As you carry out your quest to find a business broadband supplier, you may come across the term “SLA” and wonder what it is, why it’s relevant and whether it’s something you need to consider.

What is a service level agreement (SLA)?

The good news is that if you’re looking at connections which come with SLAs, you’ve probably already got an understanding of the importance of choosing an internet service provider specialising in business products; hooray! (And if not, it’s not too late to find out. Read our guide to choosing a broadband provider for your business).

Whenever a major residential internet service provider has some down time, we’ll see their customers taking to social media to request compensation for working time lost or loss of business. We understand the frustrations of these customers, and equally know that any provider will work very hard to regain connectivity in the case of a fault. However, the unfortunate truth for those that use a residential broadband connection for their business’s daily needs is that these products do not come with a full service level agreement.

What should be included in my business broadband SLA?

A service level agreement puts into writing the guarantees made by your internet service provider in relation to the standard of service you will receive from them.
“Service” here covers:

• Speeds staying above a certain level,
• Keeping downtime to a minimum
• Fixing faults within a specified period of time.

What happens if my provider can’t stick to the terms agreed in my SLA?

If your broadband provider is unable to adhere to the SLA you have in place, then you will be entitled to compensation which reflects the impact of a loss of connectivity to your business.

What service level should I choose?

Fault fix times can vary from two business days in some cases down to just a matter of hours in others, so the SLA you choose will depend on the product itself – for example a leased line typically comes with a five hour fault fix goal as standard – as well as your own assessment of just how critical the internet connection is to your business. What percentage of the business’s daily work is reliant on the internet? Would you be able to continue supplying customers if you were to lose connectivity? Would slow speeds decrease productivity?

As specialists in business connectivity, part of our service is to really get to grips with your business and understand how it works, so we’ll be on hand to advise when it comes to choosing the service level that best suits your needs. Give our friendly team a call today to discuss your options on 0800 082 2868, or use the form below.