Service-level agreements (SLAs) have been the default measurement tool for so long that their limitations are often overlooked.
While they remain useful for managing uptime, delivery and response commitments, they are increasingly disconnected from what matters to users – whether they can get on with their work smoothly and without unnecessary frustration. When everything looks good on paper, but users are still struggling, it’s clear that something is missing.
The reality is that SLAs are not designed to capture user satisfaction. They don’t show whether a technical fault was properly resolved or if it returned a few days later. They only track whether a service provider met its contractual obligations – not whether those obligations led to a meaningful improvement in the user’s experience. In an environment where so much of the workplace is digital, this sort of gap isn’t just inconvenient; it directly affects productivity, morale and the perception of support.
This is where experience-level agreements (XLAs) are gaining relevance. They don’t replace SLAs, nor do they disregard the importance of delivery standards. What they do is proactively place the user at the centre of the measurement framework. They ensure service providers remain accountable not just for whether a task is completed, but for how effectively it was resolved – making certain that the often-ignored element of satisfaction becomes part of the service equation.
Because XLAs allow us to identify persistent pain points across the user journey, they also give users reassurance that their concerns are being taken seriously. That builds trust. It reduces the low-level frustration that can build up over time and lead to disengagement. That matters in a working world where mental health and emotional well-being are now recognised as integral to sustainability. The goal isn’t just fewer tickets. It’s a smoother, more supported day at work for the person making the request.
The upside
The upside is straightforward. When problems are fixed properly, and people aren’t spending their time chasing answers or repeating the same requests, they can get back to doing their actual jobs. That translates into better output, stronger collaboration and higher levels of satisfaction across the board. The connection between experience and productivity isn’t speculative – it’s direct.
That’s the crux of it. If your performance dashboards are showing all green, but your people are saying otherwise, then what you’re measuring isn’t telling the full story.
Shifting to an experience-based model does require adjustment. Many organisations are used to measuring performance in a certain way and may initially see XLAs as just another reporting layer, or a focus on softer indicators that don’t carry the same weight. That’s where a conversation is needed – not just about what is being measured, but why it matters. These are not peripheral metrics. They track how people experience the service, and by extension how supported and effective they feel – which directly influences retention, loyalty and long-term reputation.
Making the shift to XLAs work in practice requires shared clarity on both sides – a clear understanding of what the company expects from its service provider, and an agreement on what the transformation journey looks like. It’s also important to anticipate that there will be obstacles to work through and build in the mechanisms to address them. Feedback loops need to be in place, supported by open communication and a shared commitment to adapting as the journey unfolds.
It’s about building trust through clarity, consistency and responsiveness. When users see that their input is being heard – and more importantly, used to shape how services are delivered – the relationship changes. It becomes collaborative rather than transactional.
To measure user experience effectively requires using a full suite of technology solutions such as field service and business intelligence tools. We do this by analysing customer surveys, tagging feedback themes, and tracking performance across the full journey, from call logging to follow-up, across departments. A challenge here is to manage subjective bias so that we don’t inadvertently measure what turns out to be someone having a bad day as a negative input, which can be catered for using algorithms in conjunction with a conversation – elevating experience further.
The benefit of an XLA approach is in identifying problems before they escalate so they are resolved in a way that builds confidence rather than resentment. XLAs truly come into their own when you have a situation where everything appears to be functioning on the surface, but users are still complaining – it ensures that the experience matches the expectation instead of providing false positives. Elevate your service experience by resolving hidden issues before they become visible problems.
- The author, Yolanden Moodley, is MD of Altron Document Solutions
About Altron Document Solutions
Altron Document Solutions (ADS) is Africa’s leading document management technology and services company and the largest Xerox distributor in the world. It is the authorised Xerox distributor in 26 sub- Saharan countries offering the complete range of Xerox document equipment, software solutions and services. ADS forms part of JSE-listed Altron.
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