What a VoIP service level agreement says about a vendor
A VoIP service level agreement shows how your provider will treat you. Here's what an SLA should cover, which metrics matter and what to ask before you sign.
A service level agreement says a lot about how a vendor will treat you, long before anything goes wrong. Will your provider use it as a shield, or as a way to prove their value? The answer often predicts the whole relationship.
When the VoIP service you chose just isn't working out, you and your vendor end up reading from completely different scripts. Your employees aren't happy either. They're grumbling about dropped calls and slow support.
When you and your VoIP vendor aren't on the same page, it usually traces back to one thing. Something has to be settled up front in any vendor relationship, and most buyers skip it.
Doing your homework on a VoIP vendor
Most articles tell you to vet your VoIP vendor, and the usual checklist looks like this:
- Did you read the fine print in the contract?
- Do they charge for things that other providers include as part of the service?
- Does their website make boasts or promises that reviews do not back up?
- Is VoIP a focus for them, or just a value-added service?
- Does their "we'll never let you down" technical support come with so many asterisks and caveats that you can't keep track of them?
Some of these points are useful advice that can save you from buyer's remorse. For a longer version of this list, see our guide to questions to ask potential VoIP providers. But on their own they're like going to the doctor and getting treated for the symptoms instead of the cause.
What a service level agreement is
Before you get married, you may sign a prenuptial agreement. Its most notable feature is that it settles beforehand who is entitled to what if the marriage fails.
You have a similar agreement with your VoIP vendor. It may spell out obligations if things end badly, which makes it a sort of VoIP prenup, but its main purpose is to state clearly what you should expect to get.
Your Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a key piece of the relationship with your VoIP vendor. It's a bit like a warranty: a set of ground rules for what you and your vendor expect from the service.
Keep three things in mind about it:
- The service levels should be clear and understandable, so there is no room for issues caused by differing interpretations.
- The agreement is not all about your VoIP vendor. It can also include responsibilities and expectations that fall on your shoulders.
- SLAs often focus on minimum measurable criteria, so you can't push your vendor to improve service if you've agreed to levels that are the best they must achieve.
The metrics that matter
Most of a VoIP SLA is written in highly technical terms. Some parts need no explanation, such as a statement that a troubleshooting technician will contact you within a few minutes. Others are far more complex.
How well do you understand data throughput, latency or packet loss? Your VoIP vendor may want their performance measured on criteria that leave you guessing. How would you know if their minimum is acceptable when you don't know what they're measuring or why it matters?
The one number worth fighting for is uptime. A strong provider runs on a resilient backbone and says so clearly. CallSprout delivers its cloud phone system on a 99.999% uptime network, and you can read how it's built on our reliability page. When uptime is spelled out in plain language, the rest of the SLA usually follows.
Read the SLA before you sign
You're about to partner with a vendor who'll supply a highly technical service. Shouldn't they take the time to make sure you understand everything they're about to guarantee? It's a good sign if your vendor invites you to an unrushed review of the SLA before pushing a cost proposal your way.
This applies to any vendor with an SLA, and you should hold us to the same standard. A good agreement is also a fair place to confirm the savings you were promised, since switching to VoIP often costs around 30% less than legacy phone service.
A provider should give you more than guarantees on paper. CallSprout pairs a dependable cloud business phone system with an AI Voice Agent that answers, transcribes and routes every call, so the value shows up on day one rather than in a clause you hope you never need.
When you're ready to compare fine print, see what our platform includes and check pricing.
