Why Service Catalogs & SLAs Are Fundamental: Lessons from a Diner
Imagine walking into a diner, sitting down, and being handed a menu. The menu gives you clear options, telling you exactly what’s available, how it’s prepared, and how long it might take. It’s a straightforward process. You choose what you want, and the kitchen gets to work.
Now, imagine a diner that doesn’t have a menu. Instead, customers can order whatever they want. They might ask for an elaborate dish that the restaurant doesn’t normally serve, or demand their food immediately because they’re in a rush. Without a menu to set expectations, both the staff and the customers are in a tough spot. The result? Confusion, frustration, and unrealistic demands.
This is what happens in the IT world when companies don’t have a clear service catalog or defined SLAs.
Menus and Service Catalogs: Setting Expectations
A diner menu isn’t just a list of food—it’s a way to manage expectations. It shows the customer what’s available, what’s included in their order, and how long they might wait. Similarly, an MSP needs a well-defined service catalog to communicate what services they provide and under what conditions.
For example, without a clear service catalog, clients may think that because you’re their IT provider, you should handle anything remotely related to technology. “But you’re my IT provider; you should be able to do this,” is a phrase many MSPs hear when the boundaries aren’t clearly set.
SLAs: Your Wait Time for IT Solutions
Now, think about how some menu items come with a note: “This may take up to 30 minutes to prepare.” This is the diner’s version of an SLA—they’re telling you exactly how long something will take so you can make an informed decision. If you’re in a hurry, you might choose something faster, knowing that the complex dish will take longer.
In the same way, SLAs in IT service define response times and resolution expectations. They outline what’s possible and when clients can expect their issues to be addressed. An SLA could say that a critical system issue will be prioritized and resolved within a certain number of hours, whereas routine maintenance might take longer.
Without SLAs, clients might expect immediate service regardless of the complexity of the problem or the urgency of other client requests—like a diner customer wanting their food first simply because they’re in a rush. SLAs help ensure fairness and transparency for both the MSP and the client.
Substitutions and Special Orders: The Risks of Undefined Services
What happens when a diner allows unlimited substitutions or special orders? Chaos. The kitchen gets overwhelmed, and service for everyone slows down. This is what happens when MSPs don’t clearly define their services in a service catalog.
Clients might ask for things outside of the agreed scope simply because it’s IT-related, and without a clear service catalog, they assume it’s included. For example, standard support might cover basic Office 365 issues, but what about complex security protocols for cloud solutions? Or firmware updates for firewalls that are only included in a specific vulnerability management solution?
A service catalog ensures that both parties are clear on what’s included and what might cost extra or require additional time. It’s the IT equivalent of a diner charging extra for that avocado toast—clients know what to expect, and there’s no confusion.
Building Your Service Catalog and SLAs: Four Focus Areas
To run your IT services like a well-oiled diner, it’s essential to create a detailed service catalog that ties directly to your contracts. Here are four areas to focus on when building yours:
Alerting and Monitoring – Define how and when your MSP alerts clients to issues. Is there proactive monitoring? If so, what’s the response time for different alert levels?
Updates and Maintenance – Make it clear what is included in standard support, like Office 365 updates, and what falls under more specialized services, such as firewall firmware updates tied to security or vulnerability management.
Response Times – Set realistic expectations with SLAs that clearly define response and resolution times for different levels of service requests. Clients should know when to expect a resolution for minor issues versus critical outages.
Standard vs. Premium Services – Just like diners charge extra for specialty items, your service catalog should differentiate between standard and premium services. This avoids surprises and ensures clients are aware when they’re asking for something outside of the standard package.
Conclusion: The Power of Clarity
A well-organized diner with clear menus and a kitchen that knows exactly what to prepare is a smooth-running operation. In the same way, an MSP with a detailed service catalog and clearly defined SLAs is a reliable partner to their clients. It sets clear expectations, reduces confusion, and ensures that both the MSP and the client understand what’s included—and what’s not.
Just as diners wouldn’t last long without menus, your MSP shouldn’t operate without a service catalog and well-defined SLAs. They are the foundation for a successful, long-term partnership with your clients. So, next time you review your contracts, ask yourself: What’s on the menu?
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