In most respects, working for a live chat agency is similar to working in any live chat job. But there is one big difference you need to be aware of—Service Level Agreements.

In most cases, live chat agencies will have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with each client. This is a contract that specifies the targets the agency must reach. It lays out the exact services to be provided, plus the expected level of service required. 

SLAs are good for both the client and the agency because they:

SLAs are valuable because they crystallize promises into contractually agreed terms of service. They also formalize the process for responding when these promises are broken. This means that a poor-performing agency can be held to account. If the agency does not meet the agreed-upon conditions, the customer can claim compensation.

For this reason, service standards are often set using the SMART goals principle. Each objective set should be: 

Specific: clearly applying the standard to a particular situation

Measurable: making it quantifiable so meeting the standard can be proved

Achievable: only choosing standards that resources available to you allow for

Realistic: making sure standards reflect customers’ needs

Time-bound: setting clear parameters around times and frequencies

An example of a service standard in customer service using the SMART methodology might be:

'We will respond to your live chat request at any time of day or day of the week within one minute, 98% of the time'.

To make sure your team is hitting this standard, you must check against the relevant KPI. In this case, that would be the Time to Respond metric.

As a Team Leader, you will be responsible for ensuring your team meets all the objectives set out in the SLA. There are many strategies you can use to do this. 

Every live chat agency will have monitoring software that measures the KPIs you need to track. You need to keep an eye on these. Often, you see these metrics color-coded as follows: 

Warning notifications before breaches occur can help, too. For example, if you guarantee a live chat response in five minutes, the software should automatically notify you if a chat is unanswered after four minutes thirty seconds.

When SLA breaches do occur, make sure all relevant parties are aware. Then take the next step as defined in the agreement. For example, the agency may need to compensate the client in some way. 

SLAs provide peace of mind for companies and customers alike. They also minimize time-wasting caused by any unnecessary finger-pointing. Take a positive view and see them as another tool to help you do your job well.