Priority levels and the SLA

The SLA (Service Level Agreement) is the part of the contract that states how quickly SYSMAN must respond to and resolve your requests. This guide explains how those numbers are applied and measured.

1. Four priority levels

Every ticket carries one of four priority levels:

The list of systems considered "critical" for each customer is agreed in the contract.

2. First response time and resolution time

The SYSMAN SLA has two time limits, both measured from the moment the ticket is created:

• First response: the time until a SYSMAN engineer sends you their first reply, confirming receipt and the start of work. The automatic confirmation email sent when a ticket is created does not count as the first response; the clock is only acknowledged when an engineer answers you.

• Resolution: the time until the issue is fixed, or until you accept a workaround.

The first response tells you someone owns the request; the resolution time reflects how fast the problem is actually solved.

3. The commitment table

Each contract has its own SLA policy, specifying for each priority level:

• the first response time,

• the resolution time,

• the applicable window (standard business hours, extended hours, or 24/7).

The higher the priority, the shorter the committed time. The exact figures are written in the SLA appendix of the contract; if you are not sure which policy applies to your business, ask your SYSMAN account manager.

Requests from customers without a service contract follow the default SLA policy and are handled within standard business hours.

4. Business hours and public holidays

The SLA clock runs on the business hours defined in each contract's SLA policy:

• SYSMAN standard business hours: Monday – Friday 08:00–17:00, Saturday 08:00–12:00.

• Outside the window that applies to your contract, the SLA clock pauses and resumes at the start of the next business hour.

• Public holidays listed in the contract's SLA policy do not count towards SLA time.

• A contract may define extended hours or 24/7 cover for certain priority levels.

Example: with a contract counting only standard business hours, a ticket created at 16:30 on Friday has used 30 minutes of SLA time that Friday; the clock continues from 08:00 on Saturday.

Customers with an SLA can call the hotline 0833139247 24/7 for urgent incidents.

5. Pausing while we wait for you

When an engineer needs more information, access or confirmation from you to continue, the ticket moves to a waiting-on-customer state and the resolution clock pauses. When the ticket is reopened for further work, the clock continues from the remaining time rather than restarting.

To avoid dragging a ticket out:

• Reply directly to the ticket email, keeping the [T-xxxxxxxx] code in the subject.

• Send from the email address of the requester or of someone participating in the ticket.

• If your contact person is away, nominate a stand-in.

6. When the SLA is breached

When a ticket exceeds the committed time:

• The system automatically records the breach on the ticket and alerts the technical team to prioritise it.

• The ticket's SLA history (creation, response, pause, resolution timestamps) is retained as evidence when checking against the contract commitments.

• Any service credit or remedy mechanism applies according to the terms in the contract.

If you believe a ticket is running late against its commitment, reply on the ticket or call the hotline with the ticket ID.

7. Help SYSMAN set the right priority

• Describe the scope of impact clearly: how many people, which department, which branch.

• Say whether a workaround exists.

• State the business deadline involved (e.g. invoices must be issued before 17:00 today).

See also: How to submit a support request and track your ticket.