the changes you make. To more easily compare metrics before or after your changes, you can make a note of the date you made those changes. Alternatively, create a new SLA policy with a different name, using all the same criteria as before, but with the new advanced settings applied.

Audit log

The new advanced settings aren't reflected in the audit log at this time.

What do I need to do?

To use the new advanced settings, see Customizing your SLAs with advanced settings.

If you're happy with your SLA policies, then you don't need to take any action and your nothing will change.

If you have feedback or questions related to this announcement, visit our community forum where we collect and manage customer product feedback. For general assistance with your Zendesk products, contact Zendesk Customer Support.