# How to Set Up Customer Support SLAs (With an Example for Kenyan SMEs)

> To set up customer support SLAs, define three or four priority levels, agree a first response target and a resolution target for each, state the business hours the clock runs in, and write down what happens when a target is about to be missed. Then track every request as a ticket, alert agents before breaches, and review the results monthly so targets stay realistic.

Source: https://chat.or.ke/blog/how-to-set-up-customer-support-slas
Published: 2026-10-20 | Updated: 2026-10-20 | Publisher: chat.or.ke

A customer who messages your business on WhatsApp is silently asking two questions: when will someone answer me, and when will my problem be sorted? A service level agreement, or SLA, is simply your written answer to both, by type of request.

This guide shows a small or medium-sized Kenyan business how to set its first support SLAs from scratch. It includes an example SLA table you can adapt, the common mistakes to avoid, and how to track targets once they are live.

## Key takeaways

- An SLA sets two clocks per request: time to **first response** and time to **resolution**.
- Base your targets on priority, not on channel. A broken payment link matters more than a general question, whether it came by WhatsApp or email.
- State your business hours clearly; most SME SLAs run only during working hours.
- Targets should be ones your team already meets most of the time, then tightened.
- SLAs only work if you track them: tickets, alerts before breaches and a monthly review.

## What is a customer support SLA?

A customer support SLA is a commitment about how quickly your team will respond to and resolve customer requests. Large companies sign SLAs with business clients as contracts. Most small businesses use them internally, as a promise the team agrees to keep, and sometimes publish a simplified version ("we reply to WhatsApp messages within 30 minutes during business hours").

An SLA usually covers:

- **First response time (FRT):** how long until a person (not just an auto-reply) acknowledges the request.
- **Resolution time:** how long until the problem is fixed and the ticket closed.
- **Business hours:** when the clock is running.
- **Priorities:** which requests get faster targets.
- **Escalation:** what happens when a target is about to be missed.

## Before you start

You will need:

- **One month of real data.** Export or scroll through recent WhatsApp chats and emails and note roughly how long replies and fixes took. Without a baseline, targets are guesses.
- **A list of your common request types**, such as order status, refunds, faulty products, billing questions, appointment changes.
- **Agreed business hours** for support, including Saturdays and public holidays.
- **A way to track requests as tickets** with priorities and timestamps. A shared WhatsApp phone cannot do this; a helpdesk can.
- **One person who owns the SLA**: usually the support lead or the owner of a small business.

## Step 1: Group your requests into priority levels

Sort requests by how much harm a delay causes, not by how loud the customer is. Three or four levels are plenty for an SME.

- **Urgent:** a customer cannot use what they paid for, money is at risk, or there is a safety issue. Examples: an M-Pesa payment deducted but the order not confirmed, a home internet connection down, a delivery driver at the wrong address.
- **High:** a real problem with a workaround or a short deadline. Examples: a faulty item to replace, a wrong invoice before month-end.
- **Normal:** standard questions and requests. Examples: order status, change of delivery date, product questions.
- **Low:** feedback, suggestions, non-urgent information requests.

Write two or three examples under each level. Agents should be able to set a priority in seconds without asking a manager.

## Step 2: Set first response and resolution targets

Set targets per priority that your team already hits on most days, then improve them over time. Here is an example for a Nairobi online electronics shop with five support agents, working Monday to Friday 8:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 9:00 to 14:00.

| Priority | Example request | First response target | Resolution target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent | Paid by M-Pesa, order not confirmed | 15 minutes | 4 business hours |
| High | Faulty phone charger, wants a replacement | 1 business hour | 1 business day |
| Normal | "Where is my order?" | 2 business hours | 2 business days |
| Low | Suggestion for new stock | 1 business day | 5 business days |

A Kisumu clinic or a Mombasa hotel would choose different examples and possibly shorter targets for urgent issues, but the shape is the same: four rows, two clocks.

Keep first response targets realistic on WhatsApp. Customers expect faster replies on chat than on email, so a common approach is a tighter first response target for chat channels while keeping one resolution target per priority.

## Step 3: Define business hours and holidays

Decide whether the SLA clock runs 24/7 or only in working hours, and say so in writing. For most SMEs, it runs in business hours only. A message received at 21:00 on Friday is then due by a set time on Saturday morning, not "within 15 minutes".

List Kenyan public holidays (Madaraka Day, Mashujaa Day, Jamhuri Day and the others) and decide whether support is closed or reduced. Then set out-of-hours expectations for customers with an away message that says when you will reply. Our guide to [business hours and away messages](https://chat.or.ke/blog/how-to-set-business-hours-and-away-messages) covers the wording.

## Step 4: Decide what happens before and after a breach

An SLA without an escalation rule is just a wish. For each priority, agree:

- **A warning point**, such as when 75% of the time has passed, at which the assigned agent is alerted.
- **Who is told on breach**: the support lead for High, the owner or operations manager for Urgent.
- **What the agent says to the customer** when a target will be missed. A short honest update ("the technician's report is delayed; we will update you by 3pm") protects trust far better than silence.

Keep it simple: one warning, one escalation, one customer update.

## Step 5: Track every request as a ticket

You cannot measure an SLA on a shared phone. Each request that is not answered in a single reply needs a record with a priority, an owner, a start time and a status.

In chat.or.ke, an agent [opens a ticket straight from a WhatsApp or email conversation](https://chat.or.ke/features/helpdesk), with the customer and chat history attached. The ticket carries a priority and category, ticket rules can route it to the right person by category, and agents get in-app notifications for new assignments and for tickets close to breaching their response or resolution targets. Customers can follow progress on a private link, which cuts down the "any update?" messages that eat into your team's time.

Quick questions answered in one or two messages can stay as conversations in the [shared WhatsApp inbox](https://chat.or.ke/features/whatsapp-inbox); measure their first response time separately.

## Step 6: Tell your team, then tell customers

Walk the team through the priority examples and targets, and run a few practice cases together. Agents should know exactly how to set a priority and what the warning alert means.

Only then share a customer-facing version. Keep it to one or two lines on your website, WhatsApp profile and auto-reply, for example: "We reply within 2 hours during business hours (Mon to Fri 8am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm)." Never publish a target you do not yet meet.

## Step 7: Review monthly and adjust

At the end of each month, look at:

- The share of tickets that met their first response and resolution targets, by priority.
- The tickets that breached, and why: staffing, a supplier, a missing process.
- Whether priorities were set correctly.

If you meet a target more than 95% of the time for three months, consider tightening it. If you miss it often, fix the cause (staff rota, supplier delays, unclear ownership) before relaxing the target. For formulas and how to calculate these figures, see [customer service metrics explained](https://chat.or.ke/blog/customer-service-metrics-explained).

## What are common SLA mistakes?

- **Copying a big company's targets.** A bank's contact centre has dozens of agents; a five-person team should set targets it can keep.
- **Counting auto-replies as a first response.** An instant "we received your message" is useful, but the SLA clock should stop only when a person engages.
- **Too many priority levels.** Six levels means agents argue about priority instead of solving problems.
- **No pause for waiting on the customer.** If you are waiting for the customer to send a photo or an M-Pesa code, note it on the ticket so the delay is not counted against the agent.
- **Setting targets and never looking again.** SLAs are only useful with a monthly review.

If your first response figures look poor, start with the practical fixes in [how to reduce first response time](https://chat.or.ke/blog/how-to-reduce-first-response-time).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a good first response time SLA for WhatsApp?

There is no single standard, but customers expect chat replies much faster than email. Many small businesses aim to respond within minutes to an hour during business hours on WhatsApp. Start from what your team achieves today and tighten the target once you meet it consistently.

### What is the difference between first response time and resolution time?

First response time measures how long a customer waits for a person to acknowledge their request. Resolution time measures how long it takes to actually fix the problem and close the ticket. A good SLA sets a target for both, because a fast reply without a fix still leaves the customer unhappy.

### Should SLAs run 24 hours a day?

Only if you staff support around the clock. Most small and medium businesses run SLA clocks during business hours only and tell customers when they will hear back outside those hours, often with an away message and an AI assistant or automated menu for common questions.

### How many priority levels should an SLA have?

Three or four levels are enough for most small businesses, such as urgent, high, normal and low. Give each level clear examples so agents can choose a priority in seconds, and avoid adding levels that nobody can tell apart.

### Do small businesses really need SLAs?

Yes, in a simple form. Even a two-person team benefits from agreeing how fast it replies and how long common problems should take to fix. It turns vague good intentions into targets you can check, and it helps new staff understand what customers are promised.