1. Getting started
To access SLA policies, go to Control Center → Service Desk → SLA.
This opens the SLA policies page, where you can view, create, and manage all your SLA policies.
2. Create an SLA policy
Click + SLA policy to open the policy creation wizard. The wizard has six steps:
Scope: Define who and what the policy applies to
Response: Configure the first response timer
Resolution: Configure the resolution timer
Targets: Set time targets by priority
Advanced: Handle reopened tickets and priority changes
Escalations: Set up notifications and actions
Step 1: Scope
Name the policy and define the scope of your SLA policy by selecting the customers, boards, channels, and business hours it applies to.
Enable SLA policy: Toggle this on to apply the policy to matching tickets. If kept off, the policy will be saved but won't apply to any tickets.
SLA name: Enter a name for your SLA policy.
Description: Add a brief description of what this policy covers.
Customers
Select which customers this SLA policy applies to.
All customers: The policy applies to every customer.
Selected customers: The policy applies only to the customers you choose.
Set as global default SLA policy: When "All customers" is selected, you can toggle this on to make the policy the global default. This policy will be applied to all customers by default. If a customer has a specific SLA policy assigned, that policy will take priority over the global default policy.
Set as default SLA policy for the selected customers: When "Selected customers" is chosen, you can toggle this on to make it the default for those customers. This policy will be the default for the selected customers and will take priority over the global default SLA policy.
Ticket filters
Select which tickets this SLA policy applies to.
All boards: The policy applies to tickets on every board.
Selected boards: The policy applies only to tickets on the boards you choose.
Ticket channels
Select which channels this SLA policy applies to.
All channels: The policy tracks tickets from every channel.
Selected channels: Choose specific channels such as Email, MS Teams, Desktop App, Web Portal, Mobile App, Monitoring Alert, or Manual.
Only tickets created through the selected channels will be eligible for this SLA policy.
Business hours schedule
Choose when SLA time should be counted for tickets under this policy.
Business hours: SLA time counts only during your configured working hours
24/7: SLA runs continuously without pause.
Custom schedule: SLA runs only during a custom time window you define.
Note: If your company profile has business hours set to 24/7, only the 24/7 and Custom schedule options will be available.
Step 2: Response
Configure when the first response timer starts, pauses, and stops.
Enable first response SLA: Toggle this on to track how quickly a ticket receives its first qualifying response.
Start timer
The timer automatically starts when the ticket is created.
Pause timer
Pause outside the selected SLA schedule and resume within active hours: The timer pauses outside your configured business hours or custom schedule and resumes when active hours begin.
Do not pause: The timer runs continuously regardless of the schedule.
Note: If the business hours schedule is set to 24/7, the pause option is not applicable. The timer will run continuously.
Stop timer
When the ticket status changes from New: The timer stops when the ticket moves out of the "New" status.
When the first reply is sent: The timer stops when the first reply is sent on the ticket.
Step 3: Resolution
Configure when the resolution timer starts, pauses, and stops.
Enable resolution SLA: Toggle this on to track how long it takes to fully resolve a ticket.
Start timer
When the ticket is created: The timer begins as soon as the ticket is created.
When the ticket is updated: The timer begins when the ticket is first updated. This includes either of the following:
When the ticket status changes from New
When the first reply is sent
Pause timer
You can enable one of the following pause conditions:
Pause outside the selected SLA schedule and resume within active hours: The timer pauses outside your configured schedule.
When the ticket is in a selected status: The timer pauses when the ticket enters any of the statuses you select (e.g., "Waiting on Customer").
Do not pause: The timer runs continuously.
Note: If the business hours schedule is set to 24/7, the schedule-based pause option will not be available.
Stop timer
When the ticket is closed: The timer stops when the ticket is closed.
When the ticket is in a selected status: The timer stops when the ticket enters any of the statuses you select.
Step 4: Targets
Set targets and thresholds to define how quickly tickets should be responded to and resolved based on their priority.
At-risk threshold
Set the percentage at which tickets should be flagged as at-risk. The SLA status changes to "at-risk" when the ticket reaches this percentage of its target time.
For example, if the threshold is set to 80%, the ticket's SLA status will change to "at-risk" once it reaches 80% of the configured target time. This helps your team identify tickets that are close to breaching and take action early.
Response and resolution targets
Define priority-based time targets for first response and ticket resolution.
Set the target time (in hours and minutes) for each priority level:
The values above are defaults. Adjust them based on your service commitments. You can also uncheck a priority level to skip that target.
Step 5: Advanced
Define how timers behave when tickets are reopened or priorities change.
When a ticket is reopened
Restart timers: SLA timers reset to zero and start counting again from the beginning.
Continue with remaining time: SLA timers resume from where they left off, using the remaining time from the original target.
When a ticket's priority changes
Recalculate targets based on the new priority: SLA targets are updated to match the new priority level.
For example, if a ticket is escalated from Low to High, the target times will be recalculated to match the High priority targets.
Keep original targets: SLA targets remain based on the priority that was set when the ticket was first created.
Step 6: Escalations
Define when to notify and how to escalate when SLA targets are at-risk or breached.
You can configure multiple escalation levels. Each level includes a trigger, notification recipients, and an action.
Trigger
Choose when this escalation level should activate:
When SLA becomes at-risk: Triggers when the SLA status changes to at-risk (based on the threshold percentage you configured in Step 4).
When SLA is breached: Triggers the moment the SLA target time is exceeded.
After SLA breach: Triggers after a specified delay following the breach. You can choose a preset delay (5m, 10m, 15m, 30m, 1h) or enter a custom duration.
Notify
Choose who should be notified when this escalation triggers:
Assignee: The technician currently assigned to the ticket.
Team members: Other team members you select.
Action
Choose what should happen when this escalation triggers:
Keep current assignee: No reassignment; the current assignee remains responsible.
Assign to a board: Move the ticket to a different board.
Assign to a team member: Reassign the ticket to a specific team member.
Click Add escalation level + to add additional escalation levels with different triggers and actions.
After configuring all steps, click Save to create your SLA policy.
3. How the SLA assignment works
When a ticket is created, the system determines the applicable SLA policy based on the configured scope. The ticket must match the policy's customer, board, and ticket channel criteria.
If multiple SLA policies match, the following priority order is used:
Customer-specific SLA policy: A policy assigned as the default for a specific customer takes the highest priority.
Global default SLA policy: If no customer-specific policy exists, the global default policy is applied.
No SLA: If neither applies, the ticket will have no SLA.
You can also manually assign or change an SLA policy when creating a ticket or from the ticket properties panel in the ticket details view.
4. Understanding SLA statuses
SLA status helps technicians understand whether a ticket is within target or needs attention. The following statuses are used:
Status | Meaning |
Scheduled | The SLA has not started yet |
On track | The ticket is within the SLA target time |
At-risk | The ticket is approaching the target time (threshold reached) |
Breached | The target time has been exceeded |
Met | The SLA was completed before the target was breached |
No SLA | No SLA policy was assigned to the ticket |
5. SLA information on tickets
SLA information is visible in both the ticket list and the ticket detail page, helping technicians quickly assess ticket urgency and progress.
Ticket list
The ticket list shows two SLA columns: Response SLA and Resolution SLA. Each displays the current SLA status for that ticket.
Ticket detail
The ticket detail page shows SLA status cards with the following information:
Status | Left label | Right label |
On track | Remaining: {time} | Target: {time} |
At-risk | Remaining: {time} | Target: {time} |
Paused | Remaining: {time} | Target: {time} |
Breached | Overdue by: {time} | Target: {time} |
Met | {time} before target | Target: {time} |
6. SLA on mobile
The mobile app shows a single combined SLA status based on both the first response and resolution SLA. The combined status follows this priority:
Breached overrides all other statuses
At-risk overrides On track
Scheduled is shown only when both SLAs are scheduled
Met is shown only when both SLAs are met
If no SLA applies, the ticket shows No SLA
7. SLA escalation notifications
When an escalation is triggered, email notifications are sent to the configured recipients. The notification content varies based on the trigger type.
At-risk notification
Subject: SLA at risk – Ticket {ticket_id}
The email includes the ticket details (summary, customer, priority, SLA policy name) along with the remaining time and target time, prompting the recipient to take action before the SLA is breached.
Breached notification
Subject: SLA breached – Ticket {ticket_id}
The email includes the ticket details along with the overdue time, indicating that immediate action is required.
After breach notification
Subject: SLA breach – {delay_time} overdue – Ticket {ticket_id}
The email includes the ticket details along with how long ago the breach occurred and the current overdue time, indicating that the ticket requires immediate attention.