MSP IT Support Service Level Agreements Explained: Response vs. Resolution Times – and What to Ask Before You Sign

Imagine this scenario: It’s 9:15 AM on a Tuesday. Your main server has just gone offline. Your staff can’t access their files, the phones are ringing out, and your warehouse team is standing around waiting for labels to print.

You panic. You call your IT support provider. You remember reading somewhere in the IT Support Service Level Agreements “response in 30 minutes guaranteed”. You get a voicemail, or perhaps a polite receptionist takes your details. Five minutes later, an automated email lands in your inbox: “Ticket #12345 Received. Priority: High.”

You breathe a sigh of relief. They’ve responded! You assume a team of engineers is now swarming your problem like a pit crew at a Formula 1 race.

But by 11:00 AM, nothing has happened. By 2:00 PM, you’re still down. By 4:30 PM, you’re furious.

When you finally get a manager on the phone, they point to a clause in your contract: “We met our SLA. We responded within 15 minutes.”

Technically, they are right. They did respond. They sent an email. But they didn’t resolve anything.

This is the most common trap in the IT world. It’s the difference between a provider who looks good on paper and a partner who keeps you in business.

At Yellowcom, we believe that clarity is kindness. You shouldn’t need a law degree to understand your IT Support Service Level Agreements (SLA). You just need to know when your problem will be fixed.

In this guide, we’re going to demystify the jargon, show you the red flags to look for in your next contract, and explain exactly how a transparent SLA should work.

What actually are IT Support Service Level Agreements?

An SLA, or Service Level Agreement, is essentially the “rules of the game” for your relationship with an IT provider. It’s the promise they make to you about performance.

Think of it like ordering a pizza. If the website says “We will acknowledge your order instantly,” that’s nice, but it doesn’t tell you when you get to eat. If it says “Delivery guaranteed in 30 minutes or it’s free,” that is a measurable promise with a clear outcome.

In the world of Managed Service Providers (MSPs), the SLA dictates two critical things:

1. Speed: How fast they act when things break.
2. Prioritization: How they decide which problems get fixed first.

Without a solid SLA, you are relying on “Best Endeavours.” In plain English, that means “We’ll get to it when we can, but we promise we’ll try really hard.”

For a hobbyist, that might be fine. For a business with payroll to run and clients to serve, it’s a massive risk.

The Great Trick: Response vs. Resolution

If you only take one thing away from this article, let it be this: Response Time and Resolution Time are not the same thing.

Unscrupulous providers love to shout about their “15-minute response guarantee.” in their IT Support Service Level Agreements. It sounds incredible. But you need to look closer at what counts as a “response.”

1. Response Time (The “We Heard You” Metric)

This is the time it takes for the provider to acknowledge that you have a problem. In many modern systems, this is automated. You send an email, their system reads it, and an auto-responder fires back. Technically, they have “responded” in 30 seconds. The IT Support Service Level Agreements clock stops ticking, but your server is still broken.

Even if a human responds, it might just be a triage engineer saying, “Thanks, we’re looking into it.” It doesn’t mean they are fixing it; it just means they know about it.

2. Resolution Time (The “We Fixed It” Metric)

This is the metric that actually matters to your business. This is the guaranteed time by which the issue will be solved or a viable workaround put in place.

Resolution targets are much harder for MSPs to hit. They require skilled engineers, efficient processes, and adequate staffing levels. That is why many providers hide them, or don’t offer them at all.

The Yellowcom Difference: We track both. We believe you deserve to know that we’ve seen your ticket and when it will be fixed. For example, on our Platinum plan, we commit to a 2-hour resolution target for critical failures. We don’t just acknowledge the fire; we put it out.

The Hierarchy of Panic: Understanding Priority Levels

Not all IT problems are created equal.

If your printer is jammed, it’s annoying. If your entire network is down, it’s a disaster. A good SLA acknowledges this by categorizing issues into “Priorities” (usually P1 to P4).

This system protects you. It ensures that if you have a total system failure, you aren’t stuck in a queue behind someone who forgot their password.

Here is how we define these levels at Yellowcom, so you can see what a robust prioritization structure looks like:

P1: Critical Emergency (The “Drop Everything” Moment)

Definition: This is a total system failure. All your users are unable to work, or a major security breach has been detected. Example: Your main file server has crashed, or you’ve been hit by ransomware. Why it matters: Every minute of downtime costs you money. You need an immediate, all-hands-on-deck response.

P2: High Priority (The “Major Headache”)

Definition: Severe performance issues where multiple users are affected, or key systems are degraded. Example: The internet is running so slowly that no one can upload files, or the finance department can’t access Sage. Why it matters: The business is functioning, but barely. Productivity is tanking.

P3: Medium Priority (The “Inconvenience”)

Definition: A single user is unable to work, but there is a workaround available. Example: Jane’s laptop won’t connect to the printer, but she can email files to Bob to print for her. Why it matters: It needs to be fixed, but it shouldn’t stop the company from trading.

P4: Low Priority (The “Admin”)

Definition: Minor issues, questions, or configuration requests. Example: “Can you set up a new email alias for me on Microsoft 365?” or “How do I change my signature?” Why it matters: These are “housekeeping” tasks. They are important, but not urgent.

The “Business Hours” Gotcha

Here is another question to ask before you sign: “What happens at 5:01 PM?”

Many “Standard” support contracts only cover you from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday. If your server crashes at 5:30 PM on a Friday, and you have a Standard SLA, you might be down until 9:00 AM Monday morning. That is nearly three full days of downtime.

Cybercriminals do not work 9-to-5. In fact, they often launch attacks on Friday evenings or bank holidays specifically because they know IT teams are offline.

What to look for: Check if your provider offers 24/7 monitoring for critical issues. At Yellowcom, our Platinum Support SLA includes 24/7 monitoring for critical issues.

Transparency in Action: Our Published SLAs

We promised to show you what a “real” SLA looks like. We don’t hide ours behind a “contact us” form. We publish them because we are proud of the standards we hold ourselves to.

When you partner with Yellowcom, here is exactly what you are signing up for based on the package you choose:

P1 Critical Issues (Total System Failure)

• Standard Support: We respond within 4 hours and resolve within 8 hours.
• Premium Support: We respond within 2 hours and resolve within 4 hours.
• Platinum Support: We respond within 30 minutes and resolve within 2 hours.

Think about that Platinum target: If your business comes to a grinding halt, you will have a qualified engineer working on the fix within 30 minutes, with a target to have you back up and running within 2 hours. That is the difference between a “glitch” and a “disaster.”

P2 High Priority (Multiple Users Affected)

• Standard Support: 8hr response / 16hr resolution.
• Premium Support: 4hr response / 8hr resolution.
• Platinum Support: 1hr response / 4hr resolution.

P3 Medium Priority (Single User Impact)

• Standard Support: Next day response / 48hr resolution.
• Premium Support: 8hr response / 24hr resolution.
• Platinum Support: 2hr response / 12hr resolution.

(You can view the full table and details in our service brochures).

The “Must-Ask” Checklist for Your Next IT Provider

If you are currently shopping around for Managed IT Support, or if you are about to renew your current contract, do not sign anything until you have asked these three questions.

1. “Can I see your SLA targets for Resolution, not just Response?” If they hesitate, or tell you they work on “best endeavours,” walk away. You cannot build a reliable business on “we’ll try.”

2. “How do you escalate issues?” If the Tier 1 technician can’t fix my server, how long does it take to get to Tier 3? At Yellowcom, our Platinum support gives you direct access to 2nd and 3rd line engineers for critical issues, bypassing the basic triage queue entirely.

3. “What happens if you miss the target?” A target without a consequence is just a wish. Ask about their accountability structure. We strive to exceed these expectations for every client, but having them in writing gives you the security of a contractual guarantee.

Why Trust Matters More Than Tech

Ultimately, an SLA is about trust. It is a written commitment that says, “We value your time.”

Technology fails. It is a fact of life. Servers age, software bugs out, and users click things they shouldn’t. You can’t avoid problems entirely, but you can choose how they are handled.

You can choose a provider that leaves you in the dark, wondering if anyone has even read your email. Or you can choose a partner that operates with transparency, tracks every minute, and commits to getting you back online fast.

We built our support packages—Standard, Premium, and Platinum—because we know that a “one size fits all” approach doesn’t work. A local café doesn’t need the same 30-minute reaction time as a 24-hour logistics hub. But both deserve to know exactly what they are paying for.

Is Your Current Provider Hitting These Targets?

If you’ve been reading this and thinking, “I have no idea what my current response times are,” or “I definitely waited more than 2 hours last time my server broke,” then it might be time for a health check.

Don’t wait for the next crisis to find out your SLA isn’t up to scratch.

We can help you benchmark your current service. We will review your infrastructure, look at your current setup, and give you a clear comparison of how your current support stacks up against the Yellowcom standard.

Let’s make sure your business has the safety net it deserves.

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Useful Links

• NI Business Info – Service Level Agreements
• National Cyber Security Centre – Small Business Guide: Response and Recovery
• Information Commissioner’s Office – A Guide to Data Security