Page 531 - Handbook of Modern Telecommunications

4-62 CRC Handbook of Modern Telecommunications, Second Edition

TABl E 4.4.6 Escalation Procedure for Service-Level Agreements
Escalation Steps
Severity 0 1 2 3
Critical Problems
Duration for the escalation step 0.5 H 1.5 H 2 H 24 H
Responsible for problem restoration HD Operator Service Provider Crisis Manager
Information is provided for Customer Customer Customer Customer
Operators Operators Operators Operators
NO NP Service Provider Service Provider
NP NP
Major Problems
Duration for the escalation step 2 H 3 H 4 H
Responsible for problem restoration HD Operator Service Provider
Information is provided for Customer Customer Customer
Operators Service Provider
Minor Problems
Duration for the escalation step 4 H 8 H 18 H
Responsible for problem restoration HD Operator Service Provider
Information is provided for Customer Customer Customer
Operators Service Provider
Note: NCC = Network Control Center, HD = Help Desk, NP = Network Planning, NO = Network
Operations.
• Signing the contract and handling changes: After signing the contract, it becomes legally valid.
Due to rapid changes in communication technology, changes in the service contract cannot be
avoided. Handling those changes should be included in the original contract.

The recommended standard SLA contract for SLA certification is detailed in the following section:
4.4.4.1 Template
The structure and content of SLAs should be unified, which should result in easier negotiations and
more opportunities for control. The following items should be reviewed by both parties.
1. Parties to the agreement: All parties to the agreement should be listed, especially when there are
multiple service providers and/or client groups. Each party defined as a contracting party should
sign the contract. All parties must be documented; in particular, when multiple service providers,
operators, and customers are signing the contract.
It is unusual to include many parties in one single contract. The duration of negotiations and resolv-
ing disputes and misunderstandings would take too long. These facts represent arguments against com-
plex contracts with many participants. Many bilateral contracts, however, require synchronization.
2. Terms of the agreement: The period of time that the agreement will be in place should be specified
carefully. A typical length is from 3 to 5 years. There are multiple choices here. In case of strategic
partnerships, the agreement may last more than 5 years. In the case of routine services, where
back-out is easier, the duration can be less than 3 years.
3. Service included: Each service included in the agreement should be identified and described in
detail. For each service, service-level metrics should be defined individually. The SLA should
describe how the indicator is measured and who is responsible for performing the measurement.
Further regulations should be included for emergencies, reaction time in case of outages, and
escalation procedures to mutually inform relevant contracting parties.
See contract item 18.