For decades, the IT service desk has been governed by the Service Level Agreement (SLA). We’ve all lived by its metrics: time to resolution, first-contact closure, uptime percentages. But while these numbers tell us how fast we worked, they often fail to answer a more critical question: how well did we serve the user?
This is precisely why a new paradigm is taking hold: the Experience Level Agreement (XLA).
SLAs: Measuring the Mechanics
Think of SLAs as the dashboard of your car. They show the hard facts—speed, RPM, fuel level. In IT terms, SLAs track the operational “mechanics” of service delivery:
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⏱️ Number of tickets resolved
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📊 Average resolution time
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🔧 First-contact resolution rate
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💻 Uptime vs. downtime
These metrics are essential, but they are inherently inward-looking. A ticket can be closed within the SLA, yet the user can still be left frustrated by a confusing interaction or a solution that doesn’t fully meet their needs.
XLAs: Measuring the Experience
If SLAs are the car’s dashboard, then XLAs are the driver’s review of the journey. XLAs shift the focus from technical performance to human perception. They measure the qualitative customer experience (CX) and the user’s sentiment about the service they received.
Instead of just “Was it fixed quickly?”, XLAs ask:
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😊 Was the user satisfied with the interaction?
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🤝 Did the agent show empathy and understanding?
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💡 Did the solution truly enable the user to be productive?
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📈 How has this service interaction impacted their overall perception of IT?
The Inevitable Shift from SLA to XLA
The transition from a purely SLA-driven culture to one that embraces XLAs isn’t just a trend—it’s a strategic evolution. As customer and employee experience become central to organizational success, ITSM leaders must look beyond the stopwatch.
This doesn’t mean throwing out your SLAs. They are still crucial for operational health. The goal is to balance them with XLAs, using both quantitative data and qualitative feedback to build a complete picture of service excellence.
The future of ITSM isn’t just about being fast; it’s about being meaningful. By prioritizing user sentiment and outcomes, we move IT from a cost center to a true value driver, building trust and satisfaction with every interaction.
What’s your take? Is your organization starting to measure the experience, or are you still solely focused on the clock? Share your thoughts in the comments below