Jab bhi koi company IT support, logistics, cleaning, cloud, or BPO service outsource karti hai, Service Level Agreement (SLA) backbone ban jata hai. Yeh define karta hai ki “service ka standard kya hai, aur fail hone pe kya hoga.”

Good SLA answers simple but critical questions:
– Kitna uptime guarantee hai?
– Response and resolution times kya hain?
– Quality metrics (error rate, speed, accuracy) kaise measure honge?
– Reporting & review process kya hai?
– Service credit, penalties, or termination rights kab trigger honge?

Vendors naturally vague language pasand karte hain; clients clarity. Achha contract measurable KPIs use karta hai, na ke sirf “best efforts” type loose words. Data security, IP ownership, subcontracting, change request process – yeh sab bhi close linked hote hain SLA se.

Common mistake: legal team ko last moment pe involve karna, jab deal almost done hoti hai. Result: weak SLA jo dispute aate hi collapse ho jata hai. Dono sides ke liye fair, realistic expectations set karna zaroori hai – otherwise either service provider bleed karega, ya client frustrated rahega.