Service Level Agreement Template Tips for Building Solid Client Relationships

Do you use a service level agreement template to more efficiently manage client relationships? Templates are essential to running an efficient business with repeatable solutions, and can save you a lot of time and money.

 

Many computer consultants try to over-customize certain elements of their business. When you spend time re-inventing the wheel for each and every customer and client, instead of customizing already-working templates, you waste a lot of time and miss out on important business-building recurring service revenue streams.

 

Many computer consultants also mistakenly believe that templates will hurt client relationships because they will be too formal and rigid. But templates done right actually help nurture great relationships because they provide a solid, professional framework, while ensuring that your company gets paid on time, every time, and earns steady recurring service revenue.

 

The following 4 tips can help you understand the importance of having an effective service level agreement template program in place.

1. Understand Each Element of a Well-Designed Service Level Agreement Template. There are at least 9 important pieces of a comprehensive service level agreement (SLA) package. To make your business efficient, you should have templates in place for (a) annual service level agreement; (b) rate card; (c) non-disclosure agreement (NDA); (d) credit application; (e) credit reference letter; (f) change order form; (g) purchase authorization form; (h) client feedback survey; (i) contract renewal notice.

2. Templates Make You Look Professional. When you consistently use the same templates for all your clients to handle your service contract package, you show you really know what you are doing and that you are a legitimate computer consulting business. And when your clients see you can be trusted to organize and manage important information, they will see you as a credible provider of technology services and be more likely to enter into long-term agreements with your firm.

3. Don't Forget to Have Your Templates Reviewed by Your Attorney Before You Use Them. You must get any official agreement or document you use as part of your computer consulting business reviewed and approved by your lawyer before you use them. Otherwise you risk expensive legal mistakes, and compromising or destroying important relationships with clients. To avoid paying for your attorney to learn on your dime, at a cost of potentially several thousand dollars, consider writing your own first draft that takes into account the marketing and business issues that are most important to you. That way when you go to your attorney, you're mainly just paying for an hour or two of review time. And be sure to ask your attorney for their opinion on whether your service level agreement template is appropriate for (a) your personal financial situation, (b) your company's financial situation, (c) your business entity type, (d) your target client type, and (e) enforceability if needed.

4. A Service Level Agreement Template Protects You from Problematic Clients. Of course a professional computer consultant will have an attorney review any template for his/her business … but no amount of documentation will completely protect you against the “World’s Worst Client”. You can’t build a firm around one-shot deals. Service level agreements are the exact opposite of that concept. When you have a template in place for service agreements that clearly states your expectations of client relationships, you ensure you only work with those that will follow through and follow the rules.

In this article, we talked about why a service level agreement template package is essential to building a solid, stable computer consulting business. To learn more about how you can attract great, steady, high-paying clients to your service level agreement program, go sign-up now for the free Sample Tips and Excerpts below from the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course.

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